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ISOC Hires MPAA Executive Paul Beringer

Posted by timothy on from the interesting-choice dept.

First time accepted submitter imwilder writes "The Internet Society has hired Paul Beringer to head up its operations in North America. Beringer was formerly Chief Technology Policy Officer for the MPAA, and Executive Director of Internet and Technology Policy for Verizon Corporate Services. Does this challenge the notion that ISOC is a 'trusted, independent source of Internet leadership?'"

9 of 93 comments (clear)

  1. Welcome to the future by Fwipp · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Where "independent" and "objective" simply means "giving the bad as much airtime and consideration as the good."

    1. Re:Welcome to the future by causality · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Where "independent" and "objective" simply means "giving the bad as much airtime and consideration as the good."

      Reminds me of the news when they parrot statements made by government officials.

      Even when the statements are easily shown to be false, internally inconsistent, misleading, etc., they just quote the statement verbatim like a sales-oriented press release. There is no criticism of the statements made. They're simply quoted. Easily researched facts that contradict such official statements are not mentioned. I guess that would be too much like real objectivity for their tastes? I mean the way the media and government works is very simple: if you are a reporter and you ask powerful people hard questions, you stop getting invited to the next press events. You lose access as punishment. Only those with the preferred dispositions are invited. It works as long as everybody doesn't want to ask hard questions, that way those who do can be singled out.

      Anyway, maybe they are treating this Beringer guy like a lawyer: the "best" (most effective) oens are like attack dogs. They sic whomever their master points at. Maybe they're hoping that having him on their side will be an asset provided they can keep this dog on a short leash.

      Personally, I think by hiring people with reputations and affiliations like this, they just destroyed their own goodwill and credibility supposing they had any. That's not in the least because he was the MPAA "Technology Policy Officer" and he's a pretty shitty one if he doesn't tell them to adapt to the Information Age as they have clearly failed to do.

      --
      It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
    2. Re:Welcome to the future by jamstar7 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      For those that think ISOC doesn't matter, ISOC *funds* the IETF, and the IETF is one of the most important engineering bodies behind the Internet (and the least problematic of them all).

      Great. Now they have an *AA pet lapdog as part of the process. Anybody taking bets on how the engineers behind the scenes will now be pressured into 'fixing' things to make the internet into Cable TV 2.0?

      --
      Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
    3. Re:Welcome to the future by symbolset · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's called stuffing the panel. We learned about this during the Office Open XML standardization campaign with ISO. There is no level of corruption these bastards won't sink to. Something must be done. Don't think this guy is the end of it. He's just the camel's nose.

      --
      Help stamp out iliturcy.
  2. Does this mean... by jamstar7 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... we now have a case of the fox and a platoon of his buddies guarding the henhouse?

    --
    Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
    1. Re:Does this mean... by mysidia · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ... we now have a case of the fox and a platoon of his buddies guarding the henhouse?

      No.... an international hen house franchise owner just appointed the Fox as chief landlord over all the henhouses in North America.

      The hen houses have some autonomy, and there is a remote possibility they could band together and reject the Fox as their landlord

  3. Re:why are people assuming the worst?? by mysidia · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When you hire someone, you don't magically become a shill of that person's past employer.

    While true. You don't appoint the former CEO of a national beef conglomerate to be head of PETA. You don't appoint a former devil worshipper as pope. You don't appoint a former member of the pirate party as an executive of the RIAA.

    The fact that you were a chief executive of an organization such as the MPAA says something about you. And what it says is largely inconsistent with the values of the internet society.

    You choose executives whose personal views are consistent with the values of the organization, or who at least are not widely known as having opposite views; such as the scope and capabilities of the internet should be heavily restricted in order to protect media companies.

  4. Re:He is supposed to be "one of the good guys" by nosilA · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This. Paul is a personal friend of mine and a professional colleague and I will vouch for him as knowledgeable, fair-minded, and a talented lawyer and technologist. I have no doubt that he will perform admirably in the spirit of everything ISOC has done over the years to promote a free and open Internet. Then again, any article that would repeatedly misspell the name of the person being smeared proves itself uninformed and sloppy.

  5. Re:He is supposed to be "one of the good guys" by professionalfurryele · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He was CTPO of the MPAA. You don't work for a group that evil and get to claim that you are a person working for the common good. You cant be fair minded and take the MPAA's money. At best he is a Puyi, and someone that politically naive does not belong belong in this position.

    Even if he was trying to change it from the inside the only change that needs to happen at the MPAA is for it to disband and for everyone involved who ever aided in the bribery of politicians to be locked up. Your friend is complicit in the corruption of the United States political system and belongs in a cell, not heading up a North American chapter of ISOC.