Web host and domain name provider
Go Daddy has gone on record as supporting the US government's opposition to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Treaty, and a recent resolution to the treaty that might give the United Nations (UN) control of the Internet. The company stands alongside industry giants such as Google in declaring their opposition to the treaty, which was discussed recently at the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) held in Dubai. Go Daddy attended the event as part of the US delegation.
There is a strong perception within the Internet industry that should the treaty come to power, it will diminish freedom of speech on the Internet, moving it away from open oversight to government-led oversight, and government regulation. Many assume control of digital communications would ultimately be put in the hands of the UN. Curiously, WCIT took place in the United Arab Emirates, a country that is actively promoting Internet restrictions.
"The global nature of the Internet, as we know it, has been, and is, vitally important to freedom of speech," explained Blake Irving, who becomes Go Daddy CEO next month. "The Internet is the 'voice' for societal needs and consumer demands."
The two-week WCIT event highlighted a global philosophical divide between smaller countries, where freedom of speech is not a priority, and larger countries like the United States, where freedom of speech is integral to national policy. The next conference will take place in Busan, Korea on November 2014. "The United States should immediately prepare for an even more treacherous ITU treaty negotiation that will take place," suggested FCC commissioner Robert M. McDowell. "Those talks could expand the ITU's reach even further."
