Bringing Net Neutrality into a Global Forum

Like Derrick (see prior post) I am in Rio at the UN’s Internet Governance Forum. Yesterday, IGP’s new paper on Net Neutrality as a global principle for Internet governance generated heated discussion when it was presented at the annual symposium of the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet). One might think, with some justification, that the world doesn’t need another paper about net neutrality. But it is the global focus of this one that makes a difference. The GigaNet conference proved that the world is ready to discuss and explore this principle, and to analyze its implications for global Internet policy. Continue on to a list of some of the tough questions faced…

GigaNet Panel on Critical Policy Issues Well Received

The final of three panels at the 2007 GigaNet Annual Symposium was convened to address the distinct set of policy issues critical to the global Internet Governance debates. GigaNet Steering Committee member, Seiiti Arata, Jr., moderated the panel, and it consisted of four excellent papers (Ian Brown/Chris Marsden were not present).

GigaNet Annual Symposium 2007 Now Underway in Rio

The 2nd Annual Symposium of the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet) is now underway in the Windsor Barra Hotel in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. About 100 scholars and interested participants from around the world are participating in the all day meeting. Development was the focus of the first panel was on the creation of a “Development Agenda” for Internet Governance, one that draws upon previous relevant examples such as the WIPO Development Agenda, the WTO Doha Round Development Agenda, and other relevant processes. IGP Partner, Derrick Cogburn, served as moderator for the first panel, which included four outstanding papers/presentations (most of which are available on the GigaNet portal (http://www.igloo.org/giganet).

IGP Releases New Paper on “Net Neutrality as Global Principle for Internet Governance”

As a contribution to the 2007 UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF), IGP has released a new paper showing how network neutrality can serve as a globally applicable principle to guide Internet governance. The paper defines network neutrality as the right of Internet users to access content, services and applications on...

The Sleeper Issue in Los Angeles

Amidst all the drama surrounding ICANN’s Los Angeles meeting (Vint Cerf’s exit from the ICANN Board, protests over the free expression implications of its new gTLD policy, the Whois-privacy debate and steps toward new multilingual domain names) an important signal about the future of ICANN was almost lost in the shuffle. The U.S. Commerce Department announced a full-scale, public review of the global Internet governance regime’s status. Interested parties have until 15 February 2008 to submit their comments. This initiative must be perceived in combination with renewed signs of “enhanced cooperation” – the WSIS-inspired code words for European demands that the U.S. accommodate their concerns about unilateral U.S. control of the Internet’s root. Together it faintly signals some kind of movement on the thorniest issue in global internet governance. Movement in exactly which direction remains unclear, but pressure from BRIC countries in the UN Internet Governance Forum certainly plays role in it.

11.2007 Net Neutrality as Global Principle for Internet Governance

[Abstract] Drafters: Milton MuellerConcurring: Derrick Cogburn, John Mathiason, Jeanette Hofmann As a contribution to the 2007 UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF), IGP has released a new paper showing how network neutrality can serve as a globally applicable principle that can guide Internet governance. The paper defines network neutrality as the...

Hallowe'en story: the Whois Monster Mask Slips Off

ICANN's GNSO Council stumbled and bumbled its way to a nonresolution of the Whois privacy controversy today (Wednesday, All Hallows Eve). On the surface, nothing changed. Despite ICANN's inertia, however, the “status quo” Whois is gradually being eroded by a combination of market forces, which allow registrants to buy a modicum of privacy protection from registrars, and the ongoing threat of legal assaults on Whois from outside the United States. A growing number of ccTLDs and gTLDs can be expected to force ICANN to adjust its Whois requirements to the data protection laws of other countries, the most current example being the TELNIC case. This means that the status quo equilibrium left in place by ICANN's inability to act is tilting slowly in favor of privacy. At the same time, law enforcement and takedown measures are taking new directions, pioneered by the Anti-Phishing Working Group, that also work outside the ICANN process.

.uk Registry: DNSSEC Needs “Enhanced Cooperation”

As ICANN opened its in Los Angeles on Monday, the .uk registry released a short position paper on DNSSEC — and focused on the issue of signing the root zone. Intentionally or not, Nominet's paper validates IGP's long-held contention that there are major public policy issues around DNSSEC. In it they highlight the need for a single trust anchor and warn against alternative solutions. They emphasize the need for the keys to be managed by ICANN/IANA and used by the root zone maintainer to sign the root, and, most importantly, the necessity of opening up root management through “enhanced cooperation.”

ICANN as Fake Institution: WHOIS, Privacy and Credible Commitment

Q: When is a policy adopted unanimously in ICANN not really a consensus policy?
A: When the US Government says it isn't.
Case in point. A new top level domain registry, TELNIC, has been authorized to run the .tel domain. Their idea is that .tel will allow and encourage individuals and corporations to manage a universal identity on the Internet. If its idea works, lots of ordinary people will register under the .tel domain and combine their telephone numbers, email addresses, and other identifiers. The company is based in the UK.

TELNIC has a problem: ICANN's contracts require it to display all the personal contact data of its registrants through a service known as “Whois.” But unrestricted access to personal contact data, aside from being a rather bad idea, is against the law in the UK. It follows European, not American, privacy and data protection rules. So after consulting with the UK's data protection authorities, TELNIC asked ICANN to modify its Whois requirement. But the US government, responding to trademark and copyright interests, won't let it, and is manipulating ICANN to get its way.

IGF Rio to be Supported by Online Community

As most of you know, the Inaugural Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
in Athens spawned a number of "Dynamic Coalitions.” These multisakeholder Dynamic Coaliations (DCs) were designed to include all interested parties from both developed and developing countries, and to advance the work of the Forum.  One of these DCs, the Online Collaboration Dynamic Coalition (OCDC), has developed a suite of collaboration
tools
to facilitate a degree of online participation at the upcoming
Internet Governance Forum in Rio.