The government of India has taken the next step in evolving the IBSA proposal for a new UN body on Internet governance. It has proposed a “UN Committee for Internet-related policies” (CIRP). Of course, the CIRP is highly controversial, and is raising fears that the “UN is out to take over the Internet.” Given the inherent tension between networks and states, that is not a threat to be taken lightly. Nevertheless, it is important to understand precisely what was proposed, and careful description seems to be lacking from some of the current dialogue. So this article tries to provide an unbiased analysis of what CIRP is, and isn't.
Full responses to the Hindu on the IBSA Proposal
A reporter from the Indian newspaper The Hindu recently solicited my reaction to the India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) proposal for a new UN-based oversight body for Internet governance. The questions he sent were very well drafted and stimulating, so my responses far exceeded what he could use in the article he wrote. So I am publishing my full answers here.
Of canaries and coal mines: What happened at VeriSign?
Too many techies still don't understand the concept of due process, and opportunistic law enforcement agencies, who tend to view due process constraints as an inconvenience, are very happy to take advantage of that. That's the lesson to draw from VeriSign's sudden withdrawal of a proposed new “domain name anti-abuse policy” yesterday.
Syria: the realities of intergovernmental “oversight” on display
It appears that the proposal by India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) to bring the wonders of United Nations-centered governmental oversight to the Internet did not fare so well when subjected to public discussion at the Nairobi Internet Governance Forum. But even the IBSA critics seemed to be curiously detached...
