WSIS Geneva Unresolved Issues

Adam Peake

GLOCOM Tokyo

http://www.glocom.ac.jp

WSIS Geneva: Unresolved Issues

• Internet Governance = UN SG Working Group: what is IG; public policy issues involved;

who should be responsible

• Financing Mechanisms = UN SG Task Force: review existing mechanisms; recommend

improvements; assess feasibility of a Digital Solidarity Fund

Internet Governance

• Confused discussion: over the technology of the Internet the organizations involved in "governance" and what problems were to be addressed

• But a focus on ICANN With concern over general public policy

issues and impact of the Internet. Policy being made and many not present or aware (meaningful participation of developing countries in ICT policy processes)

Outcome: Working Group on Internet Governance

• No agreement so asked the UN Secretary General to setup a working group to: Develop a working definition of Internet

Governance Identify the public policy issues relevant to

Internet Governance Develop a common understanding of the

respective roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders

Issue a report for the Tunis phase

The Summit Explained

• 2 Camps on 2 issues in the final negotiations• Scope of Internet governance:

Narrow Definition of the Internet (ICANN and technical issues)

Broad Definition on the Internet (Internet pricing and interconnection, spam, network security, privacy and trust, etc.)

The Summit Explained

• Responsibility for Internet governance: Internet Governance handled by an Inter-

governmental Organization under the UN (ITU?) • supported by mainly developing nations

Status quo, the current system works• supported by mainly developed nations

• Positions haven't changed very much• Why the working group? WSIS too closed, UN

gives the authority of governmental process

WGIG - Civil Society

• Independent: The Working Group on Internet Governance should be independent of the WSIS preparatory meetings (PrepComs)

• Membership balanced between sectors• Members should serve as peers• Balanced between participants from developing

and developed countries• Open and trasnsparent processes

WGIG established

• Chairman Nitin Desai + 39 members• Balance: 18 Government, 6 Private Sector, 15

Civil Society• 21 from developed countries• 9 Female• IGO, etc. as observers?• WGIG 1st meeting Nov. 23, 24, 25• ACSF WGIG Video Conference, 2:30 Room A

What's wrong with ICANN

• ICANN's contract to administer the root servers specifically prohibits ICANN from making any "modifications, additions, or deletions to the root zone file or associated information that constitute delegation or redelegation of top level domains" without permission of the US Department of Commerce.

• Implications for appearance of TLDs in the root and who runs a ccTLD are significant (my ccTLD may disappear… I can't decide who runs it.)

WGIG Consultation (09/20-21)

• Brazil

"It is a myth that there really is such a thing as independent, private sector management of the Internet addressing system. In fact ICANN's MoU with the US Dept Commerce reveals that it is closer to a government"

WGIG Consultation (09/20-21)

• China: Time to move from private sector leadership

to government leadership and control, with private sector and civil society participation

The biggest problem of today's Internet is the lack of legitimate organization under the UN

Internet Governance beyond ICANN:Spam

• Destroying the Internet, 80%+ of all email• ITU is a major player • Working Group and WSIS as a means to

encourage national coordination and international collaboration

• OECD, ICPEN, others?• Civil Society needs to decide how to engage

Internet Governance: Cyber-crime

• Model law: Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime

• First comprehensive attempt at a truly global approach to cybercrime, scope that includes everything under the definition of online criminal activity

• Some very significant weaknesses • Multi-stakeholder WGIG might bring a

comprehensive global view to the problems and identify needs for revision/improvement

Internet Governance: broadly

• Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) and language

• Interconnection and Internet Pricing

• Network and Information Security • Intellectual Property• More?

WSIS Financing Mechanisms

• Prep Com 2, February 2003, President of Senegal suggestion on the transfer of resources from North to South:

Digital Solidarity• Digital Solidarity Fund based on voluntary

donations• Promoting South-South cooperation for the

development of infrastructure, applications, services and capacity building

Digital Solidarity: reaction

• Strong support from across the developing world, particularly Africa, also China, Brazil and India

• Strong resistance from US, EU and Japan• Exisiting mechanisms fine, and don't revisit

Monterrey Concensus• Private Sector also objected to the creation of

new funding mechanisms, particularly any tied to the ITU

Outcome: Task Force

• Geneva Summit asked the UN Secretary General to convene a Task Force to review existing financial mechanisms recommend improvements assess the feasibility of a Digital Solidarity

Fund• Report by December 2004 and submit to WSIS

for government political negotiation

Task Force on Financing Mechanisms: progress

• APC paper by Johnson and Accuosto• Task Force launched 4 October 2004• Scope mainly to analyze existing mechanisms• Consultations held prior to launch, physical and

online(http://www.wsis-online.net)• Civil Society is not well represented and the

process not transparent• Not sure what the output will be:

findings or recommendations

Task Force Report

• Highlights financing gaps and opportunities, e.g. Backbone infrastructure Access/last mile issues Capacity development Pro-poor licensing and regulatory reforms Review of main financing mechanisms

Digital Solidarity Fund

• Launched by city governments, December 2003• Re-launch as a formal organization and fund,

scheduled for November 17. Postponed after the crisis in the Ivory Coast.

• Founders as of October 1st 2004Republic of Senegal, Dominican Republic, City of Dakar, City of Geneva, City of Lyon, City of Paris, City of Santo Domingo, City of Curitiba, Province of Torino, Province of Rome, Urban Community of Lille, Basque Country

Digital Solidarity Fund?

• Unclear if this is the Fund discussed in WSIS? Organizers say it is!

• Website http://www.dsf-fsn.org/• Report will be published by end December: real

debate may begin then