The United Nations summit on expanding global Internet access recently concluded in Tunisia. During the conference, delegates debated issues of censorship and Internet governance. 
The World Summit on the Information Society also discussed ways to bridge the technology gap between rich and poor nations, but there was little dialogue on funding for poorer countries.
The conference featured discussions on monitoring Internet governance, marked by disagreements over freedom of speech. Representatives from over 170 countries, totaling around 17,000 participants, attended this unprecedented conference organized by the United Nations in Tunisia, titled “Conference of Solutions.”
The summit concluded with the “Tunis Commitment” and the “Tunis Agenda for the Information Society.”
These documents primarily reaffirm the commitments made at the previous summit in Geneva two years ago to enhance efforts to help poorer nations utilize information and communication technologies. However, while all nations acknowledged that current funding is insufficient, this conference did not address the issue significantly.
The summit emphasized that technologies and knowledge would guide countries towards agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. Delegates also supported organizing a similar conference in a few years to review and address the emerging issues.
Attendees at this information technology summit included world leaders, human rights organizations, non-governmental organizations, representatives from leading global technology companies, journalists, and Internet users.
Notably, there was tension during the conference regarding the activities of social organizations, with calls for action to ensure equal rights for all citizens in the global information society concerning freedom of speech.
In a statement, the American delegate expressed disappointment that the Tunisian government did not seize this significant opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of speech and assembly in Tunisia.
For his part, Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju told delegates that some restrictions on the Internet are necessary to protect the state, although China seeks to “ensure freedom of speech.” He stated: “For the Internet, we need effective measures to combat crimes utilizing this technology, as well as economic fraud, violence, terrorism, and anything harmful to national security.”
Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, which oversaw the conference, stated: “Freedom on the Internet is a prerequisite for an information society.” He added: “Our goal is to share information. Only with freedom of information can we create an information society.”
He emphasized that individuals must be able to create and share information. Only through these activities can we aspire to an information society for humanity. Regarding cybersecurity, he mentioned that many forums discuss addressing this issue, in which the ITU plays a role, but there are no specific international standards.
Much of the conference involved debates over the choice of Tunisia as the host country. A compromise solution regarding future Internet governance was reached in a last-minute meeting.
Accordingly, the American organization ICANN will continue to manage Internet technical operations, but a new network management forum will be established. In his closing remarks, Utsumi stated that a new chapter in network management had been opened with the decision to establish this forum.
He noted that all governments should share equal responsibility in managing the Internet. However, the forum will not have the authority to oversee the technical operations of the network but will handle network issues. Utsumi emphasized that this is just the beginning of a long process for the Internet, which will look very different in five years due to rapid developments in information technology.
U.S. officials called the agreement on network management a win-win outcome, while ICANN’s chair and CEO, Paul Twomey, cautiously remarked that fundamental disputes over network governance remain unresolved.
Notable outcomes include plans for the introduction of a laptop model priced under $100, part of a campaign to ensure every child has access to a laptop.
