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| International-UN-NGOs |
| U.S. Fights to Keep Control Of Global Internet Oversight |
| 2005-11-16 |
| WSJ (subscription req'd) Stop those greedy, control freak bastards! Several Nations at Summit Argued for Power Change; All Eggs in Icann's Basket The U.S. fought back complaints by a host of nations at a global summit here and retained oversight of the technical underpinnings of the Internet. At the same time, the U.S. agreed to create a forum to discuss an array of Internet policy issues. The first such forum will be held in Greece during the first half of next year, U.S. officials say. But even with that agreement, "There is no change in the status quo" regarding the governing of the Internet, David Gross, a member of the U.S. delegation attending the summit, said last night. Countries including China, Iran, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Russia lobbied at the first-ever global summit on the Internet, hosted by the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union, for changes to the current arrangement, which gives the Commerce Department sole oversight of determining the technical foundation for how Internet users communicate with one another. Among other matters, the U.S. oversees the creation of domain names and Internet addresses. With more than a billion people using the Internet, a coalition has emerged around the notion it is unfair and undemocratic for "one country to control the Internet," said Yoshio Utsumi, secretary general of the ITU. Countries like China have been pushing for creation of a U.N.-monitored body to oversee the Internet. "The Internet is becoming a critical element of our lives," added Abdullah Al-Darrab, the chief negotiator for Saudi Arabia, in an interview. "What's needed are clear policies, and setting them is the right of every government, not just one." Critics of U.S. domination of the Internet were placated somewhat by the agreement on the creation of the forum open to governments, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector. Still, criticism of the U.S. grip on Internet plumbing is unlikely to dissipate. U.S. negotiators said opening the process to intergovernmental oversight risks burdening the Internet with bureaucracy and stifling its innovative nature. Companies "want to make sure they don't have to hire more international lawyers than engineers," said Michael Gallagher, assistant secretary of commerce and a member of the U.S. delegation. The body that determines domain names, such as .com, .net and .info, is a private California-based nonprofit organization called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. The Commerce Department, through a memorandum of understanding, has retained oversight of Icann since its inception in 1998. Other countries had believed the U.S. would sever its ties to Icann, making the body independent. But in June Commerce officials released a statement indicating the U.S. wasn't prepared to give up its role any time soon. The U.S. and officials from countries that mostly agree with its position, including Canada, New Zealand and Australia, worried such a body would be an interim step toward the creation of a formal body with oversight of Icann. A Saudi official acknowledged that their ultimate aim was to replace the U.S. oversight position with an intergovernmental body, though the day-to-day operations of the Internet would remain with Icann. Paul Twomey, the chief executive officer of Icann and an Australian, has described the intensifying global tussle over the Internet as one between politics and technical engineering. "We have to pick our way through that very carefully so we don't do any real damage to the Internet," he said in a recent interview. |
| Posted by:Captain America |
| #16 What TP sed. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-11-16 17:37 |
| #15 It is the 'net that will kill off the totalitarian regimes in the long run more than bombs and bullets IMO. |
| Posted by: Cheaderhead 2005-11-16 16:11 |
| #14 Countries like China have been pushing for creation of a U.N.-monitored body to oversee the Internet. "The Internet is becoming a critical element of our lives," added Abdullah Al-Darrab, the chief negotiator for Saudi Arabia, in an interview. Let's see here ... China, the biggest human rights abuser on earth and Saudi Arabia, the last country on earth to abolish slavery. And these two monster wankers are pitching b!tch about how one of the oldest democracies on earth has control of the most powerful tool since the internal combustion engine. One of my latest laws is that, "Power is most appealing to those least competent to wield it." When I finally see our critics coming up with novel, efficient and elegant improvements to the Internet, through innovative open-source coding and organizational modifications I might listen for a millisecond. One does not obtain proprietary interest in an invention by fiat, you do it by making substantial contributions towards its improvement. Something none of the above mega-whiners has come within a parsec of doing. This is nothing but a naked power grab by the worst intentioned and least qualified to administer such tremendous influence. They can collectively go piss up a rope. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-11-16 12:43 |
