Punjab IT Board, Pakistan
I’m Roshatey — a technologist and strategist with a background in Computer Science, Public Policy, and Innovation Management. I work at the intersection of emerging tech and public systems, with a focus on designing products and digital infrastructure that are both future-ready and context-aware. From AI to blockchain, my interest lies in how we shape technologies to serve complex governance needs — not just through adoption, but through intentional, human-centred design. With experience across both government and private sector spaces, I build with scale, equity, and long-term impact in mind.
Fellow Report:
My EUROSSIG 2025 Journey
When you start a week in the charming town of Meissen, surrounded by cobblestone streets, porcelain history, and a cohort that looks like a world map come alive, you know you’re in for something special.
We kicked off with Wolfgang’s presentation — Internet Governance between Policy and Technology — which took us through the six waves of internet development, the Four Digital Seasons, and the Circular Approach. It was like watching the evolution of the internet speed-run before my eyes: from the early utopian days to the present-day geopolitical chessboard — US vs EU, China vs US, Russia vs the West — and the nuanced realities in India, Africa, and Brazil.
For me, this moved far beyond theory. As someone from the public sector, it made me reflect on how AI and cyber technologies are increasingly being applied in government spaces to improve service delivery and tackle emerging challenges.
Multistakeholderism Comes Alive
Here, multistakeholderism wasn’t just a concept on a slide — it was in action. The room brought together Global South and Global North representation alongside voices from policy, tech, civil society, and academia. Meals turned into debates, coffee breaks into policy clinics, and the porcelain factory tour… well, let’s just say it proved that craftsmanship isn’t limited to ceramics — it exists in internet governance too.
And then there were the breakout groups — part policy lab, part global ideas café. That’s where we rolled up our sleeves for the WSIS+20 elements paper, debating, drafting, and refining until our final input reflected a true chorus of perspectives.
Faculty That Felt Like Mentors
One of the true highlights was the breakout discussions and one-to-one knowledge exchanges with faculty who were as approachable as they were insightful. Conversations with Adam Peake, Keith, Alena, Dirk, Chris, Hans, and Bertrand were genuinely enlightening — each bringing a unique lens to internet governance and policy. These sessions felt less like formal lectures and more like open, evolving dialogues where questions flowed freely, ideas were challenged, and perspectives deepened.
From IP Addresses to Cybersecurity
Coming from a Computer Science + Policy background, I found the ICANN sessions on acronyms, IP addressing (IPv4, IPv6), and DENIC’s role in ccTLDs highly informative.
Tatiana’s session on Cybersecurity and Cybercrime highlighted practical realities for policymakers:
- Examples such as ransomware attacks illustrated the growing complexity of threats.
- The UN Cybercrime Convention covers criminalization, jurisdiction, evidence handling, victim protection, and cross-border cooperation.
- Civil society has raised concerns on areas such as human rights safeguards, and the need to protect legitimate activities by security researchers, journalists, and human rights defenders.
The DNA of the Internet
We revisited what makes the internet… the internet:
- Participatory, bottom-up processes
- Stability and integrity first
- Openness at the core
Michael Hausding’s talk on DNS Abuse was a reminder that there’s no central “internet police”, so securing it is a collaborative responsibility across borders and stakeholders.
AI and Human Rights – A Hands-On Dialogue
Ellie McDonald’s interactive session on Artificial Intelligence and its impact on human rights was an exercise in collective thinking. We didn’t just listen — we worked in groups to draft Terms of Reference for UN AI mechanisms, blending policy principles with actionable ideas. The discussion reinforced how human rights considerations must be woven into the very fabric of AI governance.
From Domains to Digital Futures
The dinner + lecture on top-level domains was both intellectually filling and, well, culinarily satisfying. Then came Bertrand’s session on internet jurisdiction — a masterclass on enabling coexistence in shared cross- border digital spaces for billions of people.
We closed with discussions on the EU AI Act, sandboxes for innovation, the “Goldilocks approach” to regulating emerging tech, and future landscapes with quantum technologies and virtual worlds.
Final thought?
EUROSSIG 2025 was more than a study of internet governance — it was a look at governance of the future, shaped by people who care enough to gather in a small German town and reimagine a global network for billions. I left Meissen with new friends, sharper insights, and a renewed belief that both porcelain and policy need the same things: patience, precision, and a lot of care.