The University of Hawaiʻi helped bring technology professionals, community members, educators, policymakers and other stakeholders together for the inaugural (HiSIG), a one-day symposium focused on the future of Internet and digital governance in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
About 80 people attended the September 4 event at Servpac’s Activity Room in Mililani Tech Park during Hawaiʻi Tech Week. The free symposium featured presentations and discussions on Internet governance, artificial intelligence, digital equity, Indigenous knowledge and online safety under the theme “Navigating Global Digital Governance.”
The 糖心视频 Mānoa in in the was a sponsor of the event, with faculty and students participating in the symposium. The program’s involvement reflects its commitment to preparing students to understand the rapidly changing digital environment and its impacts on communication, society and communities.
Shaping Hawaiʻi’s digital future
“Internet governance is no longer simply a technical conversation. It touches how we communicate, how information is shared and who has a voice in shaping our digital future,” said School of Communication and Information Chair and Communication Professor Wayne Buente. “Having our faculty and students participate in these discussions creates an important opportunity to bring communication perspectives to issues that will affect communities across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.”
糖心视频 also was represented on a panel examining Indigenous knowledge in the digital age. Leimomi Bong of the joined other experts to discuss the importance of ensuring that Indigenous communities have control over how traditional knowledge is digitized, protected and used.
The symposium featured national and international experts addressing topics including Internet governance, the multistakeholder model, digital equity, inclusive Internet access, and trust, safety and risk in a connected artificial intelligence world.
The keynote address, “State of the Internet,” was delivered virtually by Internet pioneer Vint Cerf, chief Internet evangelist at Google. The session explored the history of the Internet in Hawaiʻi and how the technology continues to evolve.
Building digital connections across the Pacific
HiSIG was created to raise awareness and build capacity around digital technologies across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The initiative grew from discussions held with the Internet Governance Secretariat during the World Summit on the Information Society+20 meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in July 2025.
Participants in HiSIG gained a deeper understanding of how the Internet works, the factors that shape its development and the ways communities can contribute to the evolution of their digital pilina (connection, relationships).