The UN Trumps Silicon Valley

[Commentary] Two years ago Silicon Valley led the charge to protect the Internet from United Nations control. Technology companies and their advocates in Washington did such a good job that the House and Senate unanimously passed resolutions against the idea, while the International Telecommunication Union was hatching a plan in Dubai. The ITU’s follow-up conference begins this week in South Korea, but Silicon Valley is silent. That’s surprising considering that authoritarians are busier than ever trying to control the Internet: Russia, China, Iran and Arab countries are escalating domestic censorship and scheming to close down websites they don’t like in the US, Hong Kong, Ukraine and elsewhere.