UN conference network rejects watchdog for the net

UN conference network rejects watchdog for the net

A UN body as a watchdog for the various governments in power found little favor at the 6th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Nairobi. After much criticism rowed with Brazil and India, two of three responsible for the proposal IBSA countries back on the final day.

The proposal is not official yet, and needs the coordination with all stakeholders, government officials said. They wanted to create a better opportunity for developing countries to influence global policy issues central network. It has never been purely a government body. Rather, imagine, then, the Brazilian Romulo Represented Neves was compared with heise online, a "device attached to the United Nations multi-stakeholder committee."

Although the IGF embodies exactly this - from the perspective of the three IBSA countries but with the disadvantage that it decides nothing. According to Romulo would be a stronger IGF, a better controlled by ICANN, governments and more support for developing countries, already a big step further. If an additional committee would therefore unnecessary, he left open.

Observers said after the discussions in Nairobi by a tactical maneuver by the two countries to get more out of the IGF. Currently many governments remained of the event and the Governmental Advisory Committee of ICANN (GAC) away, because they saw no influence on the governance process.

Fiona Alexander of the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) questioned the benefit of another organization. Governments might well influence, as in the GAC. Who had at least 70 of its 80 demands set by the introduction of new top level domains.

While the IBSA proposal was hotly debated, was hardly discussed the proposal for a code of China and Russia for more security on the net. It also provides a new oversight board.

At the conclusion of the IGF several civil society organizations protested against the hosts in the coming years, Azerbaijan. The country lies with the rankings of Freedom House, the expression and press freedom investigated, 152 to rank Two bloggers complain against their unlawful arrest is currently before the European Court of Human Rights. For the second time in Tunis would find a UN conference at which it deals, among other things, freedom of speech on the net, instead of in a country that does not guarantee that right. Therefore, many end speakers supported the proposal, the issue of human rights on the main topic of the IGF in 2012 to make.