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.
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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]
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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..
- Center for Information Technology, Society, and Law (ITSL)
at the University of Zurich [Switzerland]
- 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.
- Centre for the Internet and Human Rights (CIHR) at the
European University Viadrina [Germany]
- 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.
- 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]
- 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.
- Institute of Network Cultures at the Amsterdam University
of Applied Sciences [Netherlands]
- 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.
- Internet Policy project group (POLI) at Berlin Social
Science Center (WZB) [Germany]
- 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.
- Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law at the
University of Oslo [Norway]
- 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.
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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]
-
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.
Again, a warm welcome to all new participants in the Network of
Centers!
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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/.
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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/