DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Canada is refusing to sign a United Nations telecommunications treaty over fears it would give governments control over the internet.Canada is part of a Western bloc, including the U.S., Britain, and several European nations, that is snubbing the new treaty which was expected to be signed Friday at the end of ten days of hard negotiations at the World Conference on International Telecommunications.
A rival group — including China, Russia, Gulf Arab states, African nations and others — favoured UN backing for stronger government sway over Internet affairs and claimed the Western dominance of the Internet needed to be addressed.
The unraveling of the conference displayed the deep ideological divide at the 193-nation gathering in Dubai, where envoys grappled with the first revisions of global telecom codes since 1988 — years before the dawn of the Internet age.
The head of the U.S. delegation, Ambassador Terry Kramer, described it as a “crossroads over the collective view of the Internet.”
He said the stumbling blocks were disagreements over whether the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) should have jurisdiction over Internet firms such as Google, whether the treaty allows for the regulation of content such as spam, and whether the organization should weigh in on cybersecurity.
The Western bloc also feared any UN rules on cyberspace could squeeze Web commerce, open the door for more restrictions and result in monitoring by authoritarian regimes that already impose wide-ranging clampdowns. The head of one tech industry group said it could “forever alter” the Web.
“It’s with a heavy heart and a sense of missed opportunity that the U.S. must communicate that it’s not able to sign the agreement in its current form,” the U.S. delegation said in a statement. “We candidly cannot support an ITU treaty that is inconsistent with the multi-stakeholder model.”
Mr. Kramer said, “No single organization or government should attempt to control the internet or dictate its future development. We are resolute on this.
“Internet policy should not be determined by member states, but by citizens, communities and broader society … the private sector and civil society. That has not happened here.”
Many disputed clauses were quashed or watered down during 10 days of negotiations, but the non-Western bloc managed to win support for wording that supported governments’ rights to have access to the Web. This was viewed by the U.S. and its allies as a backdoor attempt to gain UN sanction for more government controls over the Internet, adding to earlier objections about references that could suggest UN backing for more state authority over content and commerce.
The ITU has no powers to instantly change how the Internet operates and its regulations are non-binding. It also cannot compel reforms by states that already widely censor cyberspace.
But the U.S.-led coalition at the talks argued that any UN codes sanctioning greater government roles in the Net — even under the framework of state security — could be used as justification for even more controls from Web watchers in places such China, Iran and other nations.
The host United Arab Emirates announced stricter Internet laws last month that outlaw postings such as insulting rulers or calling for protests. The Iranian delegate at the talks said it was time for a more “balanced approach” between the Net’s borderless reach and the needs of nations.
There is an outside chance that final text could be rewritten to appease Canada, the U.S. and others before the meeting closes Friday. But ITU spokeswoman Sarah Parkes said it “looks like a formality” that the document will stand.
“It’s not a crime to talk about Internet inside the ITU,” said the group’s secretary-general, Hamadoun Toure, before Thursday’s decisive session.
Mr. Toure insisted the treaty did “not include provisions” on direct Internet oversight by governments. But he noted the growing rifts over how to deal with the Net.
Michael Beckerman, president and CEO of the Washington-based industry group The Internet Association, said the efforts for greater government controls could “forever alter” the current framework of the Net.
“The unique nature of the Internet — free from government control and governed by multiple stakeholders — has unleashed unprecedented entrepreneurialism, creativity, innovation, and freedom far beyond imagination,” he said in a statement. “Preserving a free Internet for all people is essential to the preservation of political and economic liberty.”
Other issues in the accord include calls for more transparency on roaming charges by mobile phone companies, efforts to fight Internet fraud and spam and creation of a worldwide emergency number for mobile phones and other devices.
Original Article
Source: national post
Author: Brian Murphy
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