Who We Are

At the foundation of ISOC Lebanon work are a vision, mission, values, principles and strategic focus and objectives derived from ISOC's vision, mission, values, and principles and localized to fit and maximize value within the Lebanese Internet ecosystem context.

 

Our Vision

The Internet is for everyone.
 

Our Mission

 

ISOC Lebanon was created with the purpose of maintaining and extending the development and availability of the Internet and its associated technologies and applications to all the people of Lebanon. Chapter members are the local Internet stakeholders representing the interests of and serving the Lebanese Internet community.
ISOC Lebanon embraces the Internet collective model and seeks diverse and broad membership from organizations, communities, and individuals to work together on the advancement of the Internet in Lebanon, guided by the Internet key principles: collaboration; openness; transparency; and inclusiveness.

Our Core Values and Principles (reproduced from ISOC Values & Principles)

 

Core Values:

Providing quality of life for people in all parts of the world is enhanced by their ability to enjoy the benefits of an open and global Internet.
 

Well-informed individuals and public and private policymakers are the essential foundations of an open and global Internet society.
 

The genius of the Internet is that its decentralized architecture maximizes individual users power to choose (or create) and use the hardware, software, and services that best meet their needs, and if the Internet is to continue to be a platform for innovation and creativity, its open, decentralized nature must be preserved.
 

Enduring and sustainable progress toward our vision is best achieved by a combination of global initiatives and activities at a local level that engages people in their home regions.
 

Technical standards and Internet operating procedures should be developed and asserted through open and transparent processes, with minimal barriers to participation or access to information.
 

The social, political, and economic benefits of the Internet are substantially diminished by excessively restrictive governmental or private controls on computer hardware or software, telecommunications infrastructure, or Internet content.
 

Rewarding and productive use of the Internet depends on the ability to trust critical services.
 

Principles That Guide Our Work:

 

The Ability to Connect. 

The edge-dominant end-to-end architecture of the Internet is essential to its utility as a platform for innovation, creativity, and economic opportunity. To preserve this quality, we will oppose efforts to establish standards or practices that would make it difficult or impossible for some users of the Internet to use the full range of Internet applications of all kinds.

 

The Ability to Speak. 

The Internet is a powerful mass medium for self-expression which depends on the ability of its users to speak freely. We believe that the Internet must support private and, where appropriate, anonymous means of communication and collaboration among individuals and groups, and will oppose efforts to restrict the type or content of information exchanged on the Internet.
 

The Ability to Innovate.

The remarkable growth of the Internet and the limitless variety of Internet applications follow directly from the open model of Internet connectivity and standards development. Any individual, organization, or company can develop and distribute a new Internet application that can be used by anyone.

We recognize the enormous value of this innovation and oppose governmental or nongovernmental restrictions on the evolution and use of Internet technology.
 

The Ability to Share.

The many-to-many architecture of the Internet makes it a powerful tool for sharing, education, and collaboration. It has enabled the global open source community to develop and enhance many of the key components of the Internet, such as the Domain Name System and the World-Wide Web, and has made the vision of digital libraries a reality. To preserve these benefits we will oppose technologies and legislation that would inhibit the freedom to develop and use open source software or limit the well-established concept of fair use, which is essential to scholarship, education, and collaboration.
 

The Ability to Choose.

Government regulation and the economic power of incumbent telecommunication monopolies can delay or prevent the growth of the Internet by limiting the ability of competitors to provide new, better, cheaper, or more innovative Internet-related services. We advocate policies that promote competition in telecommunications, Internet services, Internet-related software, and e-commerce applications.
 

The Ability to Trust.

Everyone's ability to connect, speak, innovate, share, and choose depends on the Internets ability to support trustworthy internetworking ensuring the security, reliability, and stability of increasingly critical and pervasive applications and services.

 

Our Strategic Focus and Objectives:
 

For the 2013-2015 planning cycle, the ISOC Lebanon organized its business plan around four strategic focus areas (please refer to ISOC-LB Strategic Plan 2013-2015). The strategic focus areas are:

Internet stability and security - We are committed to:

• Drive Internet availability, security, resiliency, and QOS.
• Drive BeirutIX to upgrade to fiber and lobby Ogero to join Promote local content, cloud services and lobby for out of quota.
• Drive broad IPv6 adoption
• Drive broad DNSSEC adoption
• Lobby/Drive .LB registry rejuvenation
• Enhance “.LB†resiliency

A healthy Internet governance ecosystem - We are committed to:

• Drive internet governance efforts and participation in IGF
• Increase stakeholder diversity and cross-stakeholder work
• Enhance Next Generation participation and stimulate University clubs activities
• Enhance trust in ISOCs stewardship
• Act in public interest

Community Development - We are committed to:

• Build community while focusing on Next Generation Leaders
• Foster wide participation and leadership
• Provide forums for discussion with focus on Children Safety, Censorship, and Freedom of Speech
• Establish university clubs and support their activities
• Encourage effective participation in ISOC, ICANN, IGF processes and constituencies

Business Development - We are committed to:

• Promote professional development and foster Innovation
• Provides reliable information on the Internet
• Serves as a focal point for cooperative efforts
• Promote the Internet as a positive tool
• Promote BeirutIX and Local Hosting
• Promote Local Content with focus on Arabic Content
• Promote Open Content
• Lobby for e-Government and e-legislation