The BHR Group Digital Rights Careers Newsletter | Issue 31

Jun 25, 2025

Dear Colleagues:

Sometimes the most important journeys begin by accident. This month's guest practitioner, Konstantinos Komaitis, found himself in the Internet space purely by chance – visiting friends in Norway in 2000 and ending up in a seminar about domain name disputes that would deeply influence, and change, the direction of his career. That accidental discovery led him from traditional legal studies to becoming a dedicated advocate for an open, global, and interoperable Internet. This week, 25 years later, Konstantinos is again in Norway, this time as a speaker and leading advocate at the Internet Governance Forum.

What strikes me most about Konstantinos's story is how he describes the Internet's "inescapable ability to inspire." When he first got online, the Internet made him feel a sense of control that came from being informed. That personal experience of empowerment through access to information has shaped his professional mission. If you know Konstantinos, read his scholarship, listen to his podcast, or hear him give a talk or remarks you immediately sense his commitment to supporting a just Internet.

Konstantinos offers a number of insights about the future of Internet governance and about careers. He says that young people, in particular from the Global South often see the Internet through the lens of its possibilities for good, empowerment, and creativity. He says we – you, dear reader – should amplify these young voices because they are the future of the Internet.

His advice to students is refreshingly practical: any background is welcomed in this space, but be ready to volunteer, especially in the beginning. The return isn't immediate financial gain – it's the community you'll form and the people you'll meet. And his guidance to current practitioners is equally direct: stay true to yourself, don't compromise your beliefs, and fight for the kind of Internet you want.

Thank you, Konstantinos, for reminding us that the Internet's most profound impact isn't technical – it's human. Your journey from curious law student to a champion of digital rights shows us that sometimes the most meaningful careers emerge from unexpected moments of inspiration.

Sincerely,

Michael Samway
The Business and Human Rights Group
Website: www.thebhrgroup.com

Guest Spotlight

🎙️What are some of the most formative period or events in your life, personal or professional, that shaped your work in technology and human rights?

💬 I found myself in the Internet space purely by accident. In 2000, I was visiting some friends in Norway and, while I was trying to kill my time, I ended up attending one of the seminars organized by the late Jon Bing at the University of Oslo. Jon was one of the pioneers in Internet governance and his seminar was focusing on domain name disputes, which at the time were all anyone could talk about. The seminar was delivered by Diane Cabell, a Harvard professor and one of the first people to talk about the intersection of law and technology. Up until that point, my studies in law involved traditional notions of the legal system but that seminar opened up my eyes to a whole new thinking of how law, policy and technology may intersect.
That seminar was key for my future studies and career choices. After that meeting, I started following the work of ICANN, which meant that I found myself in Tunis for the second phase of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in 2005. In Tunis, I joined thousands of people from civil society, who had parked outside of the building where the negotiations were taking place to fight for the Internet. At the time, I hadn’t fully grasped what the Internet really was – I just knew that it was worth fighting for.
After Tunis, I returned to Scotland, where I finished my doctorate on Internet governance and policy. Since then, I have dedicated myself and my work towards preserving an open, global and interoperable Internet. I have never looked back.

🎙️How do you continue doing what you do, pushing and advocating for digital rights, and human rights more broadly? How do you deal in a sustainable way for yourself with the frustrations or set-backs in this work and also acknowledge and build-on the progress?

💬 It is all about the community and staying close to people that you know share the same beliefs and principles. In the twenty something years that I have been in this space, I have had the fortune to meet some really wonderful, generous, and inspiring people who have helped me navigate the space and have given me courage and support to continue. The Internet is all about connections and coming together, working towards a shared goal and vision. With everything that’s happening in the world today, community and people are more important than ever before.

🎙️What does the internet mean to you?

