According to the secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Marta Maurás, the basic problem with the Internet nowadays is the American monopoly of its administration.
At present there is a single private group, based in the United States, the ICANN, that controls the sector and allocates names, domains, and slots on the Internet.
As the potential uses of the network for governments, science and technology, and education are enormous, and taking into account the different national and cultural realities that exist among countries, Maurás believes that “it is necessary to adopt another formulation that is more international.”
Latin Americans and Caribbeans have still not reached a consensus on what is referred to as Internet governance, but, if the region succeeds in forging an agreement, this will certainly facilitate an understanding on this matter in the global sphere, she remarks.
She pointed out that a good mechanism is required to administer the network, because, if it fails, the entire world will be facing a colossal problem.
Another issue has to do with the position held in some spheres that this governance should be the exclusive province of governments, a position generally opposed by the scientific community and civil society.
“They don’t want to leave it solely in governmental hands,” Maurás says.
The ECLAC representative participated in the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Ministerial Conference held in Brazil in preparation for the second stage of the World Summit on the Society of Information, scheduled for November in Tunisia.
Agência Brasil
