By Declan McCullagh, 18 July 2005 08:13
NEWS A United Nations working group has published a long-awaited report that effectively challenges US supremacy over internet domain names.
The report says "no single government should have a pre-eminent role in relation to international internet governance" - which runs directly contrary to the Bush administration's position announced last month.
But the UN group couldn't decide what should be done about it. Instead of reaching a consensus, the nations participating in the discussions listed four possible options ranging from modest changes to creating an entirely new 'Global Internet Council' under the auspices of the United Nations.
At issue for the group is who runs the internet and how it can better serve the world. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has long pressed industry, government and private interest groups to ensure that people in poor nations have greater access to the internet.
Among the governance options put forward by the group were a continuation of the current system, creation of a world body to address public policy issues stemming from the work of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) and creation of a body to address a broader range of public policy issues. The fourth option is to create three bodies, one to address policy issues, one for oversight and one for global coordination.
The group also recommended a coordinated global effort to combat spam and urged that law enforcement authorities respect the right to freedom of expression when they crack down on internet-related crimes.
Declan McCullagh writes for CNET News.com Reuters contributed to this report.
Comments
There are 3 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
If the UN wants to run the internet, they should develop their own network.
Of course, no one would use it.
2. Peter Risdon
How to screw up a system that has worked amazingly well, scaling to proportions that were undreamed of when first invented:
Let the UN take control.
This should be treated with the derision it deserves.
3. Chris Goodman
I feel that the UN is certainly attempting to exceed it's chartered mandate with interference in such matters as operation of a smoothly running internet.
With it's rather chequered record of mis-management, nepotism, inefficiency and fraud it makes one wonder what the freeloaders see they can make out of us by their proposed interference and control over the net.
Let the UN first sort out what it was intended to do - ensure the democratic freedom of peoples and nations!!!