Dear Friends, The Global Network of Internet & Society Research Centers (NoC) is happy to welcome 8 new participants from across the world! The joining Centers are described below. Please visit the links to get further information on their current research, areas of interest, and on the contact persons. The full list of the Centers involved in the NoC - currently 64 - is available at http://networkofcenters.net/centers. -- The following Centers have joined the NoC as *Participating Centers*, i.e., academic research centers whose agenda is primarily focused on Internet & Society topics. They are listed in alphabetical order. * *Center for Internet and Society* *at the Stanford University *[USA] o Webpage: http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/ o Twitter: https://twitter.com/stanfordcis o The Center for Internet and Society (CIS) is a public interest technology law and policy program at Stanford Law School and a part of Law, Science and Technology Program at Stanford Law School. CIS brings together scholars, academics, legislators, students, programmers, security researchers, and scientists to study the interaction of new technologies and the law and to examine how the synergy between the two can either promote or harm public goods like free speech, innovation, privacy, public commons, diversity, and scientific inquiry. CIS strives to improve both technology and law, encouraging decision makers to design both as a means to further democratic values. CIS provides law students and the general public with educational resources and analyses of policy issues arising at the intersection of law, technology and the public interest. CIS also sponsors a range of public events including a speakers series, conferences and workshops.. o The main contact person within the NoC is*Jennifer Granick*, Director of Civil Liberties at the Center for Internet and Society (CIS) (https://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/about/people/jennifer-granick). * *Center for Information Technology, Society, and Law (ITSL) at the University of Zurich *[Switzerland] o Webpage: http://www.itsl.uzh.ch/en.html o The Center for Information Technology, Society, and Law (ITSL) at University of Zurich is an interdisciplinary research institute. Its mission is to explore the opportunities and challenges in the information society and the impact of new technologies on business and government activities as well as everyday life. The goal of the ITSL is to foster and advance interdisciplinary research, to encourage the collaborative development of multidisciplinary projects and to serve as a forum that promotes dialogue and knowledge transfer between researchers from various disciplines such as computer and communication sciences, sociology, psychology, geography, ethics, and law. o The main contact person within the NoC is *Florent Thouvenin*, co-founder and co-chair of the Executive Committee of the Center for Information Technology, Society, and Law (ITSL)(http://www.rwi.uzh.ch/lehreforschung/alphabetisch/thouvenin/florent-thouveni...). * *Centre for the Internet and Human Rights (CIHR) at the European University Viadrina *[Germany] o Webpage: https://cihr.eu o Twitter: https://twitter.com/CIHR_eu o The Centre for the Internet and Human Rights (CIHR) is a vibrant hub for academic research about technology and society. Our goal is to inform current public and academic debates by producing high-quality research grounded in theory and empirical data. The CIHR was born out of discussions between Ben Wagner and Juergen Neyer. The two scholars felt that many of the debates about the Internet and its impact on human rights are too simplistic and lack empirical depth. In 2014, they decided to found a new academic centre attached to the Chair of European and International Politics at the European University Viadrina. The CIHR strives to be a platform for individuals who share a common goal of promoting high quality research about internet and human rights. The core academic team is comprised of scholars and PhD candidates from international relations, political science, sociology and law. The international fellowship program brings together practitioners, researchers, activists, philosophers, diplomats, computer scientists, who help translate academic results into real-life impact. Fellows contribute to current projects at the CIHR, develop their own research and help to disseminate research results beyond academic communities. o The main contact person within the NoC is *Ben Wagner*, Director of the Centre for the Internet and Human Rights (CIHR) (https://cihr.eu/ben-wagner/). * *Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Internet et societé (IRIIS)* *at the CERSA* [France] o Webpage: http://www.iriis.fr/ o IRIIS is an interdisciplinary research center devoted to studying societal changes and the evolution of civic participation in the digital age. Hosted by the CERSA (Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches de Sciences Administratives et Politiques), the center aims at building academic expertise to inform contemporary debates on Internet policy issues. The IRIIS focuses on the interactions between emerging technologies the law with a view to elaborate new theoretical frameworks to better understand the complexity inherent in the information society. The IRIIS significantly rely on open and collaborative research methods, to promote an environment that encourages people from different backgrounds to work together towards the identification of common solutions to emerging societal concerns. Along with the IRIIS, the CERSA is also the host institution for the French Chapter of Creative Commons. o The main contact person within the NoC is *Primavera de Filippi*, researcher at the CERSA ( https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/pdefilippi). * *Institute of Network Cultures at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences *[Netherlands] o Webpage: http://www.networkcultures.org/ o Twitter: https://twitter.com/INCamsterdam o The Institute of Network Cultures (INC - Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) analyzes and shapes the