ICANNWatch | Preventing a New World Internet Order

Preventing a New World Internet Order
posted by tbyfield on Monday January 17 2005, @10:44PM

Bruce Levinson writes "If anyone needs another reason why the UN should not be in charge of the internet, they need look no further than the upcoming UNESCO conference on "Freedom of Expression in Cyberspace." The United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization conference will discuss "whether universal free expression standards should be applied to the Internet and how free expression can be protected while respecting individual privacy, national laws and cultural differences." The conference is being held in preparation for the second phase of the UN's World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)." The fact that UNESCO is considering whether "universal free expression standards" should be applied to the internet speaks volumes.

UNESCO was the organization that previously championed a New World Information and Communications Order that supported greater state control over the media. Due to the UN organization's budgetary mismanagement and radical political agenda, the United States withdrew from UNESCO in 1984. Although the US has since rejoined the organization, concerns regarding UNESCO's intentions remain. For example, a major human rights group organization boycotted a UNESCO conference last year over concerns that the UN group was censoring their message.

However, the issue for US policy officials is not whether UNESCO is pro or anti-censorship at any given moment, but rather how to prevent the internet from being subject to censorship, irrespective of "cultural differences" or other political concerns.

UNESCO is free to hold as broad-ranging a debate as they please on internet content or any other topic. It is the duty of the United States to help ensure that the world's population enjoys a similar freedom."

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But just who *should* be in charge?
by dtobias (dan@tobias.name) on Tuesday January 18 2005, @05:11AM (#14623)
User #2967 Info | http://domains.dan.info/

OK, if the UN gets in charge of the 'net, it might subordinate free speech to the demands of tinpot, control-freak dictators. If the US government controls the 'net, freedom will be subordinate to the demands of "homeland security". If commercial interests control it, then the policy will be all about protecting their "right" to make a buck by exploiting it. So who does that leave who should actually be in charge? I guess the best thing would be for everybody to just keep fighting one another so that nobody manages to exert complete control.

[ Reply to This | Parent ]

Re:But just who *should* be in charge? by watchdog Tuesday January 18 2005, @03:27PM
Re:But just who *should* be in charge? by watchdog Monday January 24 2005, @11:15PM
2 replies beneath your current threshold.

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