While the USA, and to a certain extent other developed nations also, are against a takeover along those lines by the international organisations, many other democratic states as well as most of the developed countries, are equally worried about an American-controlled internet (perceived or otherwise) – particularly in relation to the way the use of the internet is so quickly expanding into cyber warfare, etc.
What has become clear is that there will not be simply blanket support for the ‘keep the internet free’ message from the US government. Without the internet community’s ability to represent a truly internationally-based free internet movement, there is no alternative but to accept that it will be international organisations that will increasingly encroach upon the free internet.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as the democratic developed economies put the right elements of a free internet policy on the table and ensure that those principles are going to be accepted by these organisations.
There is no direct threat that the internet will be taken over by international organisations. In Paul Budde’s personal discussions on this matter with the Secretary-General of the ITU (BuddeComm have reported on these in earlier commentary on this topic) he has very clearly indicated that the ITU has no interest in ‘controlling’ the internet.
As a matter of fact he has also mentioned that if the internet had grown out of the ITU, it would never have been the success it is now. So he very clearly supports the privately-led development of the internet. However, like everybody else, he also recognises the issues and as an important player in this industry is keen to make sure that the internet remains a community-based development.
Reports on these issues by UNESCO and the OECD all reflect that same principle. None of the international organisations have indicated any interest in taking over control of the internet – on the contrary. This also brings into question the somewhat hysterical suggestions in the USA that the internet will be taken over by the UN or one of their organisations.
Furthermore, such a ‘takeover’ would quite simply be technically impossible; and, fortunately, the nature of the internet is such that, even if they could establish greater control; technologies will be used to bypass it and those countries that might ’profit’ from such international control will simply become isolated.
Such an outcome would be unfortunate as the people in those countries would be severely disadvantaged. For that reason alone a far more significant effort is needed to seriously address the issue of a free internet. If we want to spread knowledge in order to advance humanity we have a responsibility not to squander the enormous opportunities the internet has to offer us.
But even if there was a coup by some countries to take over control, there is no way that developed economies are going to accept the level of internet interference that non-democratic countries want to see – and, to put it even more strongly, there is no way developed countries will allow that to happen.