- WSIS - EU proposal rocks "status-quo" camp +/-
(WSIS) The European Union signaled a radical shift of position on its support for maintaining the Internet governance status quo, tabling a bold new document that proposed a new public-private governance model, including an international multi-stakeholder forum. Taking the floor half-way through Wednesday evenin's meeting of Sub-Committee A, the UK delegate's placid delivery belied the ground-shaking import of the proposal, which represented a clear departure from the "status quo" camp led by the US. As proposed, the new model would foster development of public policy principles, and include provision for equitable global IP number block allocation, procedures for changing the root zone file system to provide for insertion of new top-level domains and for changes of ccTLD managers. It also includes open support for a new public policy forum that would work with existing institutions and organizations to address multi-dimensional and interrelated public policy issues without trying to "dominate issues already dealt with elsewhere" or performing oversight functions. see also Tunis 'Summit of Solutions' Now in Sight (WSIS Press Release), Second Phase, Tunis : Preparatory Process : Prepcom-3. Report of the Work of Sub-Committee A (Internet Governance): [WSIS-II/PC-3/DOC/11] Chair's paper (after fourth reading): Chapter three [WSIS-II/PC-3/DT/10(Rev.4)]. Report from the Working Group on Internet Governance.
- WSIS - EU wants international control of Internet +/-
(Associated Press) The European Union has insisted the job of Internet traffic cop must be shared by governments and the private sector. The U.S. wants to remain the Internet's ultimate authority, rejecting calls in a United Nations meeting in Geneva for a U.N. body to take over. EU spokesman Martin Selmayr rejected American claims the EU had changed direction. 'We are looking for a new cooperation model, a model that allows Internet governance and the laying down of public policy principles in coordination by all countries which are interested in the governance of the Internet because the Internet is a global resource', he said, 'The EU is very firm on this position'.
- WSIS - Internet users say debate over control misses point +/-
(International Herald Tribune) The European Union has joined calls from other nations for giving supervisory power to an intergovernmental body, but the idea was rejected by Washington as leading to unnecessary bureaucratization. The uncompromising U.S. stance has led to a deadlock in the talks, called the World Summit on the Information Society, which started in 2003 and are set to conclude in Tunisia next month. Groups representing Web surfers at the talks complained that the dispute between the United States and the rest of the world over administration is overshadowing more important issues, such as cleaning up spam from e-mail systems and combating cyber crime and identity theft, areas where they say governments should play a more active role.
- WSIS - The 'root zone' of a Web dispute +/-
(International Herald Tribune) The U.S. government, which currently oversees the Internet addressing system, this past week clashed with the European Union and other governments over who should retain control over the master address list. Whoever controls the root zone files in essence controls access to Web sites, and one fear is that the United States could arbitrarily decide to deny requests by other countries for changes in the files. The United States has never denied such requests, but many involved in Internet governance do not like even the possibility that such a denial could take place.
- WSIS - US rejects changes to net control +/-
(BBC) The US has rejected calls by European Union (EU) officials to give control of the net over to a more representative United Nations (UN) body. The matter is supposed to be discussed at November's World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia. But at a pre-Summit meeting this week, the US said it would resist the plans. In the meeting, the European Union (EU) backed proposals that control of the net should be under a more representative body. "We will not agree to the UN taking over the management of the internet," said Ambassador David Gross, the US coordinator for international communications and information policy at the State Department.
- Altersverifikation soll ein gutes Geschäft werden +/-
(Heise) Die Schufa und Fun Communications erwarten gute Geschäfte mit ihren Altersverifizierungssystemen. Beide Systeme, die kürzlich von der Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz (KJM) in einer nicht öffentlichen Sitzungen zugelassen wurden, nehmen Anbietern die von der KJM geforderten Face-to-Face-Prüfungen ab. Die Face-to-Face-Überprüfung des Alters der Kunden haben bei den beiden von der KJM empfohlenen Systemen bereits die angeschlossenen Bank- und Kreditinstitute vorgenommen.
- FR - Vers un verrouillage automatique des accès à Internet +/-
(Madame Figaro) Pédocriminalité, pornographie, incitation à la haine raciale, aux violences, à l'anorexie, au suicide... Les dangers du Web sont nombreux et à portée de main des plus jeunes. Parmi de nombreuses mesures de sensibilisation et de partenariat avec les acteurs de l'Internet, le gouvernement devrait imposer aux fournisseurs d'accès à Internet (FAI) de proposer gratuitement à leurs abonnés une solution de contrôle parental activée par défaut, autrement dit automatique. Configurable par les parents avec des critères pré-établis, ce contrôle se mettrait en route à chaque connexion, contraignant tout adulte à le désinstaller s'il n'en veut pas. «A l'heure actuelle, l'accès à ces outils est compliqué, les parents doivent aller chercher le logiciel de contrôle dans des onglets qui diffèrent d'un FAI à un autre, ils sont souvent inconfigurables, en plus de quoi ils sont facturés en sus de l'abonnement !, s'indigne Christine du Fretay, présidente de l'association e-enfance/Communiquer en toute sécurité. Il est temps d'arrêter l'hypocrisie des FAI qui, depuis quatre ans, font preuve de résistance et de mauvaise foi ! On ne construit pas de voiture sans ceinture de sécurité. Il ne faut pas d'ordinateur sans contrôle parental.». Protection des mineurs: les opinions divergent sur la procédure automatique (silicon.fr) et Une petite minorité de parents contrôlent l'activité de leurs enfants sur la Toile (Le Monde)