[liberationtech] Critically Examining "What Would Happen" if the U.N. (or another international body) Administered the Internet?

[michael gurstein]

Hi Zack,

 

A belated response. This issue is a/the primary subject of discussion at the
annual UN sponsored Internet Governance Forum <http://www.intgovforum.org/>
and the associated e-list <mailto:governance at lists.igcaucus.org>  of the
Internet Governance civil society caucus. I've covered some of these issues
from a critical perspective in my blog <http://gurstein.workpress.com/>
(search on "Internet governance").

 

Best,

 

Mike

 

From: liberationtech-bounces at lists.stanford.edu
[mailto:liberationtech-bounces at lists.stanford.edu] On Behalf Of Zack Brisson
Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 5:09 AM
To: liberationtech at lists.stanford.edu
Subject: [liberationtech] Critically Examining "What Would Happen" if the
U.N. (or another international body) Administered the Internet?

 

Informed minds of Lib-Tech,

 

During previous heated discussions
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/dec/14/telecoms-treaty-internet-u
nregulated>  of a potential "UN Takeover" of Internet administration, I
never critically challenged the claim that it would lead to a set of
de-centralized sub-Internets, allowing autocratic regimes to greatly
increase their ability to censor/shut-down/monitor Internet usage. But I've
seen the claim now re-made in the context of Snowden and Russia
<http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/001057.html> , which has raised new
questions about the validity of the assertions.

 

Does anyone know of a critical examination of the set of related ideas? Have
there been nuanced and balanced explorations of how the U.N. (or another
international organ) could serve as reasonably equitable hub for a
multi-stakeholder Internet from actors others than those with a clear
position biasing their analysis? Having worked closely with the U.N., I am
under no illusions as its infallibility or consistent effectiveness. But is
this "End of the Internet/Internet Freedom" truly an inevitable outcome for
either technical or political reasons?

 

I would appreciate any resources or perspective that those on Liberation
Tech could share. I am not familiar enough with network engineering to fully
understand all the technical aspects of relevance, but know enough that I
should be able to interpret most well-written pieces of analysis.

 

Many thanks for your consideration.

Zack

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