The internet weâve come to know and love -- one that's open, decentralized, and governed by many stakeholders -- is threatened.
The ITU has played an important role in telecommunications and spectrum management and its use for development, but this is not cause for expanding its mandate. While an evolution of internet governance is needed (including an examination of the role of the US), it should evolve in the same way that it was originally designed -- in an open, decentralized, and inclusive manner.
Civil society needs a voice in the ITU negotiations. We've cosigned a letter with other organizations including the CDT (USA), CIS (India), FGV (Brazil), EFF (USA), and EIPR (Egypt) urging all stakeholders to be a part of this process and for the ITU to be transparent in their negotiations.
Right now, several countries, including China and Russia, are proposing to expand the powers of a non-transparent global institution, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), allowing it to change the rules on how our internet is used and governed. And what's worse, the ITU won't even release their negotiating documents to the public or give internet users a seat at the table.
The ITU isn't used to public accountability, but together we can change that. Let's tell the ITU that we don't want a secretive body where only governments have a vote deciding the future of our internet!
Click here to join us in our call to keep the ITU from regulating the internet, publicly release its plans, and respect our role in the internet's future by signing the petition below.
