Open Letter to the Governments of the world and the ITU
In a few short weeks, from December 3 to 14, the ITU will meet to decide the Internet's as we know it today, future. They want to take over full control, deciding on regulating it, what we can see or can't see, how companies must stop supplying access in some cases (PIPA, SOPA etc anyone?) and more importantly, introducing government access fees for carriers, which will drive up the cost of Internet access for everyone, those are just some of the ideas, with censorship being the huge one of course, and dictated by communist countries, so how do people in say for example Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany like being told the type of content they can or can not access by the likes of Iran and China... The words I have for that are legally unprintable!
ITU participants (representatives of each of our own countries governments) need to hear from as many Internet users as possible to voice their opinion in stopping more madness Internet control madness.
Sign the petition here
You can watch this short video to understand more about why this is a bad thing...
ITU participants (representatives of each of our own countries governments) need to hear from as many Internet users as possible to voice their opinion in stopping more madness Internet control madness.
Sign the petition here
You can watch this short video to understand more about why this is a bad thing...
Below is a copy of my submission.
Dear Sir / Madam,
At the upcoming WCIT conference in Dubai, governments will consider proposals to update the ITU’s
underlying treaty.
Some proposals would expand the ITU’s mandate in ways that would likely threaten Internet openness and
most importantly innovation, increase access costs, and erode human rights online.
Recent events of only this past year, proves how invaluable a free and open Internet is, in playing
a very major part in ridding the world of more tyrant dictatorship governments to allow for their peoples
to make an independent and free choice in electing a peoples government, not a countries jailer.
Having the likes of Iran, China, Russia and other certain countries, who have harsh penalties for those
who disagree with or speak out against their governments, deciding on our Internet access is a grave
concern to me and many others, do we really want the Great wall of China, to become the Great wall
of the world? One only has to watch nightly news services to see why this is horrible and should never
have been dreamt of let alone put up for a vote.
The internet is powerful tool for communication, driving economic development, and expanding human
rights. The internet has got where it is today in democratic societies having been built by private
companies, using private funds, only those companies have the right to decide who or how or where they
send their own networks data and how they accept data.
Discussions about the future of the Internet should involve as many stakeholders as possible including
government officials, technology experts, businesses leaders, civil society, and human rights
organisations.
I write to ask that you:
-Reject proposals at WCIT that would expand ITU authority to areas of Internet governance especially those that affect the exercise of human rights online;
-Release to the public proposals that our country or other countries will make at the WCIT; and
-Solicit input from your citizens and experts on proposals, including by inviting a range of stakeholders to participate in our country’s delegation.
The ITU has done good in the world, and I applaud those efforts. But I join a chorus of voices from
around the globe, however, who feel strongly that the Internet must always remain a free and open access to anyone, any and every where.
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