Firms defend dealings with ChinaThe work of firms such as Microsoft and Cisco was the centre of a debate about openness at the IGF in Athens.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6102180.stm

RSF blasts firms for China Web control (Reuters)
China’s control of the Internet stirred controversy at the first global Internet governance forum on Tuesday when Reporters sans frontières accused western firms of providing Chinese police with technology to limit Web freedom.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/10/31/china.web.freedom.reut

Internet Governance Forum takes on China, US
The Internet Governance Forum is meeting in Athens this week, and they’ve been talking up a storm. The global body was convened under the auspices of the UN after last year’s meeting of the WSIS in Tunis, where it was agreed that a global venue for discussing ‘Net issues ought to be created. Gathering technocrats, activists, and politicians from around the globe for four days of talking sounds a lot like golf on TV — wonderful for playing in the background while you take a Sunday afternoon nap — but in reality has already proved to be quite fascinating. With half the conference concluded, Ars brings you up to speed on what’s gone down so far at the IGF.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061031-8115.html

Annan stresses development role at first ever meeting of the Internet Governance Forum
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan Monday stressed the importance of using the worldwide net to promote global development as he opened the first ever Internet Governance Forum by encouraging participants to use the four-day gathering to foster dialogue and cooperation.
http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-235/0610317258182329.htm

Internet forum promises democracy to the masses
The inaugural meeting of the IGF was opened in Athens yesterday morning by Greek prime minister Konstantinos Karamanlis amid proud claims that the forum represented a new level of democratic thinking at the top of the internet.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/31/igf_day_one/

U.N. proposes changes to Net’s operation
Yoshio Utsumi, a top United Nations official on Monday called for changes in the way the Internet is operated, taking aim at “self-serving justifications” for permitting the United States to preserve its unique influence and authority online.
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6130549.html

EU Says Will Press For Uncensored Internet (Dow Jones)
The European Union will urge countries to uncensor the Internet for its citizens at this week’s IGF in Greece, Commission telecom spokesman Martin Selmayr said Monday.
http://nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20061030%5cACQDJON200610300821DOWJONESDJONLINE000320.htm&

Net governance forum: Hot air or hot opinions?
For many critics, the IGF is nothing more than a hot-air event void of any decision-making power. But advocates see the meeting, the first to follow last year’s contentious WSIS, as an opportunity to set the tone for future discussions on who should govern the Internet and how.
http://infoworld.com/article/06/10/30/HNnetgovernanceforum_1.html

ICANN at the Internet Governance Forum
ICANN is co-hosting two workshops that will run in parallel to the IGF main sessions. The purpose of the workshop, co-hosted with ISOC, is to discuss the importance of participating in the processes of key Internet organisations and mechanisms, to show how one can participate and, importantly, how to locally build the appropriate expertise and capacity to successfully contribute. Different perspectives on participation and engagement by different communities and stakeholders will be explored with an emphasis on encouraging a discussion of practical examples and key learnings for increasing participation, particularly from communities that are typically under-represented.
http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-30oct06.htm

Chairman Vint Cerf’s Opening Remarks at Internet Governance Forum, Athens, Greece 30 October – 2 November 2006
Vint Cerf’s opening remarks address the structure of the internet, International Domain Names, interoperability, IPv6 and more.
http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-1-30oct06.htm