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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION
FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY / SEPTEMBER 22, 2003: VOL. 2 NO. 38
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Systems/Enterprise:
WHO WILL CONTROL THE
INTERNET?
A fight over the role of governments in managing the Internet is brewing as
policymakers prepare for a United Nations-backed summit on the network's
future, said an official at the body governing Internet domain names.
Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi of the Los Angeles-based Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) said two camps were forming over the
wording of a key article to be adopted at the World Summit on the Information
Society in December.
"Some governments are arguing that the management of things like IP
(Internet
protocol) addressing, global domain names, privacy should be done by an
inter-governmental organization because they feel the Internet is a public
resource, and they have responsibility over public resources," said Sharil,
who is chairman of ICANN's government advisory committee. "International, by
definition, means everyone is involved, from governments to private sector and
civil society. Whereas inter-governmental gives an indication that only
governments are involved and not necessarily the people."
Trying To Agree
About 189 countries will be attending the summit in Geneva, where
policymakers
are due to agree best practices and standards for the Internet and other
information technologies.
The summit's Web site, www.itu.int/wsis/index.html,
says
the meeting
will aim to "develop and foster a clear statement of political will and a
concrete plan of action for achieving the goals of the information
society."
Sharil said many countries in Asia Pacific favored an independent
international body for managing the Internet. But some in Europe and the
Middle East preferred an inter-governmental organization.
"Positions are shifting all the time," he said. "It's very hard at the
global
level to agree which it should be.
Seeking Broad Access
Sharil said whichever side won, the victors should form "smart
public-private"
partnerships.
"The Internet belongs to everyone and everyone should have a role," he
said.
"The Internet is many things to many people, there is no one size fits
all,"
he said. "Some governments spend billions to get the Internet to the people,
some say it is just yellow culture."
The newly elected Sharil, who is also a regulator at the Malaysian
Communications and Multimedia Commission, said ICANN would not be taking a
position on the article.
"Whatever it is, the fear is that you might end up with some pushing for
it,
and some not," Sharil said. "Then you can get stuck. You might end up with a
mini United Nations... that can slow the rate of expansion."
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