WSIS+20 feedback submission from APAC Private Sector
Dear all, In our personal capacity, we have organised a series of face-to-face meetings with seven large enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region, together with an Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) member to listen in. These organisations were selected given their strong relevance to the Internet and the fact that their internal policies have significant implications for the wider landscape of Internet governance. The meetings were convened specifically to introduce the WSIS+20 Review process and to gather initial perspectives from the private sector. It is noteworthy that none of these enterprises were previously familiar with the critical nature of WSIS or Internet governance. Nevertheless, the discussions yielded candid and valuable feedback. Based on these conversations, we have prepared a commentary to inform the WSIS+20 review process. We would like to send this document for your reference as well. Thank you Alban Kwan In personal capacity
Hello Alban, Could you share who the seven major multinational enterprises with a market cap in excess of 1 trillion were? Thank in advance. Best regards, Michael From: Alban Kwan via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> Date: Monday, October 13, 2025 at 2:04 PM To: wsis20@icann.org <wsis20@icann.org> Subject: [wsis20] WSIS+20 feedback submission from APAC Private Sector Dear all, In our personal capacity, we have organised a series of face-to-face meetings with seven large enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region, together with an Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) member to listen in. These organisations were selected given their strong relevance to the Internet and the fact that their internal policies have significant implications for the wider landscape of Internet governance. The meetings were convened specifically to introduce the WSIS+20 Review process and to gather initial perspectives from the private sector. It is noteworthy that none of these enterprises were previously familiar with the critical nature of WSIS or Internet governance. Nevertheless, the discussions yielded candid and valuable feedback. Based on these conversations, we have prepared a commentary to inform the WSIS+20 review process. We would like to send this document for your reference as well. Thank you Alban Kwan In personal capacity
Hi Michael Unfortunately, I do not have their consent to disclose their names. What I can say is that they are major enterprises in the APAC region with global or regional operations. Some are Internet platforms that should be stakeholders in certain Internet governance discussions, while others are technology companies that provide the infrastructure or device enabling access to the Internet. We have also spoken with additional companies across the region beyond those involved in the initial meeting organised with the IMSB. It may be helpful to share more context, as it affects how the Internet governance community might think about encouraging their future participation and what safeguards may be needed. The absence of any official WSIS position from these companies stems from two main reasons: 1. These enterprises are internally complex and regionally diverse. On Internet governance issues, they often lack established internal communication channels to coordinate a unified position or identify who has the mandate to represent the company. 2. They suffer from the broader lack of awareness and limited capacity around Internet governance in the APAC region. Even when they have the resources to participate, most simply lack the knowledge base necessary to meaningfully engage in the discussions. Realistically, it will take sustained effort over several years before we see public statements or direct engagement from many of these organisations. I hope this at least offers some context behind my “non-answer.” Alban Kwan in personal capacity Alban Kwan ________________________________ From: michael palage.com <michael@palage.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 5:45:48 AM To: Alban Kwan <albankwan@gmail.com>; wsis20@icann.org <wsis20@icann.org> Subject: Re: [wsis20] WSIS+20 feedback submission from APAC Private Sector Hello Alban, Could you share who the seven major multinational enterprises with a market cap in excess of 1 trillion were? Thank in advance. Best regards, Michael From: Alban Kwan via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> Date: Monday, October 13, 2025 at 2:04 PM To: wsis20@icann.org <wsis20@icann.org> Subject: [wsis20] WSIS+20 feedback submission from APAC Private Sector Dear all, In our personal capacity, we have organised a series of face-to-face meetings with seven large enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region, together with an Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) member to listen in. These organisations were selected given their strong relevance to the Internet and the fact that their internal policies have significant implications for the wider landscape of Internet governance. The meetings were convened specifically to introduce the WSIS+20 Review process and to gather initial perspectives from the private sector. It is noteworthy that none of these enterprises were previously familiar with the critical nature of WSIS or Internet governance. Nevertheless, the discussions yielded candid and valuable feedback. Based on these conversations, we have prepared a commentary to inform the WSIS+20 review process. We would like to send this document for your reference as well. Thank you Alban Kwan In personal capacity
This is really good and quite insightful, despite not being specifically attributed to any particular entity. Generally and personally speaking, I feel the absence of attribution is beneficial at this stage to avoid distracting from the issues and suggestions put forward. Thanks for taking this initiative. Kiki On Tue, Oct 14, 2025 at 4:04 AM Alban Kwan via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> wrote:
Dear all,
In our personal capacity, we have organised a series of face-to-face meetings with seven large enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region, together with an Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) member to listen in.
These organisations were selected given their strong relevance to the Internet and the fact that their internal policies have significant implications for the wider landscape of Internet governance.
The meetings were convened specifically to introduce the WSIS+20 Review process and to gather initial perspectives from the private sector. It is noteworthy that none of these enterprises were previously familiar with the critical nature of WSIS or Internet governance.
Nevertheless, the discussions yielded candid and valuable feedback. Based on these conversations, we have prepared a commentary to inform the WSIS+20 review process.
We would like to send this document for your reference as well.
Thank you
Alban Kwan
In personal capacity _______________________________________________
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participants (3)
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Alban Kwan -
Kiki Fong Lim -
michael palage.com