With the Internet permeating every aspect of life, legislation proposals and reviews increasingly has considerable impact on Internet governance. From copyrights to privacy, to blockchain and the sharing economy, the Internet has facilitated increasingly intense local and global social and economic collaboration that is challenging legislative frameworks which had not anticipated such swift and borderless shifts.
Legislators (and their teams) who are attentive to Internet governance issues realises that it is useful to learn from experiences at other jurisdictions. Many politicians meanwhile are unfamiliar or behind in their knowledge of the rapidly changing Internet and Internet Governance landscape. While active debate on relevant topics for legislators are happening regionally and globally, such as at the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and the regional and national IGFs, it is often difficult for local legislators to tap into that body of knowledge.
The Asia Pacific Legislators Roundtable on Internet Governance (APLR) aims to be a forum facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing among legislators around the region, and as a bridge between local legislators and the Internet Governance community.
Many local legislation and bills, from copyrights, privacy to child protection and education, involve issues that crosses over into Internet governance and the principles of maintaining an open and interoperable global Internet. APLR aspires to be a platform allowing participating legislators to share information and experience among peers as well as to gain insights from the Internet and Internet Governance community regionally and globally.
The concept of APLR involves a physical meeting/event along with an online platform to support ongoing information exchange and collaboration:
