Saturday, 23 June 2012
The Washington Post has reported that there are plans during the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), which is scheduled to be held in Dubai in December, to significantly alter the UN telecommunications treaty to allow countries to clamp down on the free flow of information via the Internet. Russia has proposed language requiring member states
to ensure unrestricted public access and use of international
telecommunication services, “except in cases where international
telecommunication services are used for the purpose of interfering in
the internal affairs or undermining the sovereignty, national security,
territorial integrity and public safety of other states, or to divulge
information of a sensitive nature.” The United States delegation to the WCIT has vowed to block any changes to the treaty that would curtail Internet freedom. The story can be read at http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-vows-to-block-any-changes-to-global-telecommunications-treaty-that-curtail-internet-freedom/2012/06/22/gJQA19sXuV_story.html. What are your thoughts from a legal perspective?
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ReplyDelete“except in cases where international telecommunication services are used for the purpose of interfering in the internal affairs or undermining the sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity and public safety of other states, or to divulge information of a sensitive nature.”
I would have thought that, for the most part, governments would consider that their treaty obligations would not require them to ensure access in the above circumstances — see, for example, s132, Communications Act 2003 for one measure would impact this, as well as the caveat in General Condition 20.3 to the general principle of access to numbers and services.
Neil, you are right, that makes on to wonder what the real intent is.
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