Governance
06 August 2012
ITU Not Seeking Seizure of ICANN's Role, But Wants Them To Work Together
US bodies that oversee the internet's technical specifications and domain name system are at the heart of speculation over a push from largely developing nations, and in particular the BRICS countries, for control of the internet to be put under the United Nations, reports the BBC.
05 August 2012
Blogging ITU: Internet Users Will Be Ignored Again if Flawed ITU Proposals Gain Traction Electronic Frontier Foundation
When the European Parliament rejected the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement after hundreds of thousands of Europeans took to the streets in protest, it signaled disappointment in some of the extreme IP policies encouraged by ACTA that threatened the functioning of the Internet. But at the same time, the protests reflected a sweeping rejection of the secretive, government-directed process that spawned the agreement in the first place. The world's Internet users showed that they are no longer willing to accept outdated and counterproductive policies born out of closeted discussions that fail to take into account the interests of ordinary people.
04 August 2012
US resists control of internet passing to UN agency BBC News
The US has confirmed it would resist efforts to put the internet under the control of the United Nations.
29 July 2012
UN Human Rights Council Resolution on Internet and Human Rights a Step in the Right Direction Electronic Frontier Foundation
Earlier this month, the 47 member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a landmark Resolution (A/HRC/20/L.13) to include the "promotion, protection, and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet." The Resolution, which was presented by Sweden, was backed by more than 70 countries in all, both members and non-members of the HRC.
24 July 2012
European Commission opens public consultation on preservation of the open internet (net neutrality) Europa
The European Commission is today launching a public consultation seeking answers to questions on transparency, switching and certain aspects of internet traffic management, with a view to its commitment to preserve the open and neutral character of the Internet.
22 July 2012
The ITU and the Internet's Titanic Moment by Patrick S. Ryan Stanford Technology Law Review
Abstract: The International Telecommunication Union is making moves to get into the world of Internet governance. Many haven't heard of the ITU, and this essay provides some historical background by first looking at the events that took place 100 years ago at the time of the sinking of the Titanic.
UN's ITU Could Become Next Internet Freedom Threat by Edward J. Black Huffington Post
Internet freedom is again under fire for ostensibly noble reasons. After a narrow escape from Congress's SOPA legislation, Internet freedom is in the international crosshairs of a large group of nations, including many of the world's most undemocratic governments, seeking to give themselves control over Internet policy. Their target is the creation of new international legal rules that would allow them to legitimately impose censorship and monitor users' online activities.
Internet's openness threatened by politics by Anna Eshoo, San Francisco Chronicle
In Silicon Valley, the innovation capital of our country, new ideas are born every day, and the platform driving much of this new innovation is a free and open Internet.
18 July 2012
Stop Balkanizing the Internet by Marietje Schaake, Dutch Member of the European Parliament Huffington Post
The government of Ethiopia has announced a ban on the use of a wide range of Internet communication services. According to reports, the draft Telecom Law criminalizes the use of Skype and other Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. Violators face a high financial penalty or a 15 year prison sentence. In practice, the law would also mean that all Internet traffic of 85 million Ethiopians will be monitored. End of story for unrestricted Internet access, freedom of expression and access to information online. The subsequent international outcry has forced the government to clarify its intentions and signalled a possible backtracking of the initial plans. Proposals like these show that authoritarian regimes are wary of losing their grip on power due to the Internet. They desperately seek to regain it by imposing new rules and regulations.
08 July 2012
U.N. Affirms Internet Freedom as a Basic Right New York Times
Will Internet companies help or hinder government authorities that try to restrict their citizens from using the Web freely? And will their customers, investors or shareholders care enough to do something about it?
07 July 2012
Internet Governance, or Just Governing the Internet? by Leslie Harris, President and CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology Huffington Post
Yes, yes, got it: There is no International Telecommunications Union plot to take over the Internet.
