Internet governance under the spotlight

A UN agency is trying to calm fears that the internet could be damaged by a conference it is hosting. The two- week conference in Dubai is led by the ITU, and will see telco regulators representing 193 different countries sit down and discuss the thorny subject of Internet regulation.

Many companies, organizations and individuals oppose the meeting because it is a secretive session that involves some countries that oppose a free and open Internet. According to the Center for Rights, some proposals allow for access to be cut off more easily, threatening privacy, legitimizing monitoring and blocking online traffic. Others seek to impose new fees for accessing content, the group says, adding that there could be consequences for businesses and human rights.

Yesterday the ITU adopted a resolution asking member states not to impede international internet use, specifically calling for "non-discriminatory access".

"Just days away from the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12), the adoption of this resolution underlines ITU’s commitment to a free and inclusive information society," says ITU secretary-general Hamadoun Toure.

"This should send a strong message to the international community about accusations that ITU's membership wishes to restrict the freedom of speech. Clearly the opposite is true. It is in this spirit – fostering an internet whose benefits are open to all – that I would like to head into WCIT-12."

Read more -here-
See also: UN internet regulation treaty talks begin in Dubai

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