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UN Agency to Curb Anonymous Internet Communications

By Robin Gross

An alarming report shows that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency that coordinates global telephony policy, is quietly working to make anonymous Internet use impossible. The ITU's "IP Traceback" proposal would enable governments (and some big companies) to spy on every individual's Internet use via embedding specific technical standards in Internet communications protocols. The surveillance proposal was originally sponsored by the Chinese government, but now the US National Security Agency (NSA) is one of it's biggest proponents. Companies such as Cisco and VerSign are also working closely with the ITU, NSA, and Chinese government to install this global spy network, called the "Q6/17 Drafting Group". Anonymous communication is a well-recognized and protected legal right in international treaties (such as the UN Declaration of Human Rights) and many national constitutions (such as the US), so it is deeply concerning that these governments are undermining the rights of their citizenry to communicate via the Internet....

Full post as published by IP Justice on September 16, 2008 (boomark / email).