'Delegates at a meeting in Geneva on Monday failed to reach an agreement on who should control the internet's addressing system. The meeting, which is being held in preparation of the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis next month, degenerated into a farce when delegates argued over the right of the US to control the internet's addressing system.'
'The new EU proposal is based on recommendations made by the UN-sponsored Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) in July to establish an internet governance model that wasn't linked specifically to one country. Meanwhile, supporting the US are countries like Australia, the UK and Latin American countries such as Argentina and Chile. These countries have rejected the EU proposal with the Australian delegates warning of a "hierarchical and bureaucratic" approach to internet governance if the UN were allowed to assume responsibility for domain names and IP addresses.'
Originally by The Register - Internet and Law: eCommerce, 6:50 PM