Internet governance about to get its quadrennial stress test at ITU meeting

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) kicks off its quadrennial plenipotentiary on Monday, and internet governance organizations are bracing in case the event becomes a forum for nation-states to try to challenge their roles.The ITU is the United Nations' specialized agency for information and communication technologies, meaning its members are nation-states. The body's role is to facilitate international connectivity, which it does by managing radio spectrum, satellite orbits, and working on relevant technical standards.Its key standards are pervasive. ITU-T X.509 sets out the rules of public key infrastructure. ITU-T E.164 governs telephone numbers. ITU-T H.264 and 265 define the video codecs used for most online streams.The...

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