US Keeps Control of the Internet.

[rallytbk]

As a result of a a deal reached late Tuesday, the US and ICANN will maintain control over the Internet's core systems. A new body will be created to provide international oversight, which will, of course, have no binding authority."

The Minutes Of The Meeting
World: We want to control the internet.
USA: No.
World: Come on!
USA: No.
World: Will you at least think about it?
USA: No.
World: If you don't we will be forced to make our own DNS systems.
USA: OK.
World: But that will break the internet.
USA: OK
World: But that would be bad.
USA: Then leave it alone.
World: OK. But we're making a committee.
USA: That's cute.

This is good news:
So far, the US has been the only player who wants to maintain the free and open nature of the internet, with little-to-no censoring. The internet works because anyone can put anything they want up for the world to see.
Some of that content will be wrong, inflamatory, misguided, illegal, and/or offensive, but having that open forum means that a lot of good will show up, too.

[Milkman]

Yup, good news all around. Nice summary by the way.

[Towelmaster]

The U.S. only controls the internet in such a way that they could pull the plug out of the DNS-system. Not much more. ICANN is already an international club, its just based in the U.S.A. And furthermore : The country-domains aren't handled by ICANN anyway, they just decide on the suffix for each country, if there should be a .xxx, that stuff.

The problem is that POLITICS wants to get their hands on internet-control so they can introduce bureaucracy! Step forward United Nations! YEAH! Let's debate each and every improvement among bureaucrats and politicians, that'll make things better! <insert-puke-smiley-here>

As long as we're talking IP-addresses instead of domainnames I don't see how the United Stated could unilaterally make the internet unavailable anyway. The cables in Holland will still work, right? Before there even was any internet we used to f*ck around with bulletinboards. We can always go back temporarily...

BTW :

- Tim-Berners Lee is english
- Linus Torvalds is scandinavian
- Those guys who made ICQ are Israeli
Andsoon, andsoon...

So what do they mean with their badly hidden message : "the internet must be pried from greedy american hands"...

I think this is such a non-discussion... If it ain't broke don't fix it!
As long as the religious zealots stay away from control of the internet it will be quite safe "in American hands".

[AaronB]

As a result of a a deal reached late Tuesday, the US and ICANN will maintain control over the Internet's core systems. A new body will be created to provide international oversight, which will, of course, have no binding authority."

The Minutes Of The Meeting
World: We want to control the internet.
USA: No.
World: Come on!
USA: No.
World: Will you at least think about it?
USA: No.
World: If you don't we will be forced to make our own DNS systems.
USA: OK.
World: But that will break the internet.
USA: OK
World: But that would be bad.
USA: Then leave it alone.
World: OK. But we're making a committee.
USA: That's cute.

This is good news:
So far, the US has been the only player who wants to maintain the free and open nature of the internet, with little-to-no censoring. The internet works because anyone can put anything they want up for the world to see.
Some of that content will be wrong, inflamatory, misguided, illegal, and/or offensive, but having that open forum means that a lot of good will show up, too.

Rally I didn't know you were even at the meeting

[AaronB]

I think this is such a non-discussion... If it ain't broke don't fix it!
As long as the religious zealots stay away from control of the internet it will be quite safe "in American hands".

I would comment but I am running late to my "Elders of Zion" meeting

[Towelmaster]

I would comment but I am running late to my "Elders of Zion" meeting

I'm keeping my eye on YOU from now on baron! :lol:

[Andrew_Swallow]

So what do they mean with their badly hidden message : "the internet must be pried from greedy american hands"...

The internet can speak the truth. One of the most important pieces of truth is that the dictators of most countries are liars, thieves, traitors, cheats, adulaters, power mad and murderers. The most patriotic action the secret police can do is to arrest the creep. The most patriotic action army officers can do is order their men to shoot the monster.

The aim of the countries is to introduce censorship onto the internet so they can destroy the truth.

[Der Mike]

I think this is such a non-discussion... If it ain't broke don't fix it!
As long as the religious zealots stay away from control of the internet it will be quite safe "in American hands".

As long as the uselessly corrupt UN stays away from it, it'll be safe.

The only country on Earth one can trust with it is the US. Everybody else would censor everything in pursuit of not offending people who actively seek to slaughter you.
-=Mike
...You don't see American businesses banning Piglet because it offends a religious group...

[Towelmaster]

The aim of the countries is to introduce censorship onto the internet so they can destroy the truth.

I disagree somewhat Andrew, not much but a little. I would say that the aim of these countries is to gain control over the internet. Something that will ultimately destroy the free flow of thoughts and ideas and should therefor never ever be allowed. And indeed : China, Iran, etcetera are all trying to stop people's ideas from floating around in the virtual world. <G'Kar-mode>They will not succeed</G'Kar-mode>. Anyone can set up a network now, we have grown up a bit. The trick was to find a succesful way to connect to each other. Copying it would be relatively very easy.

Lets start some real underground resistance! B5 Bulletinboard anyone?

[villarestall]

...You don't see American businesses banning Piglet because it offends a religious group...

hehe..... not yet..... they are already trying to ban "piggy banks" as a means for kids to save their pennies in the UK (i think) for that very reason.....

ttfn......

[Towelmaster]

So what happens when the religious right actually gets a foot in the door and starts to decide what to allow and what not to allow? Can an atheist still write about it online? Where would these people draw the line for online-porn? As I once heard someone say "porn is an inevitable byproduct of free speech". Will people decide to ban all sex-sites? Or just the deviant ones? What are deviant ones? how do you define the limits of free speech? Can you do that at all?

And I could write a similar story about Iran or China.

I'm just saying ; It's a can o' worms.

[Andrew_Swallow]

hehe..... not yet..... they are already trying to ban "piggy banks" as a means for kids to save their pennies in the UK (i think) for that very reason.....

Business or local government? There is a big difference.

[The Puzzled Pak'Ma'Ra]

... You guys heard of the "Stainless Steel Mouse"? :

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1106/p01s04-woap.html

.. Blogs are huge in China now (like just about anywhere else), but bloggers are taking their chances. Certain words, deemed 'dangerous' by the government and the Communist Youth League, typed in are automatically edited out when entries are uploaded

... I've used the internet in China - The sad thing is, most Chinese are in denial. I say, "I can't even open American MSN", and they say, "Must be down now for maintenence". Yeah - it's 'down for maintenence 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

... China is an extreme case, but even here in Japan, many politicians are pushing to increase censorship on the net, and they are succeeding.

... very worrying

[villarestall]

Business or local government? There is a big difference.

Actually just did a little digging on this, and it's the banks that are banning them in the UK (NatWest Bank and Halifax Bank) because they "may offend muslims".... my mistake, I guess this is more a case of political correctness run amuck once again.....

ttfn.....

[Nacho]

Der Mike,

As long as the uselessly corrupt UN stays away from it, it'll be safe.

Yep. That is what this is really about. An ineffectual entity trying to take over the internet. Just as they have screwed up the UN, they are trying to screw up the internet, and by-gawd, we can't let them do that.