Policy Briefs

How we see critical Internet issues.

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Policy Brief: Open Internet Standards
Open Internet Standards 29 October 2025

Policy Brief: Open Internet Standards

By actively promoting and formally recognizing open standards in public policy, we can protect the building blocks that enable...

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Policy Brief: Internet Shutdowns
Closing the Digital Divide 28 October 2025

Policy Brief: Internet Shutdowns

This policy brief urges policymakers to adopt policies that eliminate shutdowns as a tool and to analyze and weigh...

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Spectrum Policy: An Internet Society Public Policy Brief
Closing the Digital Divide 7 October 2025

Spectrum Policy: An Internet Society Public Policy Brief

We need deliberate policy and regulatory measures to ensure spectrum availability for community-centered initiatives.

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Policy Brief: Perspectives on Internet Content Blocking
Domain Name System (DNS) 4 September 2025

Policy Brief: Perspectives on Internet Content Blocking

The Internet Society encourages policymakers to prioritize solutions that tackle harmful content at its source, rather than relying on...

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Policy Brief: Internet Shutdowns
Public Policy 18 December 2019

Policy Brief: Internet Shutdowns

An Internet shutdown can be defined as an “intentional disruption of Internet or electronic communications, rendering them inaccessible or...

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Policy Brief: IoT Privacy for Policymakers
Internet of Things (IoT) 19 September 2019

Policy Brief: IoT Privacy for Policymakers

Introduction The Internet of Things, or IoT, is the latest wave of integration of technology into our lives and...

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Policy Brief: Principles for Responsible Data Handling
Privacy 2 July 2019

Policy Brief: Principles for Responsible Data Handling

Introduction More and more of our activities generate data which is collected and used in ways we don’t see...

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Unleashing Community Networks: Innovative Licensing Approaches
Closing the Digital Divide 14 May 2018

Unleashing Community Networks: Innovative Licensing Approaches

An overview of the innovative and flexible licensing options available for community networks and tips on how to overcome...

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IoT Security for Policymakers
Internet of Things (IoT) 19 April 2018

IoT Security for Policymakers

“Cybersecurity will be the most pressing challenge of the next decade, and IoT will play a critical role in...

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Policy Brief: Internet Invariants
Public Policy 18 October 2016

Policy Brief: Internet Invariants

As the Internet becomes an increasingly more pervasive and critical piece of infrastructure, we need to understand both the...

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Policy Brief: Zero-Rating
Public Policy 7 October 2016

Policy Brief: Zero-Rating

Recognizing that zero-rating has become a marketing tool for service providers and a policy issue for regulators, the Internet...

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Policy Brief: The Internet of Things
Internet of Things (IoT) 6 October 2016

Policy Brief: The Internet of Things

Billions of smart devices are expected to come online in the coming decade, bringing with them the promise of...

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