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.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
RSS