China: Let the UN Control the Internet

China, a country not known for its support of free speech, is criticizing the US "monopolization" of the Internet, and wants the United Nations to apply a "more rational and just" system for Internet governance than that currently employed by ICANN. China leads a group of nations supporting Internet governance by the UN-supported International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

ICANN has hurt its standing among many nations by raising rates for domain registration. However, few can be blamed for taking a jaundiced view of China's stance. China, after all, is notorious for tightly monitoring Internet usage and cracking down on what it perceives as "abuse." In the US, the controversy will largely play into the hands of the anti-UN crowd, who will rightly question why the Net should be turned over to the likes of "rational and just" custodians like China, North Korea and Iran.

Source: Broadbandreports.com