Internet Leaders and Professionals Explore Social and Legal Implications of Cyberspace at INET'99

Esther Dyson to Deliver Keynote on Issues of Self-Regulation

RESTON, Va., - April 21, 1999 - Business and community leaders will have the opportunity to hash out some of the tough social and legal issues, as well as explore the social opportunities, of the Internet with the world's star policy and legal minds at INET'99 in San Jose, June 22 - 25.

The compressed digital age means that young companies face legal and policy issues earlier in their growth. Questions of government intervention versus self-regulation are on the table worldwide, prompting the IT industry to develop market solutions to emerging problems. Esther Dyson, interim chair of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), will share firsthand in her keynote address how the private sector can manage administration of the Internet with little government intervention.

Communities and organizations around the globe also are taking advantage of the Internet to improve public discourse and to advance services to populations, increasing concerns about how to deliver Internet access to everyone. At INET'99, the social, legal and regulatory track is devoted to exploring these issues, sharing best practices, and developing new frameworks for ongoing communication and initiative.

"New social structures are emerging within the context of the Internet," said Don Heath, Internet Society president and CEO. "Physical boundaries that have defined communities of interest for centuries are disappearing, and as they do, the world is forced to deal with important, new social, legal and regulatory issues. INET'99 attempts to dissect some of these new issues, with invaluable insights from our panelists and keynote speakers."

Experts from around the globe will present papers, lead group discussions and participate on panels. Three full days packed with dynamic sessions on topics ranging from developing community networks to delivering health care to rural communities via the Internet, and from politics and to privacy, security, copyright and censorship issues associated with information management.

Dyson Delivers Lessons in Self-Regulation from ICANN

As interim chair of ICANN, Esther Dyson has witnessed how the IT industry has come together to transition key administrative functions of the Internet from U.S. Government control to the private sector. These functions include the IP address space allocation, protocol parameter assignment, domain name system management and root server management.

Dyson is currently chairman of EDventure Holdings, a small but diversified company focused on emerging information technology worldwide. She is a member of the President's Export Council Subcommittee on Encryption and sits on the boards of the ElectronicFrontier Foundation, Scala Business Solutions, Poland Online, Cygnus Solution, E-Pub Services, Trustworks (Amsterdam), IBS (Moscow), iCat, New World Publishing and the Global Business Network, as well as the boards and executive committees of numerous other organizations worldwide. She is on the advisory boards of Perot Systems and the Internet Capital Group, and a limited partner of the Mayfield Software Fund. Previously, she was a securities analyst and a reporter for Forbes magazine.

Preconference Workshops Expand Issues for Educators and Developing Countries

INET'99 is preceded by a workshop for educators, a developing countries networking symposium, technical tutorials, and a Network Training Workshop that has prepared more than 1,200 people from developing countries over the last six years to design, install, maintain and manage Internet networks.

About INET'99

INET is the premier event of the Internet industry and provides an international forum for advancing the development and implementation of the Internet networks, technologies, applications and policies around t he globe. Established and organized by the Internet Society, INET brings together world leaders and pioneers of cyberspace, information technology professionals, business executives, educators, and government officials to exchange experiences and shape the future of the Internet.

INET'99 is expected to attract 3,000 attendees from more than 100 countries to address issues emanating from the Internet's impact on commerce and finance, education, technologies and societies throughout the world. INET'99 will also include presentations of more than 100 research papers, technical reports and case studies. Information on the INET'99, including detailed information on registration and program tracks, is available on the Internet at www.isoc.org/inet99.

About The Internet Society

The Internet Society is the international organization for global coordination and cooperation for the Internet. The Internet Society was established in 1992 in response to a recognized worldwide need for a non-governmental, international organization to help support global expansion, standardization and change of the Internet. Today, the Internet Society assists the needs of the growing worldwide Internet Community in many ways: through its annual INET conference; other sponsored events, tutorials, statistical and market research; advocacy programs; network training workshops for emerging countries; and with publications like its award-winning bimonthly magazine OnTheInternet. The Internet Engineering Task Force, the Internet standards body, conducts its work under the auspices of the Internet Society. The Internet Society is comprised of members from more than 150 countries.

Note to editors: Press is invited to register for INET'99 free of charge. Advance copies of papers are available under embargo to working reporters. Registration information is available at the Internet Society's web site at www.isoc.org/inet99/media.shtml#media.