US Relinquishes Control of Internet

Guardian, UK ^ | September 30, 2009 | Bobbie Johnson

[NorwegianViking]

After complaints about American dominance of the internet and growing disquiet in some parts of the world, Washington has said it will relinquish some control over the way the network is run and allow foreign governments more of a say in the future of the system. Icann – the official body that ultimately controls the development of the internet thanks to its oversight of web addresses such as .com, .net and .org – said today that it was ending its agreement with the US government. The deal, part of a contract negotiated with the US department of commerce, effectively pushes California-based Icann towards a new status as an international body with greater representation from companies and governments around the globe. Icann had previously been operating under the auspices of the American government, which had control of the net thanks to its initial role in developing the underlying technologies used for connecting computers together. But the fresh focus will give other countries a more prominent role in determining what takes place online, and even the way in which it happens – opening the door for a virtual United Nations, where many officials gather to discuss potential changes to the internet. Icann chief Rod Beckstrom, a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Washington insider who took over running the organisation in July, said there had been legitimate concerns that some countries were developing alternative internets as a way of routing around American control. "It's rumoured that there are multiple experiments going on with countries forking the internet, various countries have discussed this," he said. "...He added that the changes would prove powerful when combined with upcoming plans to allow web users to use addresses with names in Chinese, Arabic or other alphabets other than Latin...

[NorwegianViking]

I thought twice about posting this simply because I had not seen or heard about it either. I saw it on Drudge tonight and was very curious, so I clicked on the “Guardian UK” site. I listen to FOX almost constantly, so I would not know how the “fringe” media is reporting it, but tonight was the first that I saw of the report. Has anyone else heard or seen anything else?

[SunkenCiv]

has said it will relinquish some control over the way the network is run and allow foreign governments more of a say in the future of the system

[BlueDragon]

Icann chief Rod Beckstrom, a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Washington insider who took over running the organisation in July, said there had been legitimate concerns that some countries were developing alternative internets as a way of routing around American control. "It's rumoured that there are multiple experiments going on with countries forking the internet, various countries have discussed this," he said. "

So? why would that be a problem? They have to connect with the rest, or else have their own limited networks. They can have their own limited networks, all they want, anyways... Let 'em.

If that became a problem,
Fork 'em right back, faster and harder...

[upchuck]

Paragraphs are your friend.....

Bump!

[Tzimisce]

And here comes the censorship. :)

Oh wait, I mean here comes the “civility” in debate. It’s a lot different than censorship - you just won’t be allowed to say certain things whereas under censorship you aren’t allowed to say certain things.

Any questions?

[unkus]

Can obumber do this on his own without the congress?_____________________

The evil one will go as far as he’s allowed.

[khnyny]

I’m not the voice of authority on this- let me make that clear. I’m stating this based upon what I’ve read and some small personal knowledge. Do your own research.

The larger issue that I see is the problem of “international law” and regulations which hurt the US and US companies, trademarks and patents. The big money is now in “emerging” markets like China, India and other countries with little or no regulation, etc. Virtual slave labour. It’s greed like it’s always been, except now the US in on the short end of the stick. Just an opinion.

[upchuck]

It’s strange that this is receiving no coverage in the US

Here are a few links for you:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/10/us-icann-internet.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574446942665685208.html
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2009/gb2009102_460955.htm
http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/policy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=220300724

Go to Google news and type ICANN in the search box. Hundreds of articles.

[Uncle Miltie]

The Death of the Internet.

Censorship, here we come.

But 0bummer is pro-censorship. See Office of Diversity.

[DilJective]

I am amazed at the shortsightedness of the decision makers. Horrible. Giving control of the UN to fruitcakes in grass-skirts was apparently not enough of a sign that it would be a really bad idea to relinquish control of a major asset/resource to these same people. The ability of the internet to spread the idea of freedom will be hampered by this decision.

[TexasFreeper2009]

well Carter gave away the Panama Canal, guess it makes since for Carter II (obama) to give away the Internet.

[vox_freedom]

Let's just imagine what an international body will decide about internet freedoms and intellectual property that is the WWW.

[Sender]

In China and India, we have people who are clawing their way out of existential poverty and trying to get a cheap apartment or a crap car. Maybe a wood-burning stove. They will work extremely hard to get this. They don't care about their carbon footprint. They don't care about the US unemployment rate. They don't care about heavy metals pollution. They just want some food and a room.

The US is at a distinct disadvantage. US union labor? Don't make me laugh. We are competing with the truly desperate to assemble widgets.

[South40]

This is further proof that we are indeed in the midst of Jimmy Carter’s second term.

[NorwegianViking]

Found this on Hannity's site

http://forums.hannity.com/showthread.php?t=1669041&page=4

from http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...Iz8ZgD9B1NEIO0

Quote: US to share Internet review amid worldwide growth By ANICK JESDANUN (AP) – 1 day ago

NEW YORK — As Internet use expands worldwide, the United States said Wednesday it will give other governments and the private sector a greater oversight role in an organization whose decisions affect how computers relay traffic such as e-mail and Twitter posts.

The move comes after European regulators and other critics have said the U.S. government could wield too much influence over a system used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Those critics have complained, among other things, about the slow rollout of Internet addresses in languages other than English.

However, the U.S. government stopped short Wednesday of cutting its ties completely with the Internet organization, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN. The government agreed instead to establish advisory panels made up of government and private-sector representatives around the world.

[philman_36]

There goes the Net as we know it.

[ResponseAbility]

How are the programmers and the warez community reacting to this?

[NorwegianViking]

The larger issue that I see is the problem of “international law” and regulations which hurt the US and US companies, trademarks and patents. The big money is now in “emerging” markets like China, India and other countries with little or no regulation, etc. Virtual slave labour. It’s greed like it’s always been, except now the US in on the short end of the stick. Just an opinion.

I think you have an excellent analysis and an excellent opinion. I would certainly agree.---very sadly.

[randomhero97]

Not only what you stated but it is a severe lapse in national security if this happens.

[NorwegianViking]

UpChuck, appreciate you. I think I had limited my Google search to just “US Relinqueshes Control of Internet”. Thanks again.