There 's a lot of sky-is-falling doomsday predictions about the World Conference on International Telecommunications , which opens Monday in Dubai with some 190-plus nations discussing the global internet 's future . That 's because much of the accompanying proposals from the global community have been kept under lock and key , although some of the positions of nations have been leaked and published online . The idea behind the meetings is to update the International Telecommunications Regulations governed by the International Telecommunications Union , a United Nations agency known as the ITU , that is responsible for global communication technologies . But the outcome of the two-week session is n't likely to make much change , as no proposal will be accepted if not agreed to by all nations . And the biggest fear — that the session will lead to net censorship — has already come to pass . `` Member States already have the right , as stated in Article 34 of the Constitution of ITU , to block any private telecommunications that appear 'dangerous to the security of the State or contrary to its laws , to public order or to decency . ' The treaty regulations can not override the Constitution , '' said Hamadoun Touré , the ITU Secretary-General . Emma Llanso , a policy attorney with the Center for Democracy & Technology , said proposals by various governments to treat internet connections like the telephone system are cause for concern regarding privacy and the unfettered , free flow of information . But there is no `` doomsday '' internet kill switch scenario , she said . `` There 's not going to be some kind of doomsday scenario that there 's a treaty that makes the internet go dark , '' Llanso said . `` What we 're seeing is governments putting forward visions of the internet and having discussions . '' The last time the International Telecommunication Regulations global treaty was considered was in 1988 . But technology has changed dramatically in the past 25 years . On the table for discussion are spectrum and technology standards to improve global interoperability and efficiency . Cybersecurity , spam and data retention are also on the table . Brett Solomon , executive director of Access , a digital rights group , is livid that the debate will be done largely in secret , with limited input from stakeholders . `` The ITU and its member states have attempted to respond to our criticisms and other challenges about the WCIT , but they fail to address the critical flaw : It 's a closed , government-controlled agency that should not be making decisions about internet policy , '' he said . `` Such decisions necessarily require the participation of governments and the private sector and civil society . '' The United States is battling plans to treat the internet like the telephone when it comes to transmission agreements . Some European and Middle Eastern members are calling for so-called termination fees , in which networks where a web session begins must pay the routing cost for the session 's destination — like phone companies work with phone calls . `` That model , in general , lends itself to fewer providers , higher prices , slower take-up of internet , slower economic growth , '' said Terry Kramer , the head of the U.S. delegation . Llanso said termination fees , which would obviously be paid for by consumers , also opens the door to more internet monitoring . `` You can also read it as a campaign , '' she said , `` to make all internet communication more traceable and more trackable , invading users ' privacy . '' The dot-nxt site has published a clearinghouse of leaked documents regarding member proposals .
World Conference on International Telecommunications opens 1988 in The United States . Web agency oversees U.N. , but major overhauls unlikely . Expert : No agreement could make Internet 'go dark '