💬 To answer this question, I will need to tell you a brief story; so please bear with me.
The first time I used the Internet was in 1998, when I was in Germany. I was there as part of a student exchange program – I was 21 years old and it was my first time away from family and friends. The excitement of studying abroad was overwhelming; everything was new.
On a rainy October day, upon arriving at the university, I was handed the registration package, which read: “All communication between the university and students will be done electronically. Please make sure you check your email account regularly. We wish you a happy semester.”
Slowly, I embarked on figuring out how to use the Internet. After creating an online account for the university, I registered for my first ever email with a commercial provider. At the time, Hotmail was the most popular email client. I sent my first ever email 1998.
I was hooked: Using the Internet was fun and much easier than I had imagined. And, then a couple of other realizations hit.
The first was that it was easy to relate to what the Internet could do. We all love information and communication. I was sending emails to friends, I was instant messaging with others, all the while I was listening to music and was in my pjs. As a young expat in a new country, I did not feel all that alone.
The other thing I realized was even more significant: the Internet had an inescapable ability to inspire. The Internet allowed me to hear stories and learn new things. I began to get exposed to information and data. It was obvious to me that, on the Internet, information never stops.
I owe a lot to the Internet, but in particular I owe much of my curiosity to it. I was always curious – you know, one of those annoying kids that constantly asked ‘why this’ and ‘why that’. And, in this never-ending process of asking questions, most of the time I was receiving non-satisfactory answers. Above all, however, the one thing that annoyed me the most, was the fact that I was depending on others for answers. Often I would go to my local library in search for answers. But, even the library was not big enough to quench my curiosity and answer all my questions. Questions gave birth to more questions, which generated more questions, which demanded more answers.
The Internet managed to give me the satisfaction and individuality I was looking for. With the Internet, I was a master of my own life – I was informed, which meant I was able to make rational choices. I felt in control. And, it wasn’t a faux sense of control. It was control that emanated from the belief of being informed. And, this has not stopped. The Internet continues to be the place that I turn to when I want to travel, read, get entertained, work, communicate and learn. And, the excitement is still there. It still feels like the very first time.
I am a big fan of the Internet – but I am a bigger fan of its ability to inspire and allow the imagination to never settle.

🎙️What are some ways you think the technology, policy, and human rights fields can become more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accessible in composition, policy topics, learning, and advocacy?

💬 One of the things that keeps me up at night is that we have done a very poor job at creating a more inclusive Internet experience. As we have all been consuming the Internet, we have forgotten a lot of people in the process, especially those from the countries in the global south. We must rectify this the soonest. The digital divide is a real thing and we must all work towards shrinking it. It should be our priority.
What this means is empowering people to form communities locally that work to shape the Internet. The new talent is not coming from the western world – it is coming from Africa, Latin America and South East Asia. It is the young people that are coming in with the thirst that I had when I first started using the Internet. I see them in the places I get to travel. They are the ones that we need to support. Unlike us, they still see the Internet through the lens of its possibilities for good, empowerment and creativity. We must support them and amplify their voices. They are the future of the Internet.

🎙️For undergraduate or graduate students reading this, what type course (e.g., computer science, human rights, languages, history, art) or activities (e.g., internships, summer jobs) do you think might be most helpful as they contemplate careers in technology, public policy, and human rights?

💬 The great thing about this space is that any background is both welcomed and relevant. Throughout my career, I have met people from different walks of life: engineers, lawyers, computer scientists, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, the list goes on and on. And, each one of them has something unique to offer to this space. So, I would say, do whatever you are passionate about but do it well.
In terms of careers, in the Internet is a lot about volunteering. When I started engaging at ICANN, I was volunteering. I still am in different places. So, be ready, at least in the beginning to do a lot for not much money. But, the return is the community you will form and the people you will get to meet.

🎙️For current practitioners in this field, and given your own career experience, what are some considerations you think are worth taking into account when deciding whether to change sectors, say from civil society or academia to the private sector? Or from the private sector to government or civil society?

💬 The only thing I will say to this is: stay true to yourself, do not compromise your beliefs and fight for what you think is right for you. Fight for the kind of the Internet you want.

🎙️What’s an event or period professionally from which you’ve learned a great deal, either about yourself or about a topic or a way of doing things/advocating inside an organization?

💬 Coming out of the process of writing a PhD, I really thought that I had learned a lot about myself. And, then came the IANA transition – a two-year long process that involved hundreds of people, from different communities and institutions, all working together towards a shared goal. It was one of the toughest, most demanding, most challenging and tiring phases of my professional life. At the time, I was still with the Internet Society and I was the main point of contact for this project – following all the various conversations across different time zones and locations, interacting with different people, updating and coordinating with my then CEO and the Board of Trustees and being the person to put together a strategy on how best to approach this issue. I often refer to this period in my life as my second PhD.

🎙️What’s something you didn’t expect in work in this field?

💬 The remarkable inspiration I get from the so-called internet community and the knowledge I have sucked from the this community. I have learned so much from so many people.

🎙️What are some ideas on how to find and engage regularly with mentors in this sector?

💬 I would say that attending webinars, travel to meetings (when it is possible) and read as much as you can. A lot of people write a lot of extremely interesting stuff about the many, many issues we are facing today in the Internet.
And, when you find that person you believe is the one you want to interact with, do not feel afraid to reach out to them directly. You will be surprised how many people are willing to help and have a chat.

🎙️What are two or three books, podcasts, albums, poems, songs, other works of art, etc. that inspire you or that you’d recommend to people interested in working in this field?

The BHR Group Digital Rights Careers Newsletter

The BHR Group Digital Rights Careers Newsletter | Issue 31

Guest Spotlight

Positions in Policy, Law, and Digital Rights

Civil Society/Non-Profits

Press/Media

Academia

Think Tanks/Research Institutions

Government

Industry

Industry Associations

Firms/Consultancies