20160122-世界经济论坛-Internet_Fragmentation_An_Overview_80页_1mb

Internet Fragmentation: An Overview Summary

Core Content

This document, Internet Fragmentation: An Overview, is a white paper published by the World Economic Forum in January 2016. It is part of the Future of the Internet Initiative (FII), which aims to explore the evolving nature of the Internet and its governance. The paper focuses on the concept of Internet fragmentation, examining its technical, governmental, and commercial dimensions, and outlines key challenges and areas for further discussion.

Main Views

The white paper presents the following main views:

• The open Internet is the baseline for assessing fragmentation, characterized by global reach, integrity, interoperability, universal accessibility, reusability of capabilities, and permissionless innovation.
• Internet fragmentation is not a new phenomenon but a growing concern due to the increasing complexity of the Internet's infrastructure and the evolving policies and practices that affect its operation.
• Fragmentation can occur technically, governmentally, or commercially, and each form has distinct characteristics and implications.
• While the Internet remains stable and secure, the potential for fragmentation is increasing, and without a shared understanding, it is difficult to assess the impact, intentionality, and scope of these developments.

Key Information

1. The Nature of Internet Fragmentation

• Baseline: The open global public Internet, where devices can interoperate seamlessly and users have access to a wide range of services and content.
• Working Definitions:
  • Technical Fragmentation: Conditions in the underlying infrastructure that impede full interoperability and consistent function across all endpoints.
  • Governmental Fragmentation: Government policies and actions that constrain or prevent certain uses of the Internet, such as censorship, data localization, and digital protectionism.
  • Commercial Fragmentation: Business practices that may hinder interoperability or limit access, such as walled gardens, geo-blocking, and proprietary standards.
• Dimensions of Fragmentation:
  • Occurrence: Whether fragmentation exists or is a potential issue.
  • Intentionality: Whether it results from deliberate actions or unintended consequences.
  • Impact: Whether it affects large swaths of the Internet or only narrow areas.
  • Character: Whether it is positive, negative, or neutral.

2. Technical Fragmentation

• Key Areas:
  • Addressing: IPv4 to IPv6 transition challenges, network address translation (NAT), and dual-stack requirements.
  • Interconnection: Issues with routing and interconnecting the network of networks.
  • Domain Name System (DNS): Problems with internationalized domain names, blocking of new gTLDs, and alternate DNS roots.
  • Security: Certificate authority (CA) fraud and the spread of false certificates.
• Examples:
  • Network Address Translation
  • IPv4/IPv6 incompatibility
  • Routing corruption
  • Firewall protections
  • Virtual private networks (VPNs) and their isolation
  • TOR and the dark web
  • Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) technical errors
  • Blocking of new gTLDs
  • Private name servers and split-horizon DNS
  • Segmented Wi-Fi services
  • Alternate DNS roots
  • False certificates from CAs

3. Governmental Fragmentation

• Key Areas:
  • Content and Censorship: Filtering and blocking of websites, social networks, and other resources.
  • E-Commerce and Trade: Digital protectionism and barriers to cross-border transactions.
  • National Security: Attacks on national networks and key assets.
  • Privacy and Data Protection: Local data processing and retention requirements.
  • Data Localization: Restrictions on the transborder movement of data.
  • Cybersovereignty: Strategies to create national Internet segments.
• Examples:
  • Website filtering and blocking
  • Attacks on information resources
  • Digital protectionism
  • Centralizing and terminating international interconnection
  • Local data processing
  • Prohibitions on transborder data movement
  • Architectural changes to keep data within a territory
  • Strategies for national Internet segments
  • International frameworks legitimizing restrictive practices

4. Commercial Fragmentation

• Key Areas:
  • Peering and Standardization: Potential changes in interconnection agreements and proprietary standards.
  • Network Neutrality: Discriminatory practices such as blocking, throttling, and other violations.
  • Walled Gardens: Closed ecosystems that limit access and interoperability.
  • Geo-Localization and Geo-Blocking: Restrictions on content based on geographic location.
  • Intellectual Property: Use of naming and numbering systems to block content.
• Examples:
  • Changes in interconnection agreements
  • Proprietary technical standards in IoT
  • Network neutrality violations
  • Walled gardens
  • Geo-blocking
  • Intellectual property-based content blocking

Conclusion

The paper highlights 10 key cases of Internet fragmentation that are particularly pressing and worthy of further analysis:

• Sustained delays in IPv4 to IPv6 transition
• Widespread blocking of new gTLDs
• Significant alternate root systems
• Content-based filtering and blocking
• Digital protectionism
• Local data processing and retention
• Prohibitions on transborder data movement
• Strategies for national Internet segments
• Walled gardens
• Geo-blocking

The six main challenges identified include:

• Fragmentation as a strategic approach
• Data localization
• Digital protectionism
• Access via MLATs
• Walled gardens
• Information sharing

Key Takeaways

• The Internet is not inherently fragmented, but various technical, governmental, and commercial developments are contributing to its fragmentation.
• A common baseline understanding is essential for addressing these challenges and fostering multi-stakeholder dialogue.
• The paper aims to facilitate discussion, not to advocate for a specific policy or position, and is intended to support the development of good practices and policy models.

This document serves as a foundational resource for understanding the complexities of Internet fragmentation and its implications for the future of the global digital ecosystem.