On its last day, the 12th Internet Forum in Brazil (FIB12) celebrated the contribution and importance of researcher and academic Tadao Takahashi for the construction of the Internet in Brazil. The pioneering trajectory of Tadao, who passed away in April, was remembered in the main session “30 years of ECO-92 and the future of the Internet in Brazil: a tribute to Tadao Takahashi”. The table, mediated by Tanara Lauschner (CGI.br), had the participation of pioneers of the network in the country and new leaders in the area. Carried out by the Brazilian Internet Management Committee (CGI.br), this year's edition of the Forum took place in the city of Natal (RN) and had 1,500 subscribers.

Tanara pointed out that the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, which took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, played an important role in the Internet in national territory, and recalled Tadao's relevant role in that context. “In the history of ECO-92 and in the expansion of the Internet in the country, Tadao Takahashi's collaboration was fundamental. Tadao acted strongly during the event, along with other people and partner institutions to enable conference delegates to access e-mail services”.

Carlos Alberto Afonso (Instituto Nupef), also a pioneer of the network in the country, presented a historical view of how the UN conference had an intersection with parallel developments of networks led by civil entities in several countries, and, here, intertwined with the onset of RNP – which ended up contributing decisively to the activation and permanence of Brazil's first Internet connections with the United States. According to him, “the essential presence of Tadao Takahashi was felt throughout the entire process”, who, in the early 1990s, led the construction of the RNP. At the end of his presentation, CA exclaimed: "Tadao, fellow fighter, you will be greatly missed!"

Beatriz Zoss (RNP) emphasized that the Internet already in 92, in that embryo, showed three great layers: the social, represented by the presence within ECO-92 of the Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analysis (Ibase) and Alternex – communication services via computer networks project; the technical layer; and teaching and research, which supported everything to happen. Beatriz highlighted the advances obtained by RNP since its creation. "That was a vision that Tadao perhaps had at the time and that, for me, was a long way from being seen, but with great pride, I took a ride on this dream, which I am seeing come to fruition."  

Demi Getschko, CEO of NIC.br, also a pioneer of the network in the country, spoke about initiatives that owe a lot to Tadao. One of them happened in 1995, when the government was studying ways to offer commercial Internet in the national territory. Tadao Takahashi was one of those who convinced Sérgio Motta, Minister of Communications at the time, to define that the area of Telecommunications and the Internet were different and complementary things. "This helped in the evolution of the network in Brazil, because it left it free of chains".

He made an appeal for us to try to improve the definition of what Internet means. “When we stand for neutrality, we stand for 'Internet neutrality'. It is essential to separate it from the constructions that are made on it. One thing is the Internet, which should be a single structure, covering the whole world, and another thing is the constructions on it, regardless of whether they are good or bad. These may or may not be subject to regulation, may or may not be considered “intermediaries” in the classical sense. In order to have a clear future path on this, it is necessary to separate the treatment of the Internet, which has to be available to everyone, from what is built on it. Tadao will be greatly missed in this scenario where objectivity and rationality are key”.  

For Eduardo Parajo (vice president of Abranet), the embryo of 1992, marked by the first connections, represented a revolution in Brazilian communications. “He was important for us to have a focal point at that moment of division of what would happen in Brazil in relation to the Internet”. After reviewing the evolution of this market in the country, Parajo thanked the pioneers, such as Tadao, Getschko and Carlos Afonso, who helped “to project this future, what we live today and what we will still live”.

Tribute
During the session, a video showing Tadao Takahashi's contribution and importance to the Internet in Brazil was shared. An emotional Laura Takahashi thanked for the homage and for the event that honors her brother's memory. “He always believed that positive changes are possible in Brazil. And he fought for it until the last days of his life”.

She shared the vision of the future that Tadao had been presenting lately. “My brother had a special interest in carrying out social projects to support the training and education of children and adolescents from socially vulnerable communities. Projects with an emphasis on technology and teaching. Since 2021, together with some collaborators, he started to build a non-profit association, a civil social organization with this objective, which we now call the Tadao Takahashi Institute”.

Selma, Laura's cousin, presented the institute, whose objectives are to preserve the historical memory about the implementation and development of the Internet in Brazil, emphasizing Tadao's contribution, recovering his ideas and studies on the future of the Internet and promoting knowledge as an instrument of social transformation, creating models of a holistic education that integrates technology, health, personal and humanistic growth.

Fonte: NIC.br