| #13 "The Internet is becoming a critical element of our lives," added Abdullah Al-Darrab, the chief negotiator for Saudi Arabia, in an interview. "What's needed are clear policies, and setting them is the right of every government, not just one." Doesn't this just sound hilarious? No one forced the Internet onto these asswipes, and now that they're hooked of their own volition, they want to dictate terms? Eat sand, Abdullah. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-11-16 10:27 |
| #12 Also from the WSJ: 'Divide' and Conquer?: Why dictators are cheering the U.N. Internet turf grab. Worse, the corruption and incompetence at U.N. headquarters, however disturbing, are the least of the problems linked to the U.N.'s bid to control interconnectivity. The deeper trouble is that the U.N. has embraced the same tyrants who in the name of helping the downtrodden are now seeking via Internet control to tread them down some more. That is hardly the kind of information, however, that U.N. organizers of this Tunis turf grab are about to share. The U.N. Web site for this event goes heavy on high-tech doo-dads, and very light on the highly relevant big picture. For instance, the site includes two scroll bars. One shows select news coverage of the summit. The other shows funding contributions from various quarters, including the governments of Syria, Libya and Saudi Arabia, all distinguished as perennial members of Freedom House's list of the world most repressive regimes. Except the U.N. site doesn't make mention of the censorship and brutal internal repression of these regimes--only of their participation, and their money. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-11-16 10:18 |
| #11 Fight's over, boys. The UN folded; we win. We get the innernut, the conferees get lunch and a nice goody bag. Yay. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-11-16 10:01 |
| #10 Perhaps the above mentioned countries would like to ensconce themselves behind the Great Firewall of China? |
| Posted by: ed 2005-11-16 09:46 |
| #9 With more than a billion people using the Internet, a coalition has emerged around the notion it is unfair and undemocratic for "one country to control the Internet," Countries like China, Iran and Saudi Arabia lecturing us on the lack of fairness and democracy is, well, just so self-Fisking... |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-11-16 09:37 |
| #8 Compromise reached as expected: the international talking heads are forming a brand new and formally powerless debating society while the US is keeping its hand on the rudder. That's probably the best outcome we could have expected. |
| Posted by: AzCat 2005-11-16 09:10 |
| #7 Idiots didn't make it but sure as hell they are capable of destroying it. |
| Posted by: MunkarKat 2005-11-16 08:40 |
| #6 Fight? Fight? There is no fight. They can make their own and see how it flies. The internet is just a piece of technology which like medicine, commerce, aviation, etc. is done in English because of one Big Fat reason, the United States. It is the engine that drives the modern world in those areas. If you want to be part of the leading edge you play by that game. If you want your own, go make it. Envy and fear are all you really have and that is not going to get you the best and brightest in the future. Bye, bye. |
| Posted by: Theregum Phemp7167 2005-11-16 08:33 |
| #5 International democracy at its nadir. I would've said "zenith". For all the harm this will do at least it isn't likely to get us all killed which is more than I can say about most exercises of this nature. |
| Posted by: AzCat 2005-11-16 02:47 |
| #4 It's not about what we see entirely, it's more about what we say. They don't like it much you see. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom 2005-11-16 02:11 |
| #3 They don't have to connect to the Internet. Countrywide intranets are completely feasible. Basically, they want to control what Americans see. And we're not going to stand for that. |
| Posted by: Elmenter Snineque1852 2005-11-16 01:55 |
| #2 Why don't they just come out and say what they realy want? Starving wimminsz and kidz for sex and a willing goat or two. |
| Posted by: badanov 2005-11-16 01:32 |
| #1 "The Internet is becoming a critical element of our lives," added Abdullah Al-Darrab, the chief negotiator for Saudi Arabia, in an interview. "What's needed are clear policies, and setting them is the right of every government, not just one." The right of every government? Maybe the right of every government if it givers all its citizens unfettered access to the internet, and then only by concensus. The next thing they will bitch about will be the undemocratic nature of Unix, removing the permissions and file ownership under the concept that it is 'undemocratic,' and everyone has the right to access files on a platform. What is happening here at this summit is true democracy. A gang of despots decides to use its power of numbers to try to overwelm ( read: mug ) a single nation. International democracy at its nadir. |
| Posted by: badanov 2005-11-16 01:26 |