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Published: December 9, 2012 00:46 IST |
Updated: December 9, 2012 00:46 IST </div>
<h1 class="detail-title">Russia’s insistence on U.N. control
over the Internet could see collapse of global meet</h1>
<span class="author">Shalini Singh</span>
<div class="detail-info"> </div>
<div id="article-block">
<div class="article-text">
<div class="articleLead">
<p>It’s Russia, China, and Arab states versus E.U., U.S.
and Japan; India is silent</p>
</div>
<p class="body"> The December 3-14 World Conference on
International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai, could
collapse if Russia does not back off from its proposal
to bring the Internet under the control of the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU), thereby
subjecting the web to inter-governmental regulation.</p>
<p class="body">At the conference’s plenary session,
China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Kazakhstan backed the
Russian proposal, while the U.S., European nations,
Japan and Australia vehemently opposed it. Internet’s
inclusion in the ITU will be back on the table when the
meet resumes on Monday. So far, India has remained
silent on this crucial matter. </p>
<p class="body">A similar divergence is beginning to
emerge on language on cyber security within the purview
of the ITU, an U.N. body. </p>
<p class="body">A lot now depends on whether a compromise
can be reached on four crucial issues — inclusion and
language on the Internet and Information,
Communications, Technology (ICT), roaming charges, and
cyber security.</p>
<h3>Fears come true</h3>
<p class="body">The Russian move comes shortly after
Moscow’s new domestic legislation that will allow it to
block content deemed “extremist” and a year after
President Vladimir Putin told ITU secretary-general
Hamadoun Touré, “Russia was keen on pursuing the idea of
establishing international control over the Internet,
using monitoring and supervisory capabilities of the
ITU.” </p>
<h3>Civil society’s worst fears</h3>
<p class="body">Russia’s insistence on pushing the
Internet’s inclusion under the ITU has confirmed civil
society’s worst fears — the WCIT could see the Internet
sliding under inter-governmental control, thus adversely
impacting free speech while increasing online
surveillance and blocking.</p>
<p class="body">Earlier, during the inaugural session, Mr.
Touré, quoting the ITU’s Constitution and Article 19 of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in an attempt
to assure delegates, said: “Fears have also been
expressed that new provisions in the International
Telecom Regulations (ITRs) might help legitimatise
government censorship. And I fully agree that this
should not happen. This conference will not stand in the
way of need to protect the right of freedom of
expression, the right to communicate and the right to
privacy.”</p>
<p class="body">Russia has said that it wants Internet
traffic, access and basic infrastructure to be included
within the definitions of ITRs — a binding treaty. It
proposed a “National Internet Segment,” thereby
dissecting a global web, based on national territories.
</p>
<p class="body">China was among the first to publicly
support the move, suggesting that the Internet was
global infrastructure and, therefore, should be included
in the ITRs.</p>
<h3>Dubai nervous</h3>
<p class="body">Department of Telecommunications Secretary
R. Chandrashekhar, who leads the Indian delegation, told
<i>The Hindu</i>: “In general, India has not supported
the inclusion of the Internet and content in ITRs. We
have only favoured the inclusion of Internet
Communication Technologies (ICT) to the extent they have
a bearing and impact on the availability and security of
telecom services.” </p>
<p class="body">The Cellular Operators Association of
India (COAI), which represents 700 million mobile
subscribers, nearly 384 million of whom are connected
online, is a part of the Indian delegation. </p>
<p class="body">Its director general, Rajan Mathews, urged
the government to oppose the inclusion of the ICTs and
the Internet under the ambit of the ITU, and requested
the government to “take a clear stance” at the
conference.</p>
<p class="body">As expected, sharp divides have come to
the fore, as multiple concurrent drafting groups are
frantically at work on ‘compromise language.’ </p>
<h3>Arab States’ stance</h3>
<p class="body">Meanwhile, Dubai as the Conference Chair
and UAE as the host, are increasingly getting nervous
because of the Arab States’ stance, which is perceived
to favour the Russian and Chinese positions. </p>
<p class="body">Another reason for their nervousness is
that a failed conference could further hurt the UAE’s
reputation on the issue of online freedom and free
speech. </p>
<p class="body">Online campaigns had a pivotal role in
galvanising civil movements against authoritarian
governments during the Arab Spring.</p>
<div id="articleKeywords">
<p>Keywords: <a
href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/russias-insistence-on-un-control-over-the-internet-could-see-collapse-of-global-meet/article4179064.ece?css=print#">World
Conference on International Telecommunications</a>, <a
href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/russias-insistence-on-un-control-over-the-internet-could-see-collapse-of-global-meet/article4179064.ece?css=print#">International
Telecommunications Union</a>, <a
href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/russias-insistence-on-un-control-over-the-internet-could-see-collapse-of-global-meet/article4179064.ece?css=print#">cyber
security</a></p>
</div>
<div id="keywordline"> </div>
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Printable version | Dec 9, 2012 1:56:22 AM |
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/russias-insistence-on-un-control-over-the-internet-could-see-collapse-of-global-meet/article4179064.ece">http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/russias-insistence-on-un-control-over-the-internet-could-see-collapse-of-global-meet/article4179064.ece</a></p>
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