The Global Network Initiative (GNI) is pleased to announce that Afilias Limited, an Ireland-based global provider of registry services for top-level Internet domains, is the first European company to gain observer status with GNI. Afilias provide and operate back-end doman name registry services for Top-level-Domains, such as .info and .mobi, as well as country codes such as .in for India and .me for Montenegro.
“Gaining a European company with a global footprint and extensive expertise on the technical side of Internet governance as an observer of GNI is another important step in increasing the international reach of GNI which is critically important as we work to develop a corporate standard on free expression and privacy,” said GNI Executive Director Susan Morgan.
Afilias is the second company to gain observer status with GNI, following Facebook who became an observer earlier this month. The observer status lasts for one non-renewable twelve-month term. Observers participate in dedicated policy and learning sessions organized by GNI, and engage with current GNI participants and staff.
“We are delighted to join the Global Network Initiative as an observer member,” said Desiree Miloshevic, Senior Public Policy and International Affairs Advisor at Afilias. “At Afilias, we believe that GNI’s goals and principles, such as multi-stakeholder collaboration, freedom of expression and privacy, are integral to maintaining an open Internet ecosystem.”
“GNI has grown substantially in the past year, adding new members and completing the first independent assessments of its founding companies, and the addition of Afilias as an observer builds on this success,” said GNI Independent Chair Jermyn Brooks. “We hope to see more international companies engage with GNI in the near future.”