Disclaimer: I have done my best to transcribe the comments of these speakers at the conference on Liberation Technology in Authoritarian Regimes, and I apologize for any errors.

Ron Deibert, the Director of the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, talks about supra-national organizations that are forming international Internet policy norms.

International Institution: The International Telecommunications Unions, ICANN, and Internet Governance Forum were previously written off, but countries are now engaging in these organizations more meaningfully, including China’s attempts to validate its national policies international. Look at the reaction to encryption by Research in Motion, creators of the Blackberry, in countries as diverse as India and United Arab Emirates. The United States Cyber Commands is also setting a standard in preparations for cyber war.

Regional Organizations are also being used to normalized policies, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Commercial Institutions: The $80 billion international cyber-security sector is particularly influence in developing surveillance, such as deep packet inspection, and cyber war tactics.

We tend to see authoritarian governments as being inward-looking, yet we are seeing more examples of how they are taking the lead from other countries and international organizations.