Article authored by Matt Smith and Joseph Menn on Reuters Canada.  Article is courtesy of ca.reuters.com

* Proposal would wrest control of Web addresses from US body

* Egypt says included on multi-country proposal by mistake

* Talks on new telco treaty appear deadlocked

* U.S., allies oppose extension of treaty to Internet

DUBAI, Dec 9 (Reuters) – A Russia-led proposal calling for sweeping new governmental powers to regulate cyberspace could enable countries to block some Web locations and wrest control of allotting Internet addresses from a U.S.-based body.

The proposal, co-signed by Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates, added to fears in some Western countries of a stalemate midway through a 12-day conference in Dubai to rewrite a longstanding treaty on international communications.

Russia and its supporters, which include many African and Arab states, seek to formally extend the remit of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to govern many aspects of the Internet. [Read more...]