Multistakeholder participation is a specific governance approach whereby multiple relevant stakeholders participate in the collective shaping of evolutions and uses of the Internet. In 2005, the Working Group in Internet Governance (WGIG), set up by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), defined Internet governance as: 'development and application by governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, social norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programs that shape the evolution and use of the Internet'. This is not identical to undifferentiated public participation in Internet issues. Instead, the concept of 'multistakeholder' signals specifically the distinct clusters of interests involved in any given digital issue and how these interests can be aggregated into decisions towards an Internet for the common good, rather than being captured by a single power center. The general principle of participation in decision-making that impacts on the lives of individuals has been part of the Internet from its outset, accounting for much of its success. It recognizes the value of multistakeholder participation, incorporating users and a user-centric perspective as well as all other actors critical to developing, using and governing the Internet across a range of levels. The other principles are enriched by the multistakeholder participation principle, because it states that everyone should have a stake in the future of the Internet. It is possible to define a number of broad categories of stakeholders in the Internet, with subgroups as well: states, businesses and industries, NGOs, civil society, international governmental organization, research actors, individuals, and others. Each of these categories has more or less unique stakes in the future of the Internet, but there are also areas of great overlap and interdependence. For instance, some NGOs, are likely to prioritize the promotion of human rights; meanwhile parliaments are primary actors in defining laws to protect these rights. Still other stakeholders are key to shaping rights online, such as search engine providers, and Internet service providers (ISPs). Individuals also have particular roles to play in respecting, promoting and protecting rights.
Internet governance
Internet governance
Internet governance is the development and application of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures and programs that shape the evolution and use of the Internet. Internet governance should not be confused with e-governance, which refers to governments' use of technology to carry out their governing duties. Although, the argument can be made that Internet governance 'as a unitary regime may in fact be an impossibility', a broader conceptualization of governance recognizes both the entirety and the diversity of governance activities that steer the "ship". The Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, defines Internet governance as: "the development and application by governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet."
Specificity It is often argued that multi-stakeholder participation is better, at least in principle, 'than governance by governments alone', as it can uphold the interests of non-elected actors in relation to governments (most of which are elected, although others not). In addition, governments may lack the necessary competence and/or adequate political will in relation to expert and benign Internet governance. Multi-stakeholder participation more broadly can be posited as a way to prevent capture of the Internet by one constituency to the expense of another – whether this is capture by various state actors and their interstate organizations, or by private sector interests nationally or internationally. In other words, governments themselves have an interest in multi-stakeholder modalities as a way to prevent Internet capture by other power centers. The participation of more stakeholders can inject expertise and reflect a diversity of needs. The legitimacy thus ascribed to multi-stakeholder decision-making is closely tied to 'the expectation of a higher quality of policy outcomes', or simply 'better governance'. The reality of multi-stakeholder participation is sometimes challenged by issues that relate both to the nature of the Internet itself – including jurisdiction and enforcement, scale, and the pace at which it changes and grows – as well as challenges pertaining to its governance.
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