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UN 'net governance body faces criticism from within

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) – a special UN body set up to look at how the internet is run – faced a backlash from its own advisors in Geneva on Tuesday.

As we reported last week, the business and technical communities, as well as civil society, were unhappy that a majority of the representatives they put forward for the IGF's multistakeholder advisory group (MAG) were not chosen. The slots were given instead to individuals selected by the UN in an opaque process.

At the MAG's meeting in Geneva, that process was repeatedly criticized by current members alongside repeated calls for greater transparency. A representative of the UN body that makes the decisions – UN DESA – said he was listening to the concerns raised.

He did not offer any suggestions for improvement however, noting that the process was the same this year as it has been since the forum was first created a decade ago. ®

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