terrain of network cultures through events, publications, and online dialogue. Our projects evolve around digital publishing, alternative revenue models, online video and design, digital counter culture and much more. The INC was founded in 2004 by Geert Lovink, following his appointment within the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. A key focus is the establishment of sustainable research networks. Emerging critical topics are identified and shaped in a practical sense. Interdisciplinary in character, the INC brings together researchers, artists, activists, programmers, designers, and students and teachers. o The main contact person within the NoC is *Vera Van de Nieuwenhof*, Project Associate of the Institute of Network Cultures (http://networkcultures.org/about/) * *Internet Policy project group (POLI) at Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) *[Germany] o Webpage: https://www.wzb.eu/en/research/international-politics-and-law/internet-polic... o Twitter: https://twitter.com/internet_policy o The Internet Policy project group (POLI) at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center investigates the dynamics of the emerging Internet policy domain. Its research agenda primarily focusses on two dimensions of Internet policy: 1) the institutionalisation of Internet-related regulatory competencies and resources in the public and the private sector, including networks of relevant actors; 2) the consolidation of collective ideas, categories, and problem perceptions embodied in public and political discourses. The group's empirical and conceptual research aims to contribute general conceptual insights into the emergence of policy fields as well as empirical findings about Internet policies, an area of rising political importance.In addition, the group’s members conduct research on different topics related to Internet regulation and its societal consequences, such as big data as a resource for government and as a subject of regulation, the securitisation of Internet policy discourses on both the national and international level, and the impact of international policy debates (WSIS, IGF, NetMundial) on Internet regulation. o The main contact person within the NoC is *Julia Pohle*, researcher at the the Internet Policy project group (https://www.wzb.eu/en/persons/julia-pohle). * *Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law at the University of Oslo *[Norway] o Webpage: http://www.jus.uio.no/ifp/english/about/organization/nrccl/ o The Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law (NRCCL) is part of the Department of Private Law at the University of Oslo. The NRCCL is one of the world’s oldest research institutes in the computer law field, having been established in 1970. It has consistently been at the forefront of legal research—both nationally and internationally—in this field, and it houses the world’s most extensive library of literature on the interaction of law and ICT. During the last fifteen years, the NRCCL has conducted systematic research dealing specifically with internet governance, with a particular emphasis on governance of the domain name system and other critical internet infrastructure. Two examples of major research projects in point are the Igov2 project (“Governance of the Domain Name System and the Future Internet: New Parameters, New Challenges”), which ran from 2010–2014, and the SIGNAL project (“Security in Internet Governance and Networks: Analysing the Law”), which runs from 2015–2019. o The main contact persons within the NoC is*Lee Bygrave*, Professor and Centre Director of the Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law (http://www.jus.uio.no/ifp/english/people/aca/lee/index.html) -- The following Centers have joined the NoC as *Affiliated Participants*, i.e., other types of institutions, still with Internet & Society-related open threads, carried out, e.g., as non-academic research centers, policy-support entities, or think tanks. They are listed in alphabetical order. * *The Internet Society (ISOC) *[USA and Switzerland] o Webpage: http://internetsociety.org/ o Twitter: https://twitter.com/internetsociety o The Internet Society (www.internetsociety.org) is the trusted independent source for Internet information and thought leadership around the world. It is also the organizational home for the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). With its principled vision, substantial technological foundation, and its global presence, the Internet Society promotes open dialogue on Internet policy, technology, and future development among users, companies, governments, and other organizations. Working with its members and Chapters around the world, the Internet Society enables the continued evolution and growth of the Internet for everyone. o The main contact person within the NoC is *Michael Kende*, Chief Economist at the Internet Society (see http://www.internetsociety.org/who-we-are/people/mr-michael-kende). Again, a warm welcome to all new participants in the Network of Centers! -- *About the Network of Internet and Society Research Centers* The Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC) was launched by a group of academic centers in 2012 in recognition of the lack of internationally coordinated research and engagement activities in issues concerning the Internet and related technologies. The NoC is a collaborative initiative among academic institutions with a focus on interdisciplinary research on the development, social impact, policy implications, and legal issues concerning the Internet. This collective aims to increase interoperability between participating centers in order to stimulate the creation of new cross-national, cross-disciplinary conversation, debate, teaching, learning, and engagement regarding the most pressing questions around new technologies, social change, and related policy and regulatory developments. See http://networkofcenters.net/get-involved/. -- Lorenzo Canova Nexa Center for Internet & Society Politecnico di Torino - DAUIN http://nexa.polito.it Project Manager Global Network of Internet & Society Research Centers http://networkofcenters.net/
