Internet Governance: A Grand Collaboration (Ict Task Force Series) [Paperback]

United Nations (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 9211045347 | ISBN-13: 978-9211045345 | Publication Date: July 31, 2005

This publication is an edited collection of papers contributed to the United Nations ICT Task Force Global Forum on Internet Governance (New York, 25 - 26 March 2004). The papers provides useful information on how many different organizations are already governing the Internet and its effects on society. They suggest that a number of important issues are not being addressed effectively, and that in some areas there is an urgent need to put in place new arrangements to counter real and present threats to the stability and utility of the Internet. It includes the Forum's Opening Statement by Kofi Annan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 402 pages
• Publisher: United Nations (July 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9211045347
• ISBN-13: 978-9211045345
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,681,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars how to expand the Internet's reach?, September 10, 2005

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Internet Governance: A Grand Collaboration (Ict Task Force Series) (Paperback)

It's a good sign of the Internet's global reach that the UN has produced this collection of papers on what is and might be done to further the growth.

The book talks about how governments might want to control what their citizens see on the Internet. For various social reasons, usually related to stability. Of course, the easy global access given to you, once you're on the net, can make it difficult for a government to enforce its policies. Though sophisticated methods at key routers might let the government effectively do so, for those users who are not technically adept.

Perhaps the biggest issue is how to enable affordable access to the over 5 billion people currently lacking it. For all the current reach of the Internet, that only covers some 1 billion or so in the developed world, and parts of the developing world. It is this fundamental issue of equity that drives a lot of the authors' concerns. The proposed solutions are laudatory. Though sufficient funding is always an issue. Maybe as the cost of hardware and bandwidth keeps falling, then affordability should rise due to this alone, even if none of the book's suggestions come to pass.