Swiss IGF 2023 (8th Swiss Internet Governance Forum) — In-Depth Report: Minutes Digest & 3-Line Summary

The 3-Line Summary

The 8th Swiss IGF met in hybrid form at Welle 7 in Bern on 13 June 2023, its eight sessions spanning the multistakeholder model under geopolitical headwinds, AI regulation and digital currency; the first Swiss Youth IGF convened the day before.
Data-as-commons — energised by Parliament's adoption of the framework-law motion on secondary data use the previous day — AI regulation built on the Council of Europe convention, and the resilience of the digital public sphere in an election year led the agenda.
'Data develops its maximum value when treated as commons' is a line that resonates directly with secondary-use debates worldwide.

Welcome — this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on Swiss IGF 2023 (8th Swiss Internet Governance Forum) draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.

Conference at a Glance (from official records)

Item	Detail
Official name	Swiss IGF 2023 (8th Swiss Internet Governance Forum)
Dates	13 June 2023
Venue	Hybrid: Welle 7 (Schanzenstrasse 5, Bern) and Zoom
Theme	Regional governance themes
Sessions	8 (Eight sessions, from the multistakeholder approach and fundamental rights to data commons, AI regulation, digital currency/identity and information quality)
Host	Multistakeholder steering group under OFCOM patronage
Outcome	The 'Messages from Bern 2023', submitted to the UN IGF and EuroDIG

(See the source list at the end of this article.)

Discussion Digest — from the Session Records

Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.

1. Is Multistakeholderism a Hollow Promise? — Against Geopolitical Headwinds

Sessions: Session 1 'Digital governance and the multistakeholder approach 2023: a new reality?'

With tensions from microchips to data streams, the blunt question was posed: is the multistakeholder approach a hollow promise? Tougher geopolitical winds hamper cooperation and endanger achievements once thought safe, such as a global open internet [1]
Instead of harmonisation, regulatory fragmentation and a proliferation of new regimes prevail — and forums for constructive debate including the Global South are lacking [1]
The multistakeholder approach practised at the UN IGF and Swiss IGF should be maintained; civil society's role is valuable, yet its involvement is often insufficient for lack of resources [1]

2. Data as Commons — The Framework-Law Motion Adopted the Day Before

Sessions: Session 3 'Data policy: Data as a common resource (commons)'

Data develops its maximum value when considered common property — the aim of Motion 22.3890 'Framework law for the secondary use of data', adopted by Parliament on 12 June 2023, the day before the forum [1]
The framework law is to govern re-use of factual and personal data from public and private sectors, with reliable legal, technical and organisational safeguards including control over one's own data and opt-outs [1]
Switzerland currently lacks suitable infrastructure such as data intermediaries; data standards, interoperability, good medical data and clarity on business secrecy are prerequisites [1]

3. AI Regulation — Build on the Council of Europe Convention, Then Go Beyond

Sessions: Session 5 'Artificial Intelligence: How to regulate?'

AI algorithms are tools, not a force of nature, to be understood in their socio-technical context; the Council of Europe's AI Convention has great potential — Switzerland should have the courage to build on it and go beyond [1]
AI applications reproducing discrimination such as sexism or racism must be legally addressed now, with training datasets checked for bias [1]
Given the gap between AI development speed and societal debate, faster feedback mechanisms and new ways of democratic decision-making are needed — and trust, a high democratic good, must be protected against abuses like deepfakes [1]

4. The Digital Public Sphere in an Election Year — Counter-Speech and Joint Forces Against Hate

Sessions: Session 4 'Political Opinion Formation and Debate Culture in the Digital Space'

Ahead of the 2023 federal elections, the phenomena shaping digital communication — social media, disinformation, hate speech — call for a differentiated view valuing diversity of opinions and sources plus responsible engagement [1]
Hate speech can only be combated by joining forces: individuals showing counter-speech and civil courage, civil society, state institutions old and new, academia and the private sector [1]
A majority of commenters are respectful, and there is no 'one truth' as traditional media once claimed — but gaps in comprehensibility of information and liability of platforms must feed into the design of measures [1]

5. Digital Currency, Identity and the Metaverse — The Zero-Knowledge Option

Sessions: Session 6 'Digital Currency, Digital Identity and Metaverse'

Digital currencies are linked to digital identities, in tension between privacy and legitimate regulatory interests; zero-knowledge proofs already allow age or amount limits while keeping identity secret [1]
No one should monopolise the technology — open sources are central to public trust, and excessive control will drive people to alternatives [1]
For resilience, digital extensions should complement analogue procedures, and the needs of people who want a purely analogue life must be taken into account [1]

Three-Minute Short Talk — Your Questions Answered

Q. What did it decide?

A. Nothing binding — eight sessions' essentials went to the UN IGF and EuroDIG as the 'Messages from Bern 2023'; the first Swiss Youth IGF met the day before.

Q. Most timely moment?

A. Parliament adopted the secondary-data-use framework-law motion on 12 June — and the forum debated 'data as commons' on 13 June.

Q. Why care?

A. Data intermediaries, opt-outs, medical-data quality — the same missing pieces every country's secondary-use debate is wrestling with.

What Is Switzerland IGF? (for first-time readers)

Switzerland IGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.

Why It Matters to You

What was discussed here becomes the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years. The principles confirmed at the 2023 meeting are the foundation of the "next rules" for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.