Internet governance: a digital trust matter

Abstract

There are two fundamental pillars that today grant a strong Internet with a reliable and globally usable governance: regulation and digital identity. The evolution of the Internet will be described starting from these two enablers of digital trust. Under the first aspect, initially the meaning and impact that Internet Governance has had at a theoretical-philosophical level will be analysed, investigating the relationship between law and code, and subsequently it will be examined in concrete terms what has been carried out by Italian and European legislators, who have long been looking for the best regulatory formula to guarantee an ecosystem capable of balancing the interests of citizens and the market. The second aspect of governance in an ecosystem as complex as the Internet is user identity. Attempts to approach the issue of online identity will be retraced: initial centralised solutions have given way to federated proposals, and trends towards democratisation and digital sovereignty have subsequently allowed a new approach, the one of Self Sovereign Identity, to flourish. Starting from an examination of the legislation in force in Europe, with some references to the regulatory interventions envisaged at EU level, it will be sought to explain which tools - technical and organisational - are most suitable for achieving a secure and reliable digital market.