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| Name | William J. Drake |
| Institution | |
| Nationality | USA |
| Country of Residence | Switzerland |
| Nominated by | Karen Banks
APC |
| Nationality | USA |
| Country of Residence | Switzerland |
| Gender | Male |
| Short Bio relevant to Internet Governance | William J. Drake (PhD, Columbia University) is the Director of the Project on the Information Revolution and Global Governance at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva and the President of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) [www.cpsr.org/board/drake].
Over the past 25 years, he has worked on the global governance of ICT and the Internet as an academic, foreign policy think tank analyst, consultant, and civil society activist. He has published and spoken widely on related issues, including international regulatory regimes, technical standardization, networked international trade and global electronic commerce, human rights, the global digital divide and development, and the role of civil society organizations in national and global ICT governance processes. In recent years, he has given many presentations advocating global public interest positions in such forums as the UNICT Task Force, the ITU, the OECD, and UNCTAD; made many oral interventions in the WSIS prepcoms and WGIG open consultations; and been an active participant in the WGIG's deliberations, research, and writing. In these and other contexts, he was an early and consistent advocate of a broad approach to Internet governance and the creation of an IGF, and often has worked closely and effectively with representatives of governments, international organizations, and the private sector---including when their positions were at odds with those of civil society. He joined the civil society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC) in June 2003 and has played an active role in the group's development and work since then, including by leading the drafting of a number of joint texts. |
| Why the (self)nominee is a good choice for the IGF | In multiple forums and dialogues, Bill has argued strongly against a limited vision of the IGF as a series of annual conferences focusing solely on uncontroversial topics. He believes the forum must be an ongoing, multilevel process that includes virtual working groups and related collaborations; that all important governance issues should be on the table; that there should be workshops in Athens on pressing but difficult issues, including some promoted by IGC members, that ultimately may not be addressed in the plenary sessions; and that there is a particular need for a workshop and subsequent working group on the implementation of the WSIS principles within Internet governance mechanisms. These procedural and substantive positions are of central importance if the IGF is to actually help promote the global public interest, and they need to be effectively championed in the MAG in a manner that is coordinated with and accountable to members of the IGC.
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| Capacity to serve on MAG | Bill lives in Geneva, interacts regularly with relevant actors there, and is willing and able to serve on the MAG.
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