![]() And more than half (32) are members of the group of the advanced economies in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Of these 60, 27 make up the member states of the EU. A total of 60 signatories* is considerable, but is nonetheless a minority out of 195 nations in numbers and an even greater minority in population (a point that Russia and China make about the world order they seek to supplant). has shored up and expanded its pool of allies, but together they have at least as much work cut out for them ahead. had work to do to broaden its commitment to nongovernmental multistakeholder governance of the Internet even among close allies.Įdited by Robert W. Things have changed since 2014 when, amid the fallout from the Edward Snowden leaks, I cautioned that the U.S. Before him, many of the speakers alluded to the invasion as evidence of the stakes for democracies. Ukraine, along with Georgia, is a signatory, and Ukraine’s representative was the final speaker in the ministerial meeting. Russia’s assault on Ukraine and international rule of law was very much on the minds of signers of the Declaration on the Future of the Internet. “Internationalization” and the ITU mean putting governments in control, rather than distributed and decentralized governance across sectors and borders that parallels the technical systems of the Internet. “National segments of the Internet” endorses forking the global network and, with “ensur their security,” promotes national firewalls. The Russia-China Joint Statement presents a starkly different vision of the Internet than the 60-government Declaration of the Future of the Internet, and articulates the security-and-control-focused “ cyber sovereignty” that both countries espouse. “The sides support the internationalization of Internet governance, advocate equal rights to its governance, believe that any attempts to limit their sovereign right to regulate national segments of the Internet and ensure their security are unacceptable, are interested in greater participation of the International Telecommunications Union in addressing these issues.” The Beijing joint statement also addressed Internet governance: ![]() ![]() This statement affirmed the two countries’ “strong mutual support for the protection of their core interests, state sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a declaration that takes on chilling undertones considering Russia’s launch of its invasion within three weeks of the release of the document and China’s overt acquiescence toward this blatant intrusion on state sovereignty and territorial integrity. The declaration provides a distinct counterpoint to the China-Russia Joint Statement, issued February 4, 2022, as Xi Jinping was launching the Beijing Winter Olympics and Vladimir Putin was preparing to invade Ukraine. Reflecting this change, the words “free” and “global” are new additions to the longstanding mantra of “ open, interoperable, reliable, and secure.” Despite the aspiration for a single, seamless global network, the pointed discussion of the growing divide reflects the darker reality that the Internet is effectively forked already. Although the document is ostensibly “ country agnostic,” and an explicit reference to Russia and China in drafts evidently was deleted, the references to splintering the Internet and authoritarian governments are plainly aimed at China and Russia above all. The declaration follows from a topic at the December 2021 Summit for Democracy, and the geopolitical component was evident in the chairing of the hybrid ministerial meeting by U.S. It also adds to this list concentrations of market power, the “quantity and security of personal data collected,” and the role of platforms in spreading disinformation and other harmful content. In particular, it calls out “efforts to splinter the global Internet” and “some authoritarian governments,” as well as use of platforms and technology for repression, surveillance, and disinformation. Rather than simply a restatement of these policy principles, though, the Declaration of the Future of the Internet frames a global divide that presents “serious challenges” to this hopeful vision. Sovereignty may endure, but with a flavor of Barlow. It reaffirmed long-standing principles, referring several times to an Internet that is “open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure” and to the importance of multistakeholder governance of the Internet rather than government fiat. Twitter the irony, this international declaration articulated an optimistic and participatory vision under the heading “reclaiming the promise of the Internet.” It celebrated the Internet as “a single interconnected communications system for all of humanity” with benefits for innovation and entrepreneurship, for creators, and for every person.
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