Who are the people that can be part of At Large? This is a question we hear often and are always happy to answer given the unique nature of the At Large community within ICANN.
In general, if you are a person that cares about how the Internet affects end users, then At Large is the place for you. Specifically, if you are end users, societies, academia and consumer ICT groups that care about Internet Governance issues, you can come to At Large.
At Large gives a voice to the masses on discussions ranging from privacy (WHOIS), security (DNSSEC), e-commerce, human rights and the IANA Transition to name a few. Through its working groups and sub committees, At Large gives end users the chance to
- digital divide
- net neutrality
- policies that govern how people can register and use domain names
- policies ensuring local languages are available as domain names
- freedom of speech
- protection of minors
- policies that govern your country code TLD (ccTLD) and
- policies that govern how generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) are made available.
You can become a member of this vibrant community that helps shape the internet's future with opportunities to collaborate regularly online through virtual working group and sub committee meetings. Face to face meetings are convened three times a year across the five regions of Africa,Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, Asia and Australasia and North America.
Civil Society
There are lots of opportunities within the At Large for the Civil Society and more information can be found here.
Academia
At Large welcomes students studying Internet Governance issues and those teaching it. Of recent is an Outreach activity to a University in Marrakech in which students were also invited into the ICANN meeting in Marrakech with designated mentors to attend various sessions on Policy and Policy Advice. The At Large community also boasts of various At Large Structures (ALSes) in academia some of which can be found here. ICANN also offers opportunities to those in academia through the NextGen program, where students are funded to attend ICANN Face to Face meetings.
Consumer/End User ICT groups
End User ICT Groups such as ICT Associations, ISOC Chapters and
Individuals that care about Internet Governance issues
If you are a person that follows and cares about Internet Governance issues such as:
- Digital Divide
- Net Neutrality
- Privacy
- Security
then your place is within the At Large Community.