“Borderless Internet and Digital Sovereignty” Seminar Successfully Concluded

Open Net co-hosted seminar “Borderless Internet and Digital Sovereignty” with the U.S. Embassy in Korea to discuss the problems with the server localization bill proposed by MP Jaeil Byun that requires IT companies to locate a server in Korea. Open Net considers this bill causes a great threat to the freedom of expression and privacy.  Also, Open Net also discussed another current regulation threatening network neutrality, namely Sending Party Network Pays, which forces the otherwise peering networks to pay for the traffic they send to other networks and thereby incentivizes them to recoup those expenses from their client content providers by either charging usage-based pricing or higher transit fees.  The scheme threatens network neutrality whereby the users could reach (by responding to the information requests of) all other users around the world without having to worry about how to pay for the traffic created thereby.   

Media coverage:

• Politicians’ attempts to control Google … Some Raised FTA Violation (Chosun, 11/25)
• US Ambassador Harris, “Data Localization should be Avoided… Data should Flow Freely” (Yonhap news, 11/28)
• US Embassy in Korea, “Data Localization should be Avoided” (Newsis, 11/28)
• ‘Google Tax’ Debate… “No Server Localization” vs. “No FTA Violation” (SE Daily, 11/28)