Member log in Email address ____________________________________________________________ Password ____________________________________________________________ [ ] Remember me Log in Forgotten your password? The National Business Review 9:23AM Thursday 7 February 2013 * Home * Business * Markets * Property * Ad/Media * Politics * Tech * Motoring * Banking & Finance * Arts & Film * Law & Courts * Paid Search this site: _______________ Search * Latest articles * Advertise * Contact * Help * Make NBR my homepage * Print archive * Subscribe KeallHauled Chris Keall | Friday December 14, 2012 | 24 comments NZ joins US, other Western nations in rejecting UN control of internet 89 countries (in green) will sign, 55 will not. Click to zoom 89 countries (in green) will sign, 55 will not. Click to zoom InternetNZ CEO Vikram Kumar InternetNZ CEO Vikram Kumar * InternetNZ sees censorship, economic threats in UN power grab UPDATE: New Zealand refused to sign a treaty that would have given the United Nations' control of much of the internet, ICT Amy Adams confirmed this afternoon. Many of the proposals put forward in the treaty, including stronger state control of the internet, and control of content, spam, and cyber security, would have undermined the non-profit, independent agenciest that administer the interent today. “The government considers that the proposed changes are unhelpful, unwarranted, and represent a significant threat to innovation and free and open debate that the internet fosters,” Ms Adams says. 89 countries say they will sign the treaty, 55 will not. See the full list here. Follow @ChrisKeall __________________________________________________________________ Dec 14 / EARLIER: Later this afternoon, ICT Minister Amy Adams will confirm that New Zealand has refused to sign a new treaty that would give the UN control of the internet. The United States, Britain and Canada also refused to sign a draft overnight at an International Telecommunications Union conference in Dubai, described as "fractious." The ITU is a UN agency that controls telecommunications industry standards. It's members include most nations, plus most big phone companies. Opponents of its proposed treaty say the internet is better off under the non-profit agencies that control it today, which include the global ICANN, and local adminstrators such as InternetNZ. Although set up by the US government, ICANN operates independently and represents a broad range of interests. Ms Adams' would not comment on NZ's position ahead of her formal statement later today, but an insider told NBR her opposition to UN control "has not changed." Labour ICT Minister Clare Curran supports the government's stance. Earlier, InternetNZ CEO Vikram Kumar told NBR, "If governments had controlled the internet for the past 20 years it would be much smaller than today." The InternetNZ boss sees potential economic, censorship and human rights threats if control of the internet is taken away from independent non-profits. __________________________________________________________________ Should UN take control of internet? NZ govt takes stand Nov 19: New Zealand will vote against a move by the United Nations to take control of the internet. Next month, the 193 member countries of the UN’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and its 700 academic and private industry members (many of them phone companies) will met in Dubai for the World Conference on International Telecommunications – dubbed “ the most important conference you’ve never heard of.” The UN body is pushing for an international telecommunications treaty to be extended to cover the internet. The internet was developed, if not by Al Gore personally, then the US government – which in turn handed control to a series of non-profits including the US-based global administrator ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) and local operations like InternetNZ. Speaking at InternetNZ's Nethui South in Dunedin on Friday, ICT Minister Amy Adams revealed NZ's position on the issue for the first time: it wants internet control to stay with non-profits. "They allow stakeholders from business, government, academia and the wider internet community to have crucial input into how the internet is managed, and we see it as flexible enough to cope with the changes in technology,” Ms Adams told the conference." The current setup is flexible enough to cope with technology changes, Ms Adams said. "InternetNZ warmly welcomes the ICT Minister's announcement that the NZ government will vote to keep the Internet out of the ambit of the ITU. Other governments respect and take notice of the New Zealand position on Internet issues so this is an excellent example of that leadership and insight," Internet NZ CEO Vikram Kumar told NBR. If governments had controlled the internet for the past 20 years it would be much smaller than today, he said. “The moment it becomes treaty-based and government-to-government, with no voice of the community and only the largest corporates getting behind [the] closed doors and making treaty decisions, we believe the openness and innovation of the internet will die.” In the global internet community, New Zealand is seen a a pragmatic, non-ideological player that punches above its weight. "There are many countries that would look at New Zealand’s vote and use it as a lead for their own understanding of the issues," Mr Kumar said. "New Zealand has much to gain from the Internet. The ITU is simply the wrong body taking the wrong approach which threatens an open Internet driving global innovation and development. Acting at the behest of governments that want to control the Internet, the ITU needs to step back and retain its focus on areas where it has provided significant value in the past." Some fear governement control of global internet adminstration, via the ITU, would mean heavy-handed regulation that would smother regulation, and greater risk of censorship. Others see it as a move by traditional phone companies - who see companies like Google and Microsoft (owner of Skype) freeloading on their networks - to promote some kind of internet tax, or charges on specific types of data. Follow @ChrisKeall chris@chriskeall.com More by this author [arrow-left.png] Back to home [arrow-up.png] Back to top Print Print Email Email [share.gif] Share To share this article, click on a service below * Delicious Delicious * Digg Digg * StumbleUpon StumbleUpon * Reddit Reddit * Google Google * Yahoo Yahoo * Technorati Technorati * Scoopit Scoopit [twitter.png] @TheNBR Follow More on: * Amy Adams * internetNZ * Vikram Kumar Comments and questions 24 #1 by Anonymous 2 months ago This is very good news as the NWO's control of the internet will be the end of its creative potential. Reply Like 29 Dislike 29 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #2 by mahpla 2 months ago Great to hear we're not supporting more control on the Internet - why fix what isn't broken? But I don't expect there will be a vote on this - it's not a formal ITU rule, but ITU treaties (like most UN treaties) are currently developed by consensus-based negotiation. So I expect NZ will be adding its voice to those who don't want the Internet being controlled by the UN. Reply Like 30 Dislike 20 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #3 by mahpla 2 months ago Great to hear we're not supporting more control on the Internet - why fix what isn't broken? But I don't expect there will be a vote on this - it's not a formal ITU rule, but ITU treaties (like most UN treaties) are currently developed by consensus-based negotiation. So I expect NZ will be adding its voice to those who don't want the Internet being controlled by the UN. Reply Like 28 Dislike 25 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #4 by Malcolm Dick (verified) 2 months ago A very good move - well done Amy Reply Like 21 Dislike 18 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #5 by R.J. Robert 2 months ago A subtle, but not so well hidden, move by the UN to extend its desired 'World Govt control over communications. Imagine teh situation in 20 years time, when the Despots and Dictators at the UN's has full control of World Government, including the Internet; they could/would turn off communication any time that they wanted too. Particularly if the 'common plebs' didn't support the decree's of the dictatorship, and even dared, via internet, to challenge the decree. Reply Like 27 Dislike 21 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #6 by Anonymous 2 months ago The decree has been challenged, many times and most important to come, glad NZ is standing up for the voice of the internet to be free. They already know the communications we write they read all of our input. They fear where this is leading and need to control it because they simply do not have trust/faith. They shuffle to compensate but the train has left the station. Reply Like 29 Dislike 15 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #7 by Brian Scantlebury 2 months ago Keep the sodding busy bodies out of it. Do you ity would be the achievement it is if Govt orgs had had control? Reply Like 24 Dislike 15 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #8 by Anonymous 2 months ago This was meant to happen in 2005.... it wont happen now, US will keep control as part of the military doctrine of full spectrum dominance Reply Like 9 Dislike 16 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #9 by Anonymous 2 months ago Great decision, in alignment with the US, so no great risk. A nuanced presentation on the issue: "How the ITU could put the internet behind closed doors." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzNQarkk95Q Hamish. Reply Like 9 Dislike 32 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #10 by Anonymous 2 months ago ICANN does not "control" the internet, no one does and never will. ICANN merely provides a vulnerable, centralised solution to the naming convention (DNS) layer that goes on top of the network layer. The network layer of the internet is decentralised, chaotic and by design operates without regulation or control. There are similar solutions out there waiting to take over from ICANN's DNS, or whoever tries to take its place, when they become obsolete. Reply Like 24 Dislike 14 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn by Anonymous 2 months ago in reply to Anonymous That is true, but an over-simplification. Everyone who's currently on the internet could remain on, but allocation of resources such as AS numbers and IP addresses devolves (eventually) from IANA, and "IANA is operated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers" (quote from www.iana.org). Reply Like 9 Dislike 19 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #11 by Anonymous 2 months ago Geez, the UN wants to screw up something else besides countries and governments and free speech. Rack off, Helen, we don't want it. Reply Like 24 Dislike 20 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn by Anonymous 2 months ago in reply to Anonymous I fail to see how Helen, in her internet focused role as administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (that is sarcasm, by the way), has anything to do with this. But, yeah, sure - whatever. Reply Like 16 Dislike 16 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #12 by Anonymous 2 months ago What has the UN ever got right? This would open control to governments and as we can all see, most people's daily lives are affected. if you control the internet you can also censor what is on the net and thereby also control people. It must stay in its current form otherwise everyone globally will suffer. Reply Like 14 Dislike 21 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #13 by Anonymous 2 months ago This whole move is driven by those lovers of freedom Russia and China ... and we see similar moves domestically with NetSafe - ie, we need to censor/control the net because of cyber bullying! Oh, that's OK then ... as long as it is for the kids! Reply Like 10 Dislike 14 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #14 by Anonymous 2 months ago This time our govt seems to have the right stance; let's hope they stick with it. WG Reply Like 9 Dislike 14 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #15 by Anonymous 2 months ago I hope Australia will vote against this motion but knowing who is the prime minister in this country we can expect more of this negative follow-the-leader attitude. As it stands, the internet provides a lot of pleasure and information for all ages. Leave it alone UN! You've done enough damage in the world as it is!!! Try solving wars and crime and poverty. That should give you something to do instead of sitting on your fat asses. Reply Like 14 Dislike 12 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #16 by Anonymous 2 months ago "I hope Australia will vote against this motion but knowing who is the prime minister in this country we can expect more of this negative follow-the-leader attitude." That's strange ... the Aussies didn't implement the totally retarded carbon emission trading scheme but good ol' New Zealand did. Who is following who? Reply Like 8 Dislike 14 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn by Farmer Brown 2 months ago in reply to Anonymous The ETS is being taken off life support - very gently, of course. Meanwhile, Australia hankers for the non-existent, never-to-be Kyoto 2. That should answer your question. Reply Like 19 Dislike 9 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #17 by Anonymous 2 months ago Well, she had to get something right eventually. Reply Like 8 Dislike 11 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #18 by Anonymous 2 months ago And the fascist globalist agenda makes another take for free speech on the internet. Reply Like 7 Dislike 22 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn by Anonymous 2 months ago in reply to Anonymous True communitarian freedom haters of the Amitai Etzioni type. Reply Like 9 Dislike 13 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #19 by Anonymous 2 months ago As both a US and NZ ciitzen, this makes me very happy and proud of both countries. The UN is simply corrupt, and putting the Internet under the control of the same tinpot morons who put some of these lovely countries on the Human Rights council (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Human_Rights_Council) is insane. They are up to no good and should NOT be trusted. Reply Like 15 Dislike 15 Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn #20 by LUKE 2 months ago GOOD GOD NO !!! The last thing we want is one overbearing power controlling what we can say and do online. FREEEEEEEEDDDOMMMMM ..... 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