[governance] Russia’s insistence on U.N. control over the Internet could see collapse of global meet

Sat Dec 8 15:27:26 EST 2012

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Published: December 9, 2012 00:46 IST | Updated: December 9, 2012 00:46 IST

  Russia’s insistence on U.N. control over the Internet could see
  collapse of global meet

Shalini Singh

It’s Russia, China, and Arab states versus E.U., U.S. and Japan; India 
is silent

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.

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.

A similar divergence is beginning to emerge on language on cyber 
security within the purview of the ITU, an U.N. 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.

      Fears come true

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.”

      Civil society’s worst fears

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.

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.”

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.

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.

      Dubai nervous

Department of Telecommunications Secretary R. Chandrashekhar, who leads 
the Indian delegation, told /The Hindu/: “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.”

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.

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.

As expected, sharp divides have come to the fore, as multiple concurrent 
drafting groups are frantically at work on ‘compromise language.’

      Arab States’ stance

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.

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.

Online campaigns had a pivotal role in galvanising civil movements 
against authoritarian governments during the Arab Spring.

Keywords: World Conference on International Telecommunications 
<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 
<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 
<http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/russias-insistence-on-un-control-over-the-internet-could-see-collapse-of-global-meet/article4179064.ece?css=print#>

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