US Delivers 404 On UN Proposal

[jmiller]

The United States government has rejected a proposal by United Nations members to cede its control of the Internet’s root servers to international governance, an announcement that has increased criticism among developing nations before November’s World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia.


Tunisia joins China, Brazil, Iran, India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia as one of the chief critics of the United States government’s insistence upon maintaining the role of “steward” of the Internet.

Many of these countries, however, are not without their share of criticism in the matter, as many feel their thoughts on the matter are moot until they address their own issues of Internet censorship and tight Web regulations.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is one such organization especially critical of China and Iran, for their history of human rights abuses that have extended to online realms. Recently RSF blasted the UN’s decision to hold the upcoming summit in Tunisia, where freedom of speech and press are limited.

In a statement to the UN, RSF said the decision to host an Internet summit in “a country that imprisons people for using the Internet…is beyond comprehension,” a poignant detail many feel is an excellent example why the UN should not be granted any regulatory control.

This is one of many reasons the United States Department of Commerce has no interest in divesting regulatory control of the 13 root servers the government spent years and copious amounts of money developing. The US government has yet to even cede control to its own Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), an organization it created for that purpose in 1998.

Michael D. Gallagher, assistant secretary for communications and information at the Commerce Department, outlined four principles guiding US control over the Internet, the first of which addresses the government’s commitment to ensuring the stability and security of the Web.

Releasing regulatory control of the Internet to an intergovernmental body poses a number of implications the US government is uncomfortable with, one of which may be construed as a decrease in sovereignty, as shifting this control would lessen US strength as a global power.

The main objection, however, as voiced by Gallagher, is an apparent commitment to ensuring that the Internet be driven by the private sector, rather than by governmental influence. That is, unless, that governmental influence is from the government that financed the endeavor to begin with.

But David Gross, the State Dept.’s coordinator for international communications and information policy, has for sealed the issue with a few pointed words.

"We will not agree to the U.N. taking over the management of the Internet," he said Thursday. "Some countries want that. We think that's unacceptable."

[GaryBradshaw]

I agree, we should not turn control over to anyone else.

[GaryBradshaw]

I think we should not release the root servers. I support what we are doing.

[kgun]

Tunisia joins China, Brazil, Iran, India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia as one of the chief critics of the United States government’s insistence upon maintaining the role of “steward” of the Internet.

1. Is it an American or international forum?.
2. Do you want members from these countries?
3. Please do not start a new "french discussion."
4. I am a mathematician, so I do not care.

Many of these countries, however, are not without their share of criticism in the matter, as many feel their thoughts on the matter are moot until they address their own issues of Internet censorship and tight Web regulations.

Personal advice: Leave that discussion to CNN.

Censored by KGB = Kjell Gunnar Bleivik, because I got too many letters from CIA :-)

[ukeyoc]

This is a hot topic. My opinion: I don't want a political control of Internet (especially influences from China).

[flood6]

I can see spreading some of the authority around. NATO comes to mind as an international organization I would be comfortable sharing the root servers with.

Maybe slowly building an international organization. Start out with the US, Japan, UK, Germany, Italy. See how that goes and add Canada, France, etc. Slowly adding more countries. I don't know...I'm neither a bureaucrat nor politician (redundant?).

I just know that a lot of Americans don't trust the UN as far as they can throw it. God bless Tunisia, China, Libya, Cuba, Iran, etc., but I don't see control of the internet being handed over to them any time soon.

[kgun]

Please, leave it to CNN.

"The web is more a social creation than a technical one. I designed it for a social effect — to help people work together — and not as a technical toy. The ultimate goal of the Web is to support and improve our weblike existence in the world. We clump into families, associations, and companies. We develop trust across the miles and distrust around the corner".

—Tim Berners-Lee, Weaving The Web

[Weedy Lady]

The UN wants to take away our guns in America. They want to take away our web servers. They want to undo everything that has made America strong and independent.

American has a lot of things that need to be fixed. The above two items are not on that list. They are just fine the way they are.

Why, why, why,......do we not kick the UN out of New York and quit paying for the insults that are the only thing they have to offer us? Let the countries that want to bring us down pay the bills.

[kgun]

The 10 rules for a man who wants to conquer the world.

1. First rule, is very simple, the majority is always right.

2. What will people say? Agree with the strongest.

3. And are you unsure, remain silent until you see who are applauded.

4. Be careful about what you shall mean, it may be difficult to stand alone.

5. Do not follow high rules, but say what is to your advantage.

6. Say what you think people will like to hear, go silent through all doors.

7. Do not stand up, make yourself warm in every home.

8. Remember no man can get enough admiration. In that way you get your friends.

9. In the chiefs meeting, you remember every word said about another person. But no respectful soul tells anything to whom the rumour applies.

10. If the last rule is respcted, then your future is guaranteed.

Please, do not reduce WPW to a political forum.

[DrTandem1]

Since the UN is nothing but a sham for anti-American interests and we pay the lion's share of its cost, I think it's about time we told them "no."

I think if you took a vote, the vast majority of Americans would want to remove the UN from American soil and cancel our membership.

After the oil-for-food scam by France, Germany, Russia and Iraq/Saddam, I think we have had enough of our "allies' help." Glad we called their bluff and ended 12 years of obfuscation.