The real composition of the e-G8 group
The 'e-G8' summit, hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, recently took place in Deauville, with technology industry leaders such as Eric Schmidt (Google chairman) and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook founder) in attendance. The summit, which focused on the Internet and its role in society, aimed to discuss the best ways to achieve a free and open Internet.
However, there is not yet an international consensus on what the Internet is for or the best way to achieve it. The e-G8 summit, according to some critics, was an attempt to lend credibility to regimes that are in all-out war with the free, open net.
The membership of the e-G8, if based on the degree of freedom on the Internet, would ideally include countries with the highest internet freedom scores, as assessed by Freedom House. These countries, scoring near 100 on Freedom House's Internet Freedom Index, include democratic nations with open digital environments such as Australia, the US, Germany, the UK, Italy, South Africa, and Brazil.
By contrast, countries such as China, Myanmar, Iran, Russia, and Uzbekistan have very low internet freedom scores, making them unlikely candidates for inclusion. These countries are often criticised for their obstacles to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights.
If membership were based on the number of Internet users, the group would comprise China, the US, India, Japan, Brazil, Germany, Russia, and the UK. However, if it were based on the amount of money per capita each nation spends online, the UK would top the list, followed by the Netherlands.
The e-G8 summit also highlighted the need for a "civilised" Internet, where nation states have greater regulatory powers, as suggested by Sarkozy. However, this raises questions about the balance between regulation and the preservation of a free and open Internet.
In summary, the e-G8 summit brought together leaders to discuss the future of the Internet, focusing on the need for freedom, openness, and regulation. While the ideal membership of such a summit remains a topic of debate, it is clear that countries with a strong commitment to these principles, as recognised by Freedom House, would be ideal participants.
- Despite the e-G8 summit's focus on a free and open Internet, some critics argue that its membership choices might legitimize regimes that are hostile to such principles, given the correlation between internet freedom and membership criteria.
- In an ideal world, the e-G8, a group discussing the future of the Internet, would include democratic nations with open digital environments, such as Australia, the US, Germany, the UK, Italy, South Africa, and Brazil, according to Freedom House's Internet Freedom Index.
