Innopolis to host 8th Russian Internet Governance Forum

The 8th Russian Internet Governance Forum will be held on April 7 in the university of the city of Innopolis, Republic of Tatarstan. The news was announced, on March 30, during a news conference that took place at the Tatar- Inform news agency. Present were Deputy Prime Minister of Tatarstan, Minister of Informatization and Communication Roman Shaikhutdinov, Mayor of Innopolis Ruslan Shagaleyev, and Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ Andrei Vorobyov.

The Russian Internet Governance Forum is the largest event in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It is held to discuss the most pressing and important internet development issues. This year, the forum will bring together experts from Armenia, Belarus, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, China, the US, South Africa, and a number of international organizations including the Council of Europe, ICANN, RIPE NCC, and APTLD. Officials from the Tatarstan Ministry of Informatization and Communication and Innopolis residents will also participate.

Participants will discuss international cooperation, information security and cyber -attack attribution, e-government and development of innovation. Experts from different countries and international organizations will share their experience and best practices in various fields of internet governance.

Roman Shaikhutdinov, Deputy Prime Minister of Tatarstan, Minister of Informatization and Communication: “The RIGF-2017 means a channel of communication between state bodies, the professional community, businesses and the civil society to discuss current issues for the development of internet in Russia and the world over, and ensuring it’s safe functioning. We have a unique chance to build this channel at the very heart of Russian innovation, the city of Innopolis, using the city’s university as a venue.

The forum allows us to complete our own tasks and present our own achievements. In our region, innovation covers three areas; e-government services, e-commerce and the IoT. The Tatarstan Government has been following up on the popularization of e-government services. It is not by chance that for two years in a row the Republic of Tatarstan has led other Russian regions in the number of residents using e-services with 79,7 percent.”

Ruslan Shagaleyev, Mayor of Innopolis: “In Innopolis, we are actively introducing new approaches to the city governance. Any city administration must work to make a city friendlier for all its residents. To achieve this, we in Innopolis are always in contact with city dwellers. Telegram-chats enable us to learn about issues soon after they arise and then we address them. Messenger bots help us process and respond to frequently asked questions, while everyone can use these bots to receive notifications or make medical appointments.

Government openness leads to a city’s success, and it can only be achieved by developing the internet and IT in Russia. It is in our power to make the dialogue between the state and society more productive. See you in Innopolis!”

Andrei Vorobyov, Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ: “One of the important tasks before the RIGF-2017 is to attract new people, especially young people and students, to internet governance. For this purpose, our speakers will deliver lectures and join round table discussions at schools and universities in Kazan on April 6. Defence against cyberattacks IoT development, and protecting human rights on the internet will also be discussed.”

The RIGF is sponsored by the Russian Ministry of Communications and Mass Media, the Ministry of Informatization and Communication of the Republic of Tatarstan, ICANN, ISOC, RIPE NCC, and APTLD. Kaspersky Lab is a partner for cyber security.

About Innopolis:

Innopolis is Russia’s youngest city. It is expected to boost the development of the IT industry in the country, and is home to around 2,500 people. Over 40 IT companies are planning to open an office in the city, or have already done so. They include Yandex, Kaspersky, Acronis, 1С, Infowatch, Postgress, Cognitive Technologies, New Cloud Technologies, Sbertech, Pochta-Tekhnologii and many others.