Internet Governance and Digital Governance: Are They the Same Thing?

Konstantinos Komaitis and Jordan Carter reflect on the rise of global discussions about digital governance and seek to position it in relation to the more mature field of internet governance. UN Secretary General António Guterres speaks at the UN General Assembly, September 20, 2022. Wikimedia In May, the United Nations Secretary-General (SG), António Guterres, published a suite of policy briefs that share his vision on the topics being canvassed at next year’s Summit of the Future, including his thinking regarding the need for a Global Digital Compact (GDC). In one of his briefs, entitled “A Global Digital Compact – An Open, Free and Secure Digital Future For All,” SG Guterres “proposes the development of a Global Digital Compact that would set out principles, objectives, and actions for advancing an open, secure and human-centered digital future.” But it is his reference to “digital governance” that seems to position this document apart from the historical discussions around internet governance.  Scoping digital governance and framing it in relation to internet governance is a conversation that perhaps is overdue, given the increasing regulation related to digital issues that is taking place in jurisdictions around the world. As negotiations on the Global Digital Compact are due to begin, being clear about the current and desired linkages between the two fields will be important to avoid risks – one among them being the accidental dissolution of the internet governance system into the much broader concerns of digital governance. It is unclear from the brief what the SG…Internet Governance and Digital Governance: Are They the Same Thing?