An active promoter of the Internet in his native Haiti and throughout the Caribbean, with various ties to LACNIC as former Policy Forum chair and instructor for Ayitic Goes Global, Max Larson believes that the success of the Regional Internet Registry for Latin American and the Caribbean over the past 15 years can be attributed to the fact that its digital community is “a great family.”
Convinced that LACNIC’s self-regulation model for managing Internet resources in Latin America and the Caribbean is the ideal approach, Larson believes that the region will continue with this participatory, public and transparent process.
Larson returned to Haiti in 2000 after completing his studies in France to help with the management of .ht, the Haitian ccTLD.
15 years ago, what was your relationship with the world of ICT?
As a teacher at the Faculty of Sciences of the State University of Haiti, I oversaw new ICT projects: the introduction of a new Networking program and helping with the organization of the local domain name registry.
When and how did your relationship with LACNIC begin?
I’d heard about LACNIC when I first started to look for information about IP addresses. I said to myself it would be great to meet LACNIC representatives in person to talk about our projects. I’d have this opportunity in 2004 during LACNIC VI in Montevideo.
What roles have you had within the LACNIC community? Did they meet your expectations?
I had the privilege of being selected as speaker at many LACNIC meetings and to serve as co-chair of the Public Policy Forum from 2010 to 2014.
In May 2011, at the creation of LAC-IX in Cancun, Mexico, I was appointed as the first Vice President of the association.
All this would not have been possible without the trust and support of members of the LACNIC community and I’m grateful for their help.
I’ve been very fortunate to be part of this great family and, whatever my contribution may be, all I am doing is giving back to a community from which I’ve received so much.
What role has the LACNIC community played in the management of number resources over the past 15 years?
LACNIC has been playing a critical role critical in managing number resources in a fair, open and transparent way. In this regard, the public policy forum plays a key role in ensuring a multistakeholder and bottom-up policy development approach that is open to all members of the community.
What aspects identify the LACNIC community?
I have always referred to the LACNIC community as a family and I truly believe that is what it is. Despite our differences, the community strives to welcome all of its members. As a family, we will also have key issues that need to be addressed… let’s take them as opportunities to solidify our bounds.
One of the key strengths of our community has always been its diversity and, as in all families, this is part of who we are and will need to be maintained.
How do you envision Internet governance 15 years from now?
We will be building on what has made the success of the Internet (openness, multistakeholderism) but we will also continue to work to make sure Internet governance addresses issues affecting everyday people, those who feel they have been left out.
Furthermore, security and social issues in the context of emerging technology like the IoT will also present new challenges that will also create new opportunities for our region.
