B.A. Internet Governance and Security: The role of the EU and East Asia (090302-SS 2024)

Internet, social media, mobiles, and other recent digital technology advances such as artificial intelligence have unleashed powerful forces that shape and reshape local, national, and international life. There is also increasing friction between free services and privacy, data protection and security, sovereignty, and globalisation. Yet, no one entity is responsible for ownership, development, or regulation of the Internet, with the ability to govern or regulate the outcomes of these conflicting forces. The Internet also challenges existing models of economic behaviour and markets, with an important impact on policy. Hence, Internet Governance (IG) has become one of the most important policy areas of our time. The term may be loosely defined as the various sets of norms (legal and non-legal) that determine how the Internet and its related applications function. Topics like cyber security are increasingly in the focus of global policymaking. How we manage the Internet and secure the net and use of the “inter-net” will define much of our society, yet the growing relevance of the Internet is not supported by effective and inclusive IG.

The seminar will be divided into two parts. The first part will start by introducing several unique aspects about IG from a theoretical perspective. It will examine the multi-stakeholder model that governs the Internet, and how the different stakeholders impact the outcome of critical policy questions. To better understand the forces shaping the Internet, it will examine several current international challenges including the role of the Internet in the international institutions, as well as cyber diplomacy strategies. The second part will focus on (new) security theories, with a particular focus on cyber security and the increased cybersecurity threats. The seminar will also cover Data Governance frameworks and data security, including the concerns over growing market power in the industry. Both parts will pay a strong attention to the People’s Republic of China’s role in the area study, with a comparative to the European Union’s approach. The seminar provides students with some critical factual and analytical elements that should contribute to a better understanding and appreciation of this new field of study. The seminar will provide students with theory-based design method research.