Who Governs the Internet? An Open Floor for India's FOSS Community

The Internet's infrastructureI DNS, IP allocation, domain policy, routing security, digital rights frameworks, is shaped by governance processes that are open to public participation but rarely include developers and FOSS contributors.

This BOF is an open, peer-led conversation for anyone curious about or already engaged in internet governance. No prior knowledge needed.

Conversation starters we'll bring to the floor:

• What decisions are being made right now at ICANN and IGF that affect the software we build and the Internet we use?

• India has over 900 million internet users, is its technical community proportionally represented in global governance forums?

• What are APIGA India and IIRO doing to change that, and how can people in this room plug in?

• What should India's FOSS community be saying at ICANN meetings and IGF?

1. The Internet has a government, it's just not a government
Decisions about DNS, domain names, IP addresses, routing, and digital rights are made through open multistakeholder processes (ICANN, IGF, APNIC). Anyone can participate. Most developers don't know this exists.

2. These decisions affect your code, not just policy papers
Universal Acceptance, DNSSEC, IDNs for Indian languages, RPKI, WHOIS privacy, all of these come out of governance processes. Developers are downstream of decisions made without developer input.

3. India is underrepresented where it matters most
900 million+ Indian Internet users. A massive FOSS community. And very few Indian technical voices in the rooms where internet infrastructure decisions are made.

4. APIGA India and IIRO are building that pipeline
APIGA India trains young Indians in IG processes. IIRO does independent research and policy advocacy. Both are volunteer-driven, open to join, and actively looking for technically minded contributors.

5. Participation is more accessible than it looks
You don't need to be a lawyer or a policy expert. ICANN accepts public comments. IGF workshops can be proposed by anyone. IIRO welcomes researchers and contributors. The barrier is awareness, not eligibility.

6. The FOSS community has a unique and needed voice
Open source value transparency, decentralisation, community ownership; map directly onto what good internet governance should look like. That perspective is missing from most IG forums.