Who Rules the Internet?

This 6-page briefing document is the first in a series of media toolkits designed for journalists who seek information on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the 'information society'. It is intended for non-specialists, and in particular to journalists who cover information society issues around the second stage of the World Summit on the Information Society (November 2005). This paper describes Internet governance as "becoming an influential factor in the way we access, consume, produce and exchange our information within and among nations."

According to this paper, in 2003, at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, the issue of Internet governance was the subject of "heated" debate. The Internet has no single governance system and was originated from the
private sector. At the WSIS meeting, concern was expressed that the internet is controlled by commercial interests and is not a resource that is available to everyone. There was debate over the need for control of content vs. limiting freedom of expression. Should pornography, hate-content, crime be controlled by governments?

Part of the debate centered around whether or not governments should be given more power over the Internet and if so would this constrain growth and limit users’ freedom. If so, then the paper suggests that Internet governance would need to be brought under an intergovernmental body, possibly within the United Nations umbrella.

ICANN (the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers) is the non-profit organisation that presently oversees the system of Internet addresses and is based in the United States. According to the paper there is a general perception that ICANN is not a representative organisation in part because the ultimate power is held by the United States government. Many hope that Internet governance will be an open system that will be international as well as equitable. At first few governments took interest in the development of the Internet, but over time interest has grown and many governments wish to manage their domain names themselves. The paper also alluded to the fact that Generic Domain Names are based on English words and that it is a major undertaking to change language script characters.

In November 2005 at the WSIS meeting in Tunis, a working group will report to the UN Secretary General with recommendations as to how to move these complex issues and considerations forward.