Safer Internet Lab (SAIL) is pleased to have participated in the 20th annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in June 2025. This global forum gathered stakeholders from civil society, governments, academia, and the private sector to discuss the future of the internet.

This year, SAIL participated to the IGF in several sessions:
🔹 Parliamentary Track
🔹 Lightning Talk
🔹 IGF Village Booth

Parliamentary Track at IGF 2025

Recognizing the pivotal role of governments in internet governance, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has strengthened the inclusion of parliamentarians in discussions on critical issues related to the use, development, and governance of the internet and digital technologies. Since 2019, the IGF Secretariat—together with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and other stakeholders—has developed the Parliamentary Track to ensure meaningful engagement from legislatures worldwide.

This year’s Parliamentary Track is jointly organized by the IGF Secretariat (UN DESA), the IPU, and the host country’s parliament, the Storting of Norway. Aligned with the overarching theme “Building Digital Governance Together,” the 2025 track focuses on shaping and implementing digital public policies to counter online mis- and disinformation while safeguarding freedom of expression.

The Parliamentary Track aims to:

• Build on the outcomes of IGF 2024
• Facilitate robust dialogue through multistakeholder panels
• Identify key parliamentary priorities and strengthen capacity for action

The main messages from these discussions will be compiled into an action-oriented outcome document, serving as one of the formal outputs of IGF 2025. This document will be circulated to all national parliaments and integrated into the IGF summary report to inform both UN Member States and global stakeholders.

SAIL’s Contribution to the IGF Parliamentary Track Process

As part of this year’s process, the Safer Internet Lab (SAIL) participated in a virtual expert consultation leading up to the IGF Parliamentary Track. This consultation served as a pre-IGF dialogue to help shape the draft of the track’s outcome document.

Representing SAIL, Beltsazar Krisetya and Rifqi Rachman shared insights and recommendations grounded in SAIL’s ongoing research. Their key points included:

• Cross-border learning is essential for crafting effective responses to election-related disinformation.
• Overregulation in combating disinformation must be avoided, as it may threaten freedom of expression and legitimize censorship, ultimately eroding public trust.
• Civil society engagement is critical to ensuring that information governance frameworks are both fair and credible.
• Digital cooperation should evolve from short-term interventions to long-term, evidence-based collaboration.
• Policymakers should exchange not only legal tools but also contextual insights on what works—and what doesn’t.

SAIL at the IGF 2025 Parliamentary Track Session

In addition to the expert consultation, SAIL took part in the official Parliamentary Track session during IGF 2025. Representing SAIL, Albert Jehoshua Rapha contributed further policy-oriented recommendations:

• Governments should adopt a comprehensive framework to build societal resilience by integrating AI and media literacy into education, while also ensuring balanced regulatory approaches that promote algorithmic transparency, explainability, and public oversight.
• Governments are encouraged to take a strategic leadership role in promoting co-governance through a whole-of-society approach—shifting from ad hoc to long-term, structured collaboration with clear responsibilities.
• Parliaments should engage in regular exchanges on AI oversight, including the sharing of case studies and technical audits to enhance collective learning and accountability.

Safer Internet Lab: Addressing Information Risks in Asia-Pacific

SAIL also organized a lightning talk session under the theme “Building Digital Trust and Resilience.”

The session featured Beltsazar Krisetya (CSIS Indonesia) and Patricia Larasgita (SAIL), who presented SAIL’s work in addressing policy issues within the information ecosystem and shared insights from three of its research streams on emerging risks in the Asia-Pacific:

🔹 The democratic impact of generative AI
🔹 The use of deepfakes in scams and fraud
🔹 The scale of Foreign Information Manipulation and Influence (FIMI) across borders

The session highlighted the importance of research in shaping evidence-based and inclusive internet governance across the region.

🎥 Missed the session? Watch the recording here

SAIL at the IGF Village

SAIL also hosted a booth at the IGF Village, providing a space to connect with diverse stakeholders, share recent publications, and exchange ideas. The booth served as a hub for fostering new partnerships and exploring collaborative responses to information challenges across the region.

Looking Ahead

As the forum came to a close, we reflected on the vital role that each sector plays in shaping the future of the internet. The conversations and relationships formed at IGF 2025 should serve as a springboard for continued collaboration across regions and disciplines.

We remain hopeful that the momentum built in Lillestrøm will drive sustained efforts toward a more inclusive, trusted, and resilient information ecosystem.