There is concern that governance of the internet will be assumed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a government controlled agency of the United Nations. The fear is that since the telecomms companies control the internet infrastructure, and since national governments control their telecomms companies, the current worldwide bottom-up internet governance will be reversed and fractured by top-down individual national concerns. Russia’s recent censorship of the Russian Wikipedia-clone site Lurkomore is cited as an example.
“As reported by Russian news site Lenta, the site went gradually offline in the evening of November 11... In this case, it was the Russian anti-drug agency who took the entire encyclopedia – the entire encyclopedia – offline in the name of ‘protecting children’,” commented Rick Falkvinge, a Pirate Party activist. Within a few days, CNET warned “The Russian Federation is calling on the United Nations to take over key aspects of Internet governance, including addressing and naming, according to documents leaked on Friday.”
The leaked document is available on WCITLEAKS.org. It includes proposals such as, “Member States shall have the sovereign right to establish and implement public policy, including international policy, on matters of Internet governance, and to regulate the national Internet segment, as well as the activities within their territory of operating agencies providing Internet access or carrying Internet traffic.”
What worries many observers is the closed nature and secrecy of the WCIT meeting. Earlier this month Greenpeace and the International Trade Union Confederation wrote to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, “We are becoming increasingly concerned at the lack of transparency inherent in the approach of the ITU in its preparations for this conference. The ITU Governing Council recently declined to accept the entirely appropriate proposal of the ITU Secretary-General, Dr Hamadoun Toure.” This led to a stinging rebuke on the it4u blog, calling the letter ‘counterfactual’.
Nevertheless, concern continues to grow. Google has issued a call to action, warning that some “governments are trying to use a closed-door meeting in December to regulate the Internet.” Only governments have a voice at the ITU, it adds. “This includes governments that do not support a free and open Internet. Engineers, companies, and people that build and use the web have no vote. The ITU is also secretive. The treaty conference and proposals are confidential.”
“Google isn't alone,” comments Ars Technica, pointing to a new website launched by activist groups that played a key role in the debate over the Stop Online Piracy Act. This website, whatistheitu.org, warns that if “some proposals at WCIT are approved, decisions about the internet would be made by a top-down, old-school government-centric agency behind closed doors. Some proposals allow for access to be cut off more easily, threaten privacy, legitimize monitoring and blocking online traffic. Others seek to impose new fees for accessing content, not to mention slowing down connection speeds. If the delicate balance of the internet is upset, it could have grave consequences for businesses and human rights.”