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Protecting the internet as a global public good

The World Summit on the Information Society, held in Geneva in December 2003 and in Tunis in November 2005, put the issue of internet governance and regulation of the information highway on diplomatic agendas. However, confusion remains as to what internet governance actually means.

A booklet published by the DiploFoundation and the Global Knowledge Partnership provides a broad overview of 40 governance issues, describing the current situation and surveying the associated unresolved questions. The authors set out an Internet Governance Toolkit, a practical framework for the analysis, discussion and resolution of the key problems in this field.

Internet governance is not a simple subject. The subject’s many subtleties and shades of meaning and perception cover a continuum of options and compromises.

Reaching consensus on what is meant by Internet governance is complicated by the range of competing professional perspectives:

Telecommunication specialists see Internet governance through the development of the technical infrastructure.
Computer specialists focus on the development of standards and applications, such as XML or Java.
Communication specialists stress facilitating communication.
Human rights activists focus on freedom of expression and protecting privacy.
Lawyers concentrate on jurisdiction and resolving disputes.
Politicians focus on media and issues that are important to their electorates, such as techno-optimism (more computers equals more education) and threats (Internet security and protecting children).

In an attempt to defuse controversy, the UN Working Group on Internet Governance was set up in November 2004 to develop a working definition of the subject. Misunderstanding during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process primarily came from the use of the term ‘governance’ as a synonym for ‘government’. When the term ‘Internet governance’ was introduced in the WSIS process, many countries, especially developing countries, linked it to the concept of government. One consequence was the belief that Internet governance issues should be addressed at the inter-governmental level, with only limited participation of non-state organisations.

Many people frequently refer to the principle of universal Internet access, but without necessary political and financial support this is vague and of little practical relevance. Whether universal access is globally achievable will depend on the willingness of developed countries to invest in this.

The priorities of the emerging Internet governance regime should include:

protecting the main Internet standards as global public goods – this is vital as constant efforts are being made to replace public standards with private and proprietary ones
a common understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities of governments, international organisations, the private sector and civil society
increasing wireless communication – a more realistic approach to bridging the ‘digital divide’ than traditional terrestrial communications
protecting cultural and linguistic diversity: Internet multilingualism requires technical standards that facilitate the use of non-Roman alphabets
national legal instruments to regulate content policy while protecting human rights.

Source(s):
‘Internet governance - issues, actors and divides’, GKP Issues Paper, Knowledge for Development Series, by Eduardo Gelbstein and Jovan Kurbalija, 2005 Full document.

id21 Research Highlight: 21 September 2006

Further Information:
Eduardo Gelbstein and Jovan Kurbalija
DiploFoundation
Rue de Lausanne 56
CH-1202 Genève 21
Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 741 0420
Fax: + 41 22 731 1663
Contact the contributor: jovank@diplomacy.edu; gelbstein@diplomacy.edu

DiploFoundation

Global Knowledge Partnership Secretariat
Level 23, Tower 2, MNI Twins
11, Jalan Pinang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Tel: +603 2162 3000
Fax: +603 2162 2823
Contact the contributor: gkps@gkps.org.my

Global Knowledge Partnership Secretariat

World Summit on the Information Society

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