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It's On the Internets

That's right.  I said "internets" and I meant it.  Other countries want more control over the internet and the U.S. doesn't want to let go.   Surprise surprise.  Who's surprised?  Could money possibly be a factor?  The reasoning offered is that these countries who most want a more controlling role are no advocates of freedom of speech.  Not like us - I mean, as long as it's the right sort of speech, that is.  And you'll know when it's the wrong kind cause the shouting heads on the tv and the radio will tell you so.  Tank goff for Ann Coulter.  And Pat Robertson will announce that it's time to assassinate you.

Don't get me wrong.  In China, the government would as soon shoot you in the back of the head as let you express an idea contrary to the one they're advocating.  Our government won't kill us for saying the "wrong" thing.  They'll just shuffle us off to an unseen corner, marginalize us, and mark the way with signs that say "Caution: Leftist Freaks Ahead."  The difference with us is it's not the government who want you killed.  It's the people.  The Ann Coulters and the Pat Robertsons who are calling for your head.  And you've got to trust that the government is still against that sort of thing.  Now you know why I stick to coastal states and states north of Maryland.

But I digress.....we were discussing the internets.  In-ter-netsssssss.  If we don't allow other countries to play a bigger role in developing the net, they will start making their own.  Everyone will have their own version.  The system we currently have will breakdown.  You will no longer be able to access any site from anywhere in the world.  At least, not like you can now.  People in more controlled countries will have even greater restrictions on content placed on them.  They prolly won't be allowed to view the content on the other internets if the government doesn't approve of that country's political stance.

Right now the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) controls the net and they answer to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce.  They decide what top level domain names are created and who gets to control them.  ICANN works with a panel called the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC).  Other countries want to be on the committee, too, because GAC exerts a good deal of influence on ICANN's decisions.

That part seems fair enough so aren't we being selfish for not letting everyone get a piece?  Nobody likes the idea of the U.S. being the only ones holding power.  Everybody should be allowed to play in the sandbox.  The bigger problem arises when you start talking about what exactly the committee will be allowed to control.  You get into the issue of content.  Because, as noted above, countries like China don't want anything and everything up on the net.  Iran.  Saudi Arabia.  Brazil.  On this point, the EU and Canada are opposed.  They don't want content to become a state-controlled issue.  The EU proposed a committee that only oversees the governance of essential tasks, not content, a forum to discuss best practices on making the internet work.

The Bush internet advisor, Michael Gallagher, claims they will not "bureaucratise, politicise and retard the management of the DNS [Domain Name System]".  Who here believes him, cause I've got a bridge to sell you?

By min | November 2, 2005, 6:02 AM | Liberal Outrage


Comments

Not sure i understand all the technical details in terms of what other countries want to control. Is the internet currently administered by the US government or private corporations or what? But i think the ultimate solution would be to turn administrative control over to the UN. The trick would be getting the US to agree. And i don't know if they should. I mean, we developed the bulk of the technology, right? After all, when i build The Internet wonder in Civ, it's only my cities that get the 50% increase in scientific research, not the whole world. But i guess if it's our goal to 'promote democracy around the world', sharing internet technology would be a great start.