The world has been watching and waiting for the past week as nations from around the world are meeting in Dubai to discuss the future of the ITU. The conference could have significant implications for the open Web as some nations are asking for more control over the Internet. Thankfully, it appears that some nations are beginning to back off from this potentially disastrous proposal.
TechWeekEurope is reporting that nations including China, Russia and others have taken their controversial proposal off the table for now. It would appear that the reason for the withdrawal was due to the negative response the proposal received from citizens all around the world.
Google is leading one of the largest campaigns against the ITU with its #freeandopen campaign. As of now, over 3 million people have signed in support of Google’s efforts to keep the Internet out of the hands of those who would abuse it. It’s unknown if Google’s other concern – a proposal to tax Internet companies – has been killed yet.
As for governmental bodies, the US and European Union have been aligned against any proposed changes to how the Internet is governed. Last week, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a Senate resolution that affirmed the US’ stance on any proposed takeover of the Internet. Late last month, the European Parliament issued a similar resolution that rejected any change to how the Internet is currently handled.
All that being said, the ITU conference isn’t over until December 13. There’s still a lot to be concerned about, including the recent passage of a deep packet inspection standard. For now, however, you can take a minute to catch your breath.