Specific Issues for Discussion:
In recent years, there have been increasing concerns among civil society, advocacy groups, and businesses about the myriad ways in which the Internet is being fragmented — from blocking Internet gateways to imposing legal restrictions on international data transfers. Policymakers in the Asia Pacific region have faced significant criticism for imposing rules that risk fragmentation. To mitigate this, many experts and business executives have demanded that countries adopt universal playbooks, and some have even suggested that countries emulate the EU or U.S. models to reduce regulatory discrepancies and reduce compliance costs. However, others argue that homogenization of regulatory norms risks weakening sovereignty and resilience of online communities, and only benefits corporate interests. Countries like India and Singapore have favored more divergent regulatory options, while Australia and Japan have advocated for more collaboration and consistency in governing the Internet.
The panel discussion examines the tradeoffs between strengthening national sovereignty through diverse regulatory frameworks, and Internet fragmentation. By bringing together experts from government, private sector, academia, and civil society, the panel challenges the assumption behind norm-building, regulatory homogeneity and the risks of building isolated online communities. Specifically, the panel will examine the Washington and Brussels effect on APAC governments and question whether universal playbooks can, in fact, reduce the risk of fragmentation, or could ultimately undermine regulatory resilience through over-harmonization.
