[2] At the first World Internet Conference in 2014, an unknown party distributed a draft joint statement affirming the right of individual nations to develop, use, and govern the Internet, a concept Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary and paramount leader Xi Jinping calls cyber sovereignty.

[5] Amnesty International urged tech firms to reject China's position, calling it an attempt to promote censorship (on fake news).

[8] In December 2015, Fadi Chehadé announced that, after he leaves his post as ICANN CEO in March 2016, he will become co-chair of a newly formed advisory committee to the World Internet Conference.

[11] In November 2018, Xinhua's World first artificial intelligence (AI) anchor makes debut at the 5th annual conference that opens in China.

[12] The 6th edition of the World Internet Conference was held on October 20–21, 2019, with the theme of "Joining Hands in Constructing a Community of Shared Future in Cyberspace" (携手构建网络空间命运共同体).