OECD - future Internet economy

OECD Delegates Chart Road Map for Internet Economy

Bringing about positive change through the Internet and tackling some of its most pressing issues -- this is at the heart of the "Seoul Declaration on the Future of the Internet Economy" which delegates to the OECD Ministerial Meeting adopted Wednesday afternoon.

One pressing issue is building confidence in the Internet. It is important, members said, because people are fearful of attacks on privacy, data breaches, identity theft and other cyber crimes. This becomes a growing threat to global prosperity as the Internet and real-world economies grow increasingly intertwined. One delegate from Canada stressed to adequately protect global flows of information, countries cannot seek solutions on their own.

Another issue is catering to the next several billion people to go online. Members said that the Net could play a bigger role in tackling global issues such as health care, global warming, and high energy prices. But the OECD said collaboration between the public and private sectors is needed to come up with policies that connect more people to the Web, especially those in developing countries. More users present more challenges such as creating Web domains in different languages and boosting convergence among various Internet services and applications.

Delegates at the meeting agreed to continue working toward the goals laid down in the Seoul Declaration, which they called a road map for the future of the Internet economy. It took the OECD ten years to hold this meeting, which is an eternity in Internet time, but as the role of the Internet becomes increasingly dominant in the global community, the OECD says it won't wait another ten years before it meets again.