United Nations International Telecommunication Union World Conference on International Telecommunications Conference and Scientific Forums

W3C Technical Architecture Group,
Philosophy of the Web Community Group,

Greetings.  Given the recent contentious United Nations International Telecommunication Union World Conference on International Telecommunications conference, where it seems that nations disagree about the roles of states with regard to the Internet and the Web.  At that conference, the United States and other nations took a stance against state regulation, took a stance for a multi-stakeholder model.  If the World Wide Web wasn't topic enough before, as we start to discuss digital publishing, digital books, digital textbooks, scholarly and scientific documents and communication, I wanted to broach whether scientists or technologists participating at the W3C have had or have any concerns about foreign or domestic government employees, operatives, or participants entangled with foreign governments, including governments which have indicated a stance that states should have a role, of some sort, in regulating the Internet or Web.

I would like to broach the concern that some participants already having participated, participating presently, or arriving to participate, might be here at the employ or behest of governments, including governments which have indicated a stance at the UN ITU WCIT conference with regard to the role of the states and the Internet and Web and with regard to the regulation of the Internet and Web.

While the history of the Web includes contributors from academia, industry, and government, and while numerous varieties of organizations exist in the public sector, for example universities, science laboratories, and libraries, a discussion could include participants' opinions about government participation from some categories of organizations, organizations with certain roles, including, but not limited to, regulatory organizations or ministries of information, various organizations of domestic and foreign governments, and in the context of the new situation where nations disagree about the roles of states in regulating the Internet and Web.



Kind regards,

Adam Sobieski