Who should be crowned Internet Hero and Villain in 2014?
28th April 2014 – ISPA is once again calling on the public for their views on who should be crowned Internet Hero and Villain at this year’s ISPA Awards, now in their 16th year.
These categories, sponsored by fulfilment experts NetLynk Direct, go to the people or organisations that have done the most to help or hinder the internet industry, with previous winners including the Rt Hon William Hague MP, Ofcom, and rural broadband pioneers B4RN.
The 2013 Hero and Villain shortlists were dominated by the thorny issue of online surveillance, with ‘Snooper’s Charter’ campaigner Dr Julian Huppert MP seeing off Edward Snowden, Nick Clegg MP and Spamhaus to claim Internet Hero, with Recep Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey named Internet Villain, narrowly beating Home Secretary Theresa May MP.
There have been lots of issues for industry to contend with this year. Has the debate around online safety gone too far in restricting freedom of speech, or is it a necessary step to protect young people? Has Government done enough to ease concerns over the on-going surveillance debate and has Europe been heroic or short-sighted by protecting net neutrality in law?
ISPA Secretary General Nicholas Lansman said “the Internet Hero and Villain awards are the longest running categories at the ISPA Awards and are a good way to recognise those who have impacted the industry, as well as reflect on the serious issues we have faced. We call on the public to have a think and let us know their ideas on who should be crowned the 2014 Internet Hero and Villain.”
Nominations can be submitted to ISPA via email (admin@ispa.org.uk) or via twitter (@ISPAUK) using the hashtags #InternetHero and #InternetVillain. The deadline to send nominations is 31st May.
The ISPA Council will review the list of nominations and choose the winners which will be announced at the ISPA Awards ceremony on 10th July at the Park Lane Sheraton Hotel.