23rd November 2005

WSIS MEETING CHANGES LITTLE ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE OR DIGITAL DIVIDE FUNDING

Discuss this itemShare your views with other visitors, and read what they have to say

The second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) took place in Tunis, Tunisia from 16-18 November. The two key goals of the conference were to look at how to increase funding for efforts to close the ‘digital divide’ and, more controversially, to address the governance of the internet.

The technical management of the internet is currently carried out by the US-based non-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is under contract to the US government. Several governments had wanted internet control to be transferred to a potential international body.

The event ended in a compromise, with ICANN remaining in control of the system for governing domain names — a key US negotiating aim. However, the summit created a new Internet Governance Forum (IGF) to bring together representatives from government, civil society, business, and the UN to examine internet-related governance and cyber-security issues.

Not long before the meeting, the EU moved away from its original pro-ICANN stance by supporting calls for an international body. However, at WSIS itself, the EU effectively accepted the US’ position.

Michael Geist, an internet governance expert at the University of Ottawa, writes that the forum “has the potential to emerge as the platform to allow for a continued emphasis on internet regulation concerns.” The future of internet governance will also be reviewed in the future.

Little was accomplished in terms of securing additional funding to improve people’s access to information and communications technology; contributions to the Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF) remain voluntary. Reportedly, discussions at the summit were distracted by concerns over internet control, censorship, freedom of speech and other issues yet to be tackled by WSIS.

The summit’s final documents, the Tunis Commitment (WSIS-05/TUNIS/DOC/7) and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society (WSIS-05/TUNIS/DOC/6 (Rev. 1))

“Controversy blights UN net summit,” BBC NEWS, 18 November 2005; “Internet Summit Ends with Promises, Little Funding,” ASSOCIATED PRESS, 18 November 2005; “Analysis: Net control debate rumbles on,” BBC NEWS, 17 November 2005.