摘要:網際網路的治理模式,無疑是全球化時代強調公私部門合作和開放透明的絕佳示範。自1998 年以來就由在美國加州註冊的私人公司網際網路指定名稱與號碼組織,負責網際網路核心資源的管理和分配,而其背後則仰賴美國政府的權威支持。雖然2003年12 月日內瓦世界資訊社會高峰會前後,以中國、巴西、南非、和阿拉伯國家, 強烈要求美國放棄域名系統和根伺服器最終權威, 將網際網路指定名稱與號碼組織收歸聯合國體系。不過,在2005 年11 月在突尼斯舉行第二次世界資訊社會高峰會時, 與會代表終於達成協議, 保留ICANN 對於網域名稱和IP 位置分配的管理功能和美國的最終控制權威。2006 年起將由聯合國秘書長召集網路治理論壇(Internet Governance Forum), 繼續探討網路治理的結構改革,並力求於五年內進行通盤檢討。換句話說,網際網路管理目前私人部門領導的模式能否繼續維持,端視未來五年各種利益相關者(stakeholder)之間的角力而定。
其實,網際網路從成形以來, 非國家成員(non-state actor)一直在網際網路的發展上扮演重要的角色, 參與網路研究的科學家和工程師們, 除了作為技術研究者和標準指定者,也是最初的和最重要的使用者, 不斷激發網際網路新的應用範圍和催生潛在的使用者群體。雖著網際網路快速商業化,智慧財產權和言論自由團體也相繼加入網際網路的治理過程。本研究計劃的目標, 是以1998 年11 月ICANN 成立前後到2005 年第二次世界資訊社會高峰會後ICANN 溫哥華會議為期間, 觀察非國家成員如何參與ICANN 的治理機制形成, 一方面, 從議題本質的角度來看, 是否因為新興的網路科技對於主權國家而言陌生而難以掌握, 給予接近特殊利益的非國家成員獨特的優勢, 迫使主權國家和其他欲實現資源有效管理的治理機構必須與之合作。另一方面, 是否由於ICANN 空前的資訊公開程度, 提供嫻熟資訊科技的非國家成員進行政策遊說和政治動員的適當環境, 讓非國家成
Abstract: The way the Internet is governed globally is indeed an example of global governance in the globalization era where public-private partnership and openness are emphasized. Incorporated as a private company in California, USA, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has been created to administer allocation of domain names and IP addresses with political backing from the United States government. During the Geneva-phase World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in December 2003, governments from a few developing countries and Arab countries made the claim that Internet governance be put under UN’s authority and that the United States withdraw from control of Internet governance. Despite that, representatives of governments from both developed and developing countries reached consensus that ICANN’s authority as well as American’s current role over Internet governance will be reserved during the Tunis-phase WSIS. The assembly requests the UN Secretary General to convene a global Internet governance forum to discuss the future of Internet governance annually, the result of which will be reviewed by 2012. In other words, whether the current private-led model will continue to prevail depends upon struggles among all stakeholders involved.
It is no doubt that non-state actor has played significant role in Internet development since the ARPA years back to the 1960s when the concept of Internet was just taking shape. Computer scientists and engineers are not only providers of technologies and technical standards but also initial and the most important users. With the rapid commercialization of Internet, intellectual property constituency and those who concerned about freedom of expression on Internet get involved in the process as to how Internet is governed. The aim of this research is to observe how non-state actors participate in the governance mechanism of ICANN from ICANN’s inception of 1998 through the recent Vancouver meeting after the Tunis WSIS held in November 2005. With respect to the subject matter, this research is intended to discover if the ability of non-state actors to claim a share of Internet governance results from the uncertainty of growing technologies of Internet itself as well as its implications over which some non-state actors have advantages. On the other hand, the unprecedented openness in ICANN’s daily operation provides a friendly environment to non-state actors, usually familiar with information technology, to conduct lobbies and political mobilization in pursuit of their specific goals and values. Through analysis in the two aspects of non-state actor participation, it is hoped that how ICANN has been able to achieve effective management of Internet resource over the past seven years can be explored a