02 July 2012
Widespread Participation Is Key in Internet Governance Electronic Frontier Foundation
Several governments are pushing for proposals that seek to draw borders around the global Internet. With big decisions at stake, it's critical that Internet users understand the threats and have a meaningful say in the final outcome. At a panel held in Washington, D.C. June 26 to highlight global threats to Internet governance, much of the discussion revolved around multistakeholder processes, or the involvement of all stakeholders in Internet policy making discussions on equal footing.
25 June 2012
Crovitz: The U.N.'s Internet Power Grab: Leaked documents show a real threat to the international flow of information Wall Street Journal
It's easy to understand why countries like Russia, China and Iran would want to rewire the Internet, cutting off access to their citizens and undermining the idea of a World Wide Web. What's more surprising is that U.S. diplomats are letting authoritarian regimes hijack an obscure U.N. agency to undermine how the Internet works, including for Americans.
A battle for Internet freedom as UN meeting nears Sydney Morning Herald
Secret negotiations among dozens of countries preparing for a United Nations summit could lead to changes in a global treaty that would diminish the Internet's role in economic growth and restrict the free flow of information.
21 June 2012
US House panel: ITU should stay away from Internet regulation Computerworld
A U.S. House of Representatives committee has told the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union to keep its hands off the Internet.
17 June 2012
US official seeks industry support to protect Web Reuters
Executives were urged to join the fight to keep the Internet free from centralized control, ahead of a conference later this year where U.S. government officials fear countries will vote to give the United Nations more power over the Web.
EU calls on UN body to leave internet open EurActiv
The European Commission said it will seek "a conservative approach" to proposed changes to international telecommunications regulations (ITRs) later this year, which some warn could end up imposing tighter security and pricing regimes on the internet.
13 June 2012
Debunking Rumors of an Internet Takeover New York Times
This just in from Geneva: The United Nations has no plans to seize control of the Internet. The Web-snatching black helicopters have not left the hangar.
09 June 2012
European telcoms defend leaked proposal for U.N. CNET
Requiring content providers to pay based on usage is an "innovative" change to the way the Internet currently works and will create a more "fair" environment, European telecommunications companies claim.
08 June 2012
India: The New Front Line in the Global Struggle for Internet Freedom The Atlantic
This Saturday, Indian Internet freedom advocates are planning to stage a nation-wide protest against what they see as their government's increasingly restrictive regulation of the Internet. An amorphous alliance of concerned citizens and activist hackers intend to use the streets and the Internet itself to make their opposition felt.
06 June 2012
Officials Say Threats From Net Governance May Be Vague But Are Real Tech Daily Dose
While U.S. officials continue to raise red flags about possible efforts by other countries to regulate the Internet, they had a difficult time Tuesday identifying what those actual threats may be.
03 June 2012
U.N. takeover of the Internet must be stopped, U.S. warns CNET
A U.N. summit later this year in Dubai could lead to a new international regime of censorship, taxes, and surveillance, warn Democrats, Republicans, the Internet Society, and father of the Internet Vint Cerf.
Kroes favours consumer choice over 'net neutrality' law EurActiv
The European Commission wants to ensure that consumers can have full access to high-speed Internet at any time but refrained from regulating on so-called "net neutrality" for now, saying the remedy may be worse than the disease.
01 June 2012
Can the U.S. Work with India in Cyberspace? Council on Foreign Relations
Eric Heginbotham and George Gilboy have a new book, Chinese and Indian Strategic Behavior, looking at the rise of China and India. One of their main points is a warning directed at U.S. policymakers who think that India is going to be a counterweight to China. Delhi has many of its own interests and in many instances -- Iran, trade, and proliferation -- those interests are closer to Beijing's than Washington's. China and India "both pursue a common agenda at the U.N. and other security bodies: a strict interpretation of state sovereignty and a protection of the principle of non-interference in the affairs of other states."
25 May 2012
Vint Cerf Calls For ITU To Be Kept Away From Internet Governance, Including ICANN New York Times
Vint Cerf is critical of plans by various countries over a battle for the internet that is opening at the International Telecommunications Union in this opinion piece in the New York Times.
