The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization will meet in Paris from November 30 to December 1, 1999 to discuss how best to tax and regulate the net. Judging from the preparatory material now being distributed, it will be a feat for representatives to discover any common ground at all. Norway has placed itself squarely in the anti-regulation camp, arguing that the internet is international, and nationally-based laws are easy to avoid. Singapore acknowledges that this is true, and calls for more international dialog and cooperation in tackling the problems. While we can each attempt to regulate the content providers within our national boundaries, there is a need to get together and develop a common global framework which can help make the internet a safer place for our citizens. While America is swept up by the success of its dot coms, the Netherlands wants to protect information from commercial influences. While there’s no better place than Paris for a bureaucratic bunfight, whether Unesco’s conclusions will change anyone’s mind, let alone influence the policy of nations, is an open question. á
