Editorial
Global Internet Diplomacy
The New York Times, December 12, 2012
Representatives of 193 countries are meeting in Dubai
to update a treaty known as the International Telecommunication
Regulations that was last negotiated in 1988 and governs the exchange of
telephone traffic between countries.
But a group of countries led by Russia and China are trying to use the
deliberations, the first in 24 years and taking place under United
Nations auspices, to undermine the open spirit of the Internet.
The United States, the European Union and other countries have rightly
resisted any such effort, which is also supported by the United Arab
Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Algeria, Iraq and Bahrain. It is bad
enough that most of these countries already restrict the online speech
of their citizens, but now they want international law to endorse their
control and censorship of the Internet and possibly even tighten control
in ways that would make it harder for users to get information online
and allow governments to monitor Internet traffic more readily.
One particularly disturbing element of their proposal, a copy of which was leaked last week to the Web site WCITleaks.org,
has the potential to cause major disruptions to the Internet by giving
each country the ability to manage Web addresses and numbering.
That important logistical task is currently overseen by the nonprofit
organization known as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers — and it should stay that way. ICANN already coordinates with
governments, civil society groups and Internet service providers to
assign and manage domain names . Allowing each country to manage and
potentially politicize that function by giving favorable treatment to
some groups or providers would risk fragmenting the Internet, which is
useful precisely because it’s universal and operates on the basis of
globally accepted standards.
Other parts of the proposal would give broad powers to countries over
“matters of Internet governance.” Analysts say that language appears to
legitimize and validate controls over content and access that many
nations already use by including them in an international treaty.
The Internet provisions are ill-considered diversions from what should
be the core purpose of the conference: finding ways to expand access to
communications technology, including reducing international cellphone
roaming charges and lowering the cost of wireless and broadband services
by encouraging competition.
Organizers of the conference, which ends on Friday afternoon, have
already said that no proposals or a final treaty will be put to a vote.
Instead, they say an agreement will be reached through consensus. The
envoy representing Washington, Terry Kramer, has made it clear
that the United States will not accept any language on Internet
controls, which he says does not belong in a treaty that should properly
focus on telecommunications. Subjecting the Internet to more
overlapping and unneeded regulations would only serve to weaken it.
A version of this editorial appeared in print on December 13, 2012, on page A34 of the New York edition with the headline: Global Internet Diplomacy.
Related
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Drafters of Communications Treaty Are Split on Issue of Internet Governance (December 7, 2012)
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Integrity of Internet Is Crux of Global Conference (November 28, 2012)
Related in Opinion
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Op-Ed Contributor: Hands Off the Internet! (December 7, 2012)
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