Press Freedom

An open internet is critical to functioning, free societies. As governments around the world turn their attention to issues of internet governance — including efforts to tackle disinformation and protect user data — the risk of fragmented internet experiences increases. Some policies deliberately create fragmentation, and some policies result in fragmentation as an unintended consequence.

Policy deliberation: It is important that policy frameworks address the distinctions among different forms of fragmentation, the (limited) scenarios in which content fragmentation is justified and how to minimize the impact of fragmentation. To discourage fragmentation, internet regulation can focus on a number of intermediate goals, such as:

Regulations should also account for the global nature of the internet, particularly when it comes to the rights of journalists — and the public — to communicate and share information within and across borders.

Journalistic concerns: Internet blocks and shutdowns make it challenging for news providers to both report and distribute their work. They also limit the public’s ability to access a range of information above and beyond what their government selects. An open internet is particularly important for people to access online-only and online-first media. In some cases, independent media can help raise awareness about internet censorship and technical issues that threaten an open internet. 
Governance: Tech stakeholders can help protect a free and open internet by incorporating encryption into their products by default, participating in multistakeholder governance processes and supporting interoperable standards. Interoperability means that devices, platforms and applications made by different companies can work together, which in turn gives end-users more choice.