Amazon has long appreciated the dynamic nature of the internet and its impact on citizens globally. Indeed, Amazon’s growth and history hews closely to the maturation of the commercial Internet as we know it today. And as a company that relies heavily on an open, free, secure, and interconnected internet, Amazon has long supported multi-stakeholder policies and practices that further the internet’s growth for all.

To be sure, the internet governance and policy landscape has changed significantly over recent history. Matters such as online content moderation, privacy and data flows, cybersecurity, digital rights, and others have dominated policy discussions and headlines. As these complicated policy matters continue to, rightfully, garner attention, the need increases for more coordinated and collective transnational efforts to deal with internet policy issues of concern.

But in the face of certain countries moving away from “one internet,” it is imperative that we double-down on multi-stakeholder solutions to difficult transnational policy concerns. As tempting as it may be to seek provincial legislative or regulatory fixes, voluntary multi-stakeholder solutions can and must remain a tool towards solving fast-moving and challenging transnational internet problems.

Nobody should take the cross-border internet for granted. It is the seamless and cross-border nature of the internet that allows Amazon to strive to be the Earth’s most customer-centric company. Ensuring an open internet where anyone can innovate and trade is critical to the continued success of the digital economy.

The need to move data across borders is a necessary aspect of e-commerce. Policies that limit cross-border data flows drive up transaction costs and produce additional frictions for consumers.

Amazon has long supported various multi-stakeholder initiatives and entities, including the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network, and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). All of these, and others, contribute towards creating understanding, mechanisms, and, ultimately, policies that facilitate a robust internet ecosystem.

Of course, despite the relative success of the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance, this is no time to rest on laurels. Amazon recognizes that further enhancement and improvement of the multi-stakeholder model is necessary. To this end, for example, Amazon is actively engaged in a variety of stakeholder groups and constituencies within ICANN and works closely with all stakeholders, including governments, towards enhancing ICANN’s accountability and an improved policy development process. With respect to the IGF, Amazon supports making the IGF a more vibrant platform for concrete discussions involving all necessary entities. Amazon is sensitive to the concerns raised by some who believe the IGF is no longer fit for purpose. In this regard, Amazon appreciates the general concept of an enhanced IGF, as explored by the U.N. High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation. Further discussions about how best to improve the IGF should occur and Amazon looks forward to actively participating in those discussions.

The commercial internet is not yet 25 years old. Amazon launched in 1995. Multi-stakeholder internet governance as we know it today is younger still. The multi-stakeholder experiment continues, but it requires a redoubling of efforts and commitment from all interested stakeholders to work together to ensure the commercial internet serves the global public for at least another 25 years and beyond.

At Amazon, we always refer to each day as “Day 1.” This means that we must always think about our customers with renewed focus and seek to innovate on their behalf every day. It must also remain Day 1 for internet governance – stasis is not an option. The future of the internet depends on a holistic, multi-stakeholder engagement – the policy issues are too complex and the stakes are too high to do otherwise. The future of internet governance is now.