The World Summit on the Information Society starting tomorrow is heading for a showdown over governance of the Internet, amid attempts to shift the balance of power away from the US.
Delegates from 170 countries gathered in Tunis on Sunday to start a final attempt to break their three-year deadlock on the issue.
The preliminary negotiations are not expected to be completed by the time the summit organized by the UN's International Tele-communication Union (ITU) begins, a spokeswoman for the ITU, Sarah Parkes, and diplomats said.
The outcome could determine who eventually controls the technical and administrative infrastructure at the root of the Internet, which allows the computer network to function seamlessly worldwide.
Some officials fear the dispute could degenerate and eventually lead to the "balkanisation" of the Internet, breaking it up into a series of unconnected rival networks.
At the moment the Internet is administered mainly by the Internet Corp for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a California-based independent body which is awarded the task by the US government on a renewable tender.
ICANN was set up in 1998 when the Internet boom was largely focused on the US. It is run by a group of free-spirited enthusiasts who were anxious to avoid regulation of the Internet.
However, the exponential growth of Internet connections worldwide, and the Web's growing economic and social importance, have prompted opposition to the US monopoly.
"The idea that the Internet is an unregulated haven, these days are finished," a source close to the talks said.
ICANN assigns domain names worldwide.
Some officials also believe that the people behind ICANN have grown closer to the computer industry, and may face a conflict of interest when it comes to choosing one technology over another at the root of the Internet.
In July, a US government advisory body said that the way the domain name system is run should not be changed.
"Given the Internet's importance to the world's economy, it is essential that the underlying domain name server of the Internet remains stable and secure," the National Telecommunications and Information Administration said.
US officials have refused to allow oversight to be handed over to the UN. Seven other proposals have been made in the talks running up to Tunis, with two other fundamental positions emerging.
Iran and other key developing nations want a body "anchored" to the UN to have oversight over ICANN and other agencies, with an advisory role for industry.
The EU is proposing a formula that would remove US political oversight over ICANN and replace it with a purely technical intergovernmental body after a transition phase.
The role played by ICANN has gained unusual support from the Paris-based journalist's rights campaign body, Reporters Sans Frontieres.
"The situation can certainly be criticized but the proposed remedies seem much worse," the group said in a statement, warning that "repressive countries" might be able to take advantage of weak UN oversight.
GEARING UP: An invasion would be difficult and would strain China’s forces, but it has conducted large-scale training supporting an invasion scenario, the report said China increased its military pressure on Taiwan last year and took other steps in preparation for a potential invasion, an annual report published by the US Department of Defense on Wednesday showed. “Throughout 2023, Beijing continued to erode longstanding norms in and around Taiwan by employing a range of pressure tactics against Taiwan,” the report said, which is titled “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 2024.” The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “is preparing for a contingency to unify Taiwan with the PRC by force, if perceived as necessary by Beijing, while simultaneously deterring, delaying or denying
PEACEFUL RESOLUTION: A statement issued following a meeting between Australia and Britain reiterated support for Taiwan and opposition to change in the Taiwan Strait Canada should support the peaceful resolution of Taiwan’s destiny according to the will of Taiwanese, Canadian lawmakers said in a resolution marking the second anniversary of that nation’s Indo-Pacific strategy on Monday. The Canadian House of Commons committee on Canada-Chinese relations made the comment as part of 34 recommendations for the new edition of the strategy, adding that Ottawa should back Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, first published in October 2022, emphasized that the region’s security, trade, human rights, democracy and environmental protection would play a crucial role in shaping Canada’s future. The strategy called for Canada to deepen
TECH CONFERENCE: Input from industry and academic experts can contribute to future policymaking across government agencies, President William Lai said Multifunctional service robots could be the next new area in which Taiwan could play a significant role, given its strengths in chip manufacturing and software design, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman and chief executive C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday. “In the past two months, our customers shared a lot of their future plans with me. Artificial intelligence [AI] and AI applications were the most talked about subjects in our conversation,” Wei said in a speech at the National Science and Technology Conference in Taipei. TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, counts Nvidia Corp, Advanced Micro Devices Inc, Apple Inc and
LEAP FORWARD: The new tanks are ‘decades more advanced than’ the army’s current fleet and would enable it to compete with China’s tanks, a source said A shipment of 38 US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks — part of a military procurement package from the US — arrived at the Port of Taipei early yesterday. The vehicles are the first batch of 108 tanks and other items that then-US president Donald Trump announced for Taiwan in 2019. The Ministry of National Defense at the time allocated NT$40.5 billion (US$1.25 billion) for the purchase. To accommodate the arrival of the tanks, the port suspended the use of all terminals and storage area machinery from 6pm last night until 7am this morning. The tanks are expected to be deployed at the army’s training
RSS