10 predictions for digital politics in 2018

The year 2018 represents a tipping point for the Internet and its governance. Processes that have been evolving are now starting to mature.

Dr Jovan Kurbalija, Head of the Geneva Internet Platform, has made

10 predictions for digital politics for 2018

Governance inertia has served Internet growth well for more than decade. However, inertia may not work well any more, since the current politics are more prone than before to favoring particular national and commercial interests. Digital space will continue to mirror our real space. The chances for Internet fragmentation and conflict will be higher than a few years ago. In 2018, Internet governance will reach a tipping point.

However, there are also some reasons for optimism, as the background text suggests. While the impetus for fragmentation is strong, for most actors – governments, businesses, and civil society (users) – the disintegration of the Internet would be very damaging. Any possible convergences should be nurtured by the constructive players in the digital politics arena. It is against this backdrop that the predictions reveal what we can expect in digital policy.

Read: 10 predictions for digital politics in 2018

1. GDPR: Data in the centre of digital politics
2. Cybersecurity geopolitics: The search for new governance mechanisms
3. Digital trade and the Internet economy
4. Courts: Active maker of digital rules
5. Artificial intelligence: Between philosophical considerations and practical applications
6. Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies: Between boom and bust
7. Content policy: Fake news and violent extremism online
8. Net neutrality: Global impact of new US regulation
9. Encryption: More pressure on backdoor access
10. ICANN: Online identities, jurisdiction, and governance