History

PCI was envisioned in 2015 by co-founders, Mei Lin Fung and Vint Cerf, who brought together an international group of thinkers and doers for the first “People Centered Internet Forum.” The group outlined a list of goals and proposed actions that could drive an agenda for a new “People-Centered Internet” initiative. The first article written about PCI, a column in Business Daily Africa by Bitange Ndemo, highlights the power of the Internet to connect people across Africa and the world. 

Drafted in 2015, the Principles of the People-Centered Internet are grounded in diversity and equity. 

1. Complete universal Internet coverage that enables functionality that is otherwise unreachable or ineffective
   
2. The Internet is affordable, open, available and accessible to all
3. Fosters digital literacy, local content in local language to achieve widespread usage and increased value to people, families, communities and countries
4. The system achieves a level of trust that meets the users’ expectations of affordability, privacy, safety and security
5. The quantity and quality of educational and information services is increasingly available to families and communities
6. Anyone can contribute to improvement of the utility of the global Internet.
7. Personal information in the digital environment is protected by law and controlled by the individual owner.

As a part of the initial vision, the group proposed a set of actions that became the foundation of PCI’s work:

1. Supporting the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals in education, health and other development objectives
2. Building trust and inclusion to bridge generations, nations and cultures
3. Empowering women and youth with relevant Internet content to better equip future generations
4. Supporting locally-led initiatives and grassroots innovations as well as top-down policies and reforms to support scaling up of promising innovations to improve human lives in diverse contexts
5. Developing narratives to influence decision makers to leverage technology to transform their economies, institutions, and societies. 
6. Promoting research, innovation, and knowledge sharing in best practices in national policies and strategies to advance digital transformation in government, economy, and society and maximize the digital dividends of the Internet

PCI grew from this initial meeting to a broader “PCI Community” – those around the world who share ideas together and support PCI’s goals through their own work and advocacy. PCI formalized its structure in 2018 and received its 501(c)3 designation in August 2019.