Internet governance: What could go wrong?

[Commentary] In mid-December, the United Nations General Assembly will meet in New York for two days to discuss the future of Internet governance. A group of countries led by China and Russia is arguing that oversight of the Internet should move from the current “multi-stakeholder” model to a more centralized, government-centric approach managed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Should you be worried? Yes, but not in the way you might think. The risk here lies not so much in the threat of a dramatic UN-takeover of the Internet, but rather in the fact that UN-style bureaucratic paralysis is already forestalling effective action to limit commercial hacking, preserve Internet freedom and identify and prevent potential terrorist threats to critical infrastructure. The main threat is not in what is happening with Internet governance, but rather what is not.

Rather than leading on these issues, the US and its allies appear to be bogged down in a diplomatic rear-guard action focused on arcane institutional issues -- fiddling while cyberspace burns. Until that changes, the risks associated with cybersecurity will continue to grow.

[Eisenach has served in senior positions at the Federal Trade Commission and the Office of Management and Budget, and currently is an adjunct professor at the George Mason University School of Law]