The Internet at Risk

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) held its 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in December, where member states attempted to update the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) to reflect the reality of today´s telecommunication environment, one that includes mobile telephony and the Internet as a whole. Many concepts were at stake and at odds in this meeting. The tussle at WCIT could be seen as a battle between states seeing a relatively unfettered Internet as important to economic growth and democratic principles and states believing that much more national and international control over the Internet´s uses should be agreed on. The Web extra is a salute to the reviewers who handled articles in 2012.