Will the Internet Fragment? A Discussion with Milton Mueller

The internet has united the world as never before. But is it in danger of breaking apart? Cybersecurity, geopolitical tensions, and calls for data sovereignty have made many believe that the internet is fragmenting. Join New America's Open Technology Institute and ISOC-DC as they bring Professor Milton Mueller and a set of esteemed panelists to discuss the threats to the stability of the internet, and provide insights into what should be done to address this concern.

In his new book, Will the Internet Fragment?, Professor Mueller argues that the fragmentation diagnosis misses the mark, and the rhetoric of fragmentation camouflages the real issue: the attempt by governments to align information flows with their jurisdictional boundaries. The fragmentation debate is really a power struggle over the future of national sovereignty, pitting global governance and open access against traditional territorial institutions of government. This conflict, the book argues, can only be resolved through radical institutional innovations. In order to save the internet, we need to move away from national sovereignty and towards popular sovereignty in cyberspace. 

Lunch will be provided. 

Moderator:

Derrick Cogburn
Professor, American University
@derrickcogburn

Panelists:

Milton Mueller
Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy
Author, Will the Internet Fragment?
@miltonmueller

Rebecca MacKinnon
Director, Ranking Digital Rights project at New America 
@rmack

Tim Maurer
Co-director of the Cyber Policy Initiative, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
@maurertim

Angela McKay
Senior Director of Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy, Microsoft
@angelamckay