By Pari Esfandiari and Gregory F. Treverton
Data governance may be a somewhat hackneyed phrase, but to the extent that data is governed, that governance is a byproduct in part of the governing of the internet. The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2005 defined governance for the internet as “the development and application by governments, the private sector, and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programs that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.” This UN-sponsored summit also formed the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) for an open discussion of the future of internet governance, with no commitments, yet thus far the forum has accomplished nothing of operational significance.
