Around the world, our 130 chapters and special interest groups work locally, regionally, and globally to keep the Internet a force for good: open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy. Each month, we provide a brief overview of just some of the things they have achieved in the previous month.
Spotlight on Romania
🇷🇴 Romania Chapter recently held a community event to raise awareness and discuss ways to improve market competition. After noticing that Romania has a Very Poor score for market competition on the Internet Society Pulse Country Report, chapter representatives set about trying to improve this metric by bringing together key players in the Internet industry to discuss concrete ways to take action.
Outcomes of their event included bringing the issue to the Competition Council, the regulator, and the European Union Commission’s attention, as well as plans to draft recommendation proposals for the government, and hold more meetings with other key stakeholders.
Find out how your country’s Internet scores on the Pulse Country Reports
Anniversaries
Congratulations to these chapters celebrating their milestone chartering anniversaries in June:
- 🇱🇧 Lebanon Chapter: 15th Anniversary
- 🇳🇪 Niger Chapter: 25th Anniversary
- 🇹🇿 Tanzania Chapter: 10th Anniversary
- 🇺🇾 Uruguay Chapter: 15th Anniversary
- 🇺🇸 US Los Angeles Chapter: 1st Anniversary
Chapter Activities
🇧🇯 Benin Chapter hosted a Day of Engagement in the Internet Ecosystem at the Université d’Abomey-Calavi. The event fostered enriching discussions on Internet governance, youth engagement opportunities, and the future of Benin’s digital ecosystem.
🇨🇲 Cameroon Chapter published a statement on disinformation and online hate speech in the run-up to the 2025 presidential election.
🇪🇨 Ecuador Chapter held a webinar on privacy and cybersecurity to introduce the main concepts of encryption and to advocate for online safety. The webinar was well attended, with more than 50 participants actively engaged with questions.
🇭🇹 Haiti Chapter has successfully deployed 12 Internet service points, alongside community partners. These access points benefit 11 public and private universities across the country, providing a total bandwidth of 1.5 Gbps and improving connectivity for over 8,000 students, 445 lecturers, and 33 professors, reinforcing access to knowledge and research opportunities in underserved areas.
The chapter has also finalized the deployment of a community network in the city of Sainte-Suzanne, Haiti. This initiative was made possible through a collaborative partnership between the chapter, the municipality of Sainte-Suzanne, Fondation Transversal, and AFNIC. The network leverages a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite kit, meshed Wi-Fi access points, and an electronic voucher management platform to deliver equitable Internet access to the local population. This model ensures affordability, community control, and sustainable service delivery. This work was supported with an Internet Society Foundation Beyond the Net grant. Watch a video about the project.
🇮🇳 India Bengaluru Chapter hosted an Internet literacy training session at a government school in a rural area of Karnataka. The chapter introduced students to topics including how the Internet functions, the importance of online safety, recognizing and reporting cyberbullying, and differentiating between misinformation and disinformation.
See how we’re helping newly connected communities have a safer online experience.
🇮🇳 India Delhi Chapter supported the Internet Society Peering Roadshow as a community partner, with chapter representatives participating in sessions and discussions.
🇮🇳 India Hyderabad Chapter hosted a hybrid workshop entitled Shaping the Future with Agentic AI. The workshop explored the transformative impact of agentic systems on industries, human-AI interaction, and digital governance. Organized in collaboration with Wipro, the workshop attracted over 200 participants.
🇮🇳 India Mumbai Chapter held a webinar entitled Quantum 101, exploring the fascinating principles of quantum mechanics and how things operate in the quantum realm.
🇰🇪 Kenya chapter partnered with Google’s Taara project team to organize a local hybrid event on best practices in building resilient networks by small Internet service providers.
🇲🇱 Mali Chapter held the third cohort of the Internet Society’s Designing and Deploying Computer Networks (DDCN) training for young women. 100 participants completed the online course, and 30 are currently going through the hands-on, in-person training. Check out the summary video.
🇸🇳 Senegal Chapter partnered with the two local IXPs to organize the Senegal Peering and Interconnection Forum 2025. This important event was an opportunity to discuss the local challenges, help boost the local peering ecosystem, and ensure that the Internet is reliable and affordable in Senegal. The chapter also collaborated with Internet Society to organize the 2025 edition of the West Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum.
🇹🇬 Togo Chapter took a bold, proactive advocacy action to defend the Internet against government shutdowns, which paid off. The chapter ran a short campaign calling on the government to keep the Internet on during a planned civil rights march. The event occurred with no reported Internet disruptions or shutdowns, a huge win for the people of Togo. After the march, the chapter published a statement congratulating the government for keeping the Internet on.
Which country shuts down the Internet the most? Find out on the Pulse Internet Shutdowns Tracker.
🇷🇼 Rwanda Chapter concluded a two-day workshop on Internet safety, helping over 100 young people and adults to understand online scams and teaching them how to stay safe online. This initiative was funded by an Internet Society Foundation grant.
🇸🇸 South Sudan Chapter hosted a one-day IXP Peering Roadshow and Workshop in collaboration with the Internet Society.
🇾🇪 Yemen Chapter held a webinar on Artificial Intelligence: Deep Understanding, Ethical Challenges, and Legal Frameworks. The webinar aimed to provide participants with a solid foundation in AI.
Internet Governance Forums (IGFs)
🇨🇱🇬🇭🇸🇱🇹🇿🇷🇼 Chile, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Rwanda Chapters co-organized national Internet Governance Forums (IGFs) during the last month.
The Internet Society Foundation provides funding for recognized national and regional Internet Governance Forum events.
Get involved! Find your local Internet Society chapter and take action at a local level to make global change.
Image © Internet Society Romania Chapter, © Internet Society Romania Chapter, © Internet Society India Bengaluru Chapter, © Internet Society India Delhi Chapter, © Internet Society Mali Chapter, © Internet Society Senegal Chapter