UK launches governance forum

UK IGF will aim to foster multi-stakeholder co-operation on internet issues

Leading lights from the UK's internet industry will meet today to launch the UK Internet Government Forum, a working group that will support international efforts to improve internet governance.

The UK IGF will examine how to tackle problems such as online anti-social behaviour, according to Emily Taylor, director of legal and policy at .uk registry Nominet.

"This is the borderline stuff that upsets people but is not criminal – anti-social behaviour and bad conduct online," she explained.

The launch meeting will be attended by industry figures such as Charlie McMurdie head of e-crime, Specialist Crime Directorate, John Carr from the Children's Charities' Coalition on Internet Safety, Peter Robbins, chief executive of the Internet Watch Foundation and MPs Andrew Miller and Margaret Moran.

As part of the initiative, Nominetis also launching its second annual best practice challenge. The challenge invites organisations, groups, or individuals to enter and show how they have " embraced the challenge of making the internet a secure, open, accessible or diverse experience for all", according to Nominet.

"The key point is that lots of projects are going on in the UK which can help inform policy dialogue and this helps to bring people into [the discussions] who would not otherwise be here," said Taylor.