Tag: Internet governance

The European Parliament is readying the publication of its software source code, a move that would open up the details of its lawmaking processes. Meanwhile a number of political activists are undertaking their own initiatives to make not only lawmaking processes, but also content more transparent.

Governments, industry and rights campaigners are engaged in a global battle to shape the Internet as formal and informal policies emerge to assert control over an increasingly powerful media.

Governments and companies pushing for greater monitoring of Internet activity pose a major threat to freedom and democracy, according to Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web.

The United States has announced it will give up its unilateral supervision powers over ICANN, the body responsible for managing Internet addresses worldwide. The move has been warmly welcomed by the EU and Web advocacy groups.

"The world is in a transition from an industrial and information economy into a conceptual economy" whose ultimate resource is talent, writes Žiga Turk, a University of Ljubljana professor, former Slovenian minister and current secretary-general of the Reflection Group on the Future of Europe, on his blog.

The European Commission will roll out a range of initiatives in the coming months to promote the Internet of the Future, while remaining highly vigilant in protecting citizens and networks, Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding told EurActiv in an interview.

The booming popularity of social networking sites raises several security issues that must be tackled with educational campaigns and updated legislation, recommends the EU agency for network and information security ENISA.

The US has reached a compromise with those countries - among them the EU - that wanted to limit US control of the servers at the heart of the internet. Until shortly before, any such agreement had been regarded as unlikely.

The UK-led EU delegation at a high-level meeting on internet governance has angered the US with a proposal to hand administration of the internet over to the United Nations.