Internet Governance: System Imbalances and Ways to Resolve Them

Abstract

The spread of digital technologies has led to the global digitalization of all types of public activities. The digital economy emerging during this process has become a leading factor in world economic growth and one of the criteria of national development. The digital economy is based on the Internet, which ensures the functioning of new business models, forms of social interaction and public diplomacy. The Internet governance system differs from other modern international systems of public and political relations in that the leading role in it is played by non-governmental organizations, in particular, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Internet Society (ISOC). The activities of states are significantly limited by the basic properties of the system, which complicates the implementation of the state’s digital sovereignty. The aim of this article is to determine ways to resolve this discrepancy.Analyzing the current state of Internet governance, the authors outline the key characteristics that lead to potential conflict. These include decentralization, an insufficient evaluative level of accountability and lack of legitimacy. The authors analyze ICANN and ISOC toolkits and identify the key instruments that actually make organizations central to the Internet governance system. In conclusion, the authors provide recommendations for action by the international community to mitigate the identified imbalances.The article was written on the basis of the RANEPA state assignment research programme