Internet: A real showdown or a joke in Tunisia? Posted by Heather at 11/15/05 06:08 PM

How serious are the world's industrialized powers about the Internet and bridging the digital divide when most failed to send their top ranking leaders to Tunisia Nov. 16-18 for the UN World Summit on the Information Society, to discuss the issue of Internet governance? Rather, they dispatched "government workers and low-level figures."

The issue of who runs the show was quickly put to rest when more than 100 countries agreed to leave the U.S. in charge of the Internet's addressing system. Day-to-day management will be left in the hands of the private sector. And ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), appears poised to keep it's supervisory role, while the U.S. continues pulling the strings.

The good news is that disaster was averted. But what about key issues like internet privacy, identity theft, intellectual property, spamming, and closing the digital divide in developing countries? When will these issues be taken just as seriously as who runs the show?

Maybe they will be taken seriously at the new Internet Governance Forum that will be held in Greece. The first meeting this spring has promised to address important issues like spamming, cyber crime, governance, and privacy. Although there is no mention of closing the digital divide or intellectual property, perhaps this is a first step.

A coalition of human rights, public interest and non-profit organizations are also in Tunisia to observe the UN-sponsored summit and to hold a Citizens' Summit on the Information Society. Their parallel meetings were set to take place; however, the hosting nation is apparently preventing such groups from meeting and blocking access to the coalition's website.

Gene Kimmelman, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for Consumers Union, is there in Tunis meeting with the coalition and monitoring the situation carefully. Stay tuned for a full account!

For more information on this issue visit:
International Telecommunication Union website.
USA Today Viewpoint article
BBC News article
CNN News article
New York Times article

comments (1)

1 Posted by M.Trevino at 11/21/05 02:34 PM

Key issues were mentioned in about blog, one being identity theft. Many states have laws that require we be told when the security of our sensitive personal information has been compromised. But a bill that would replace strong state notice of breach requirements with weaker federal standards has cleared one subcommittee and is on its way to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee.