Members from global tech organizations pivotal in developing Internet standards have penned an Open Letter to the United Nations expressing concerns about the UN’s approach to the Global Digital Compact (GDC). The technical bodies involved include the Internet Engineering Task Force, World Wide Web Consortium, Internet Research Task Force, and the Internet Society’s Board of Trustees.
The GDC aims to establish a framework for global digital cooperation, define principles for an open, free, and secure digital future, and accelerate progress on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The latest draft of the GDC will undergo review this week by UN representatives in New York.
Addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Technology Envoy Amandeep Singh Gill, the letter highlights that the GDC is being developed through a multilateral process among states, with limited application of the open, inclusive, and consensus-driven methods used in the development of the Internet and the Web.
It argues that despite high-level stakeholder consultations, entities like Internet technical standards bodies and the broader technical community have had inadequate opportunities to engage in formulating the GDC. The letter acknowledges governments' responsibility to protect citizens and their increasing inclination to regulate in response to Internet-related harms.
The letter states, “If the final document contains such language, we believe it will be detrimental to not only the Internet and the Web, but also to the world’s economies and societies.”
The letter also stresses that while technical architecture can shape Internet use, it alone cannot address issues like abuse, misinformation, and inequality. It warns of potential dangers if regulations undermine the Internet's empowering nature. Letter states, “Such proposals concern us because they represent an erosion of the basic architecture.”
The letter asserts the need for government involvement in digital and Internet governance to combat abuses, while advocating for upholding the collaborative and inclusive model of Internet governance that has been effective for decades.
In 2022, the UN initiated a consultative process for the GDC, seeking input on various issues including preventing fragmentation, safeguarding data, upholding online human rights, addressing discrimination and misinformation, managing digital commons as public goods, ensuring universal Internet access including in schools, and other pertinent topics.
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