IT and society: EU propose to sign Global Internet Treaty

Within the framework of the Internet Governance Forum which took place in Vilnius, Lithuania September 14 – 17 2010 the European Union proposed its own draft law on Internet.

This document outlines key principles of Internet governance, including a commitment from countries to sustain the technological foundations of Internet, preservation of rights to freedom of speech and principles of net neutrality (equal rights for the whole Internet traffic).

Under the proposed terms of the law there would be cross-border cooperation between countries to identify and address security vulnerability and protect the network from possible cyber attacks.

“The fundamental functions and the core principles of the Internet must be preserved in all layers of the Internet architecture with a view to guaranteeing the interoperability of networks in terms of infrastructures, services and contents," reads the proposal.

The proposal was drawn up by the Council of Europe – an organization that aims to promote “freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of Law in Europe”.

Analysts claim, that senior figures within the Internet industry have become increasingly concerned about the potential for government interference in the running of the web.

In particular, many people are dissatisfied with the Digital Economy Bill dealing with copyright protection on Internet, which was adopted in UK in spring. “Everyone's worried about national governments asserting regulatory authority over the Internet”, - William Dutton, director of the Oxford Internet Institute said.

Rolf Weber, Professor at the University of Zürich and one of the team of experts who drafted the treaty, mentioned that the list of principles concerning Internet governance was like the 1967 Space Treaty, which decreed that the exploration of outer space should be done only for the benefit of all nations.