The first UN summit on information technology will be held on 10-12 meeting in Geneva, christened the World Summit on the Information Society. Central issues to be discussed include who controls the Internet and how richer nations should subsidize its growth in poorer countries. The Internet is currently controlled by a California-based semi-private organization of technical experts known as ICANN set up five years ago. Critics argue that the internet is a public resource that should be managed by national governments and the UN.
