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UN Takeover of Internet Must Be Stopped, US Warns

benfrog writes "In a rare show of bipartisan agreement, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle warned this morning that a United Nations summit in December will lead to a virtual takeover of the Internet if proposals from China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are adopted. Called the World Conference on International Telecommunications, the summit would consider proposals including '[using] international mandates to charge certain Web destinations on a "per-click" basis to fund the build-out of broadband infrastructure across the globe' and allowing 'governments to monitor and restrict content or impose economic costs upon international data flows.' Concerns regarding the possible proposals were both aired at a congressional hearing this morning and drafted in a congressional resolution (PDF)."

454 comments

  1. UN takeover must be stopped? by dhammabum · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The only thing they are worried about is that the US would not control it.

    --
    I am not a robot. I am a unicorn.
    1. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by DigiShaman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Bad, or worse. Pick one.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    2. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Sean · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's pretty arrogant of you to presume such powerful forces can't successfully intervene in the Internet. Look at the censorship we have today.

    3. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by tnk1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I like how they are already starting to talk about taxing it to pay for it's regulation by them. As far as I can tell, the Internet is working fine without them, so I am not sure what click taxes are going to buy for anyone, other than funding regulations that only certain governments who dislike current liberties on the Internet would be interested in.

      This goes to show my usual theory about politicians. They're mostly technically ignorant, but they can usually muster just enough insight to know that they should avoid nightmare scenarios like this. It's more of a survival instinct than anything else.

    4. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Zombie+Byte · · Score: 0

      Nice contribution. The government can certainly control the internet.

    5. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Power is a zero-sum game. The more empowered "the people" become, the less powerful governments become. And vice versa.

      Inasmuch as the Internet empowers people, every government in the world sees it as a power sink and wants to put a nice tight leash on it.

    6. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by ktappe · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The only thing they are worried about is that the US would not control it.

      Did you bother reading even the summary? I'm usually pro-U.N. but here they're sanctioning government censorship of the Internet. This is seriously messed up and there is no way the U.S. should support it.

      --
      "We can categorically state we have not released man-eating badgers into the area." - UK military spokesman, July 2007
    7. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by interkin3tic · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They say they're worried that China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia would gain control.

      They're ACTUALLY worried about Sweden or the Netherlands gaining control.

    8. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by dhammabum · · Score: 1

      I was being facetious - every government wants to control whatever they can. While I would rather no one controls the Internet, and having Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran guiding matters would be disastrous, it is probably only a matter of time when the game will be over, the Internet becomes just another tool of governments and corporations, and we'll all have to go home. I do despair....

      --
      I am not a robot. I am a unicorn.
    9. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by kdemetter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The government can certainly try to control the internet.
      They can block a few websites, or even firewall off must parts of it, but people will always find a way to get around it, just like they have gotten around other forms of government control.

      The internet is more than the hardware, it's also an idea. And that's not so easy to take down.

    10. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by ehintz · · Score: 4, Funny

      Ok. But, help me out here, which one is bad, and which one is worse?

      --
      ehintz
    11. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by superdave80 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      ...proposals from China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia ...

      Yeah, I totally want those guys making suggestions about the internet.....

    12. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by jovius · · Score: 1

      ...should continue working to implement the position of the United States on Internet governance that clearly articulates the consistent and unequivocal policy of the United States to promote a global Internet free from government control...

      It must be the opposite because that's how it says in the resolution.

    13. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by mwvdlee · · Score: 1

      I don't like the US controlling the internet either, but having the UN control it might be even worse.

      --
      Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
    14. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only thing they are worried about is that the US would not control it.

      Yes. Everyone should realize that internet is not for US to own. And specially not Microsoft.
      UN should take control and keep internet equal to all to utilize.

    15. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Macthorpe · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm sorry, which government was it that started seizing .com domains without warning?

      The article itself is full of "could allow", "might allow", "tries to" language that never goes quite far enough to say that things will definitely pan out the way the US government wants you to think it will. The US is scared that it's own control will be eroded by others. Given the way they've abused that control, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to see what other people make of it.

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    16. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Mashiki · · Score: 0

      Well let's see here. The US is kinda bad, the UN is horrible, no terrible. We have murderous dictators running human rights councils, we have the most oppressive countries running womens rights councils, we have NGO's directly influencing 'racism' conferences with the heads of the UN organizations actively being supportive of the efforts, and in calling for the genocide of other groups of people

      Soooooo....you tell me. US or UN? Even if you say US, the US doesn't control near as much as you think.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    17. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So you think that having all of the above-mentioned countries controlling the Internet would be better?

      I don't disagree that the US has a deplorable history of behavior towards the Internet, but it could be *a lot* worse.

    18. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Prefer the UN rather then the US

    19. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You mean like tax it?

      Like require all content providers to screen things that are posted to pre-approve them?

      Like they control the phones? Or newspapers? Or TV?

      Nah. I'm sure it'll be fine.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    20. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Internet is very dependent on central points of failure today. That is you are reliant on your ISP, your ISP is controlled by government, etc. There are few independent web sites that host all the links to copyright infringing material. However with alternative web browsers and anonymity solutions like Tor and i2p much of this is eliminated. Even with a centralised controling entity it is difficult to curb discent. Look at China. It's probably got to be the most firewalled walled off place and yet even the Chinese manage to bypass the censorship with the help of programs like Tor. And they are getting these programs. While it may be person to person the software is getting around the censorship.

    21. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Governments already censor the internet. Only difference here is an international body says ok.

    22. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by lightknight · · Score: 2

      The internet is designed to survive a nuclear strike. The forces of bribery, stupidity, and politics may be able to slow or damage parts of the internet, but those parts are cut-off or rerouted as soon as the damage is discovered.

      It should be a bigger worry to those countries who ARE cut off from the internet when everyone else's are not.

      --
      I am John Hurt.
    23. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by couchslug · · Score: 1, Troll

      The UN has accomplished nothing of value and should be disbanded.

      It's naught but a fig leaf for corruption.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
    24. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      In theory, but heavy-handedness can go far to ensure no Internet communication.

      What I fear is that an international agency can enforce its wills on websites, where the US can't because people would complain or threaten to take their toys and go home. That lever is not there if a coalition runs it.

      Think SOPA/PIPA except by a board immune to one's country laws. Toss in some ACTA love because what that one agency says, goes, so no reviews are needed. One can even have it where one country can have propaganda against another country, and the country being attacked in that manner would have sites dropped that rebutted the attacks.

      Enforcing wills could be making sure sites are "correct" with the nation's religion, so a site mocking Elbonia's battery swallowing contest can be knocked off the air without any due process.

      The US may suck, but having an international commitee of even more repressive governments (countries who wouldn't hesitate to turn their convicts into component organs to sell on the market, or machine-gun their own people) would be worse, and there would be nothing any can do about it. At least the US will cave into international pressure.

    25. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by lightknight · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Taxing = slowing = the introduction of more 'hiccups' into the taxer's economy. Get enough hiccups of sufficient magnitude often enough, and there won't be an economy anymore.

      --
      I am John Hurt.
    26. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by elucido · · Score: 1

      The only thing they are worried about is that the US would not control it.

      I think giving the UN control of the internet would be a good thing. No single country should control something as important as the internet.

    27. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

      And rightly so, there's enough permed hairy pr0n on the internet as it is.

    28. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by X0563511 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It was. A long time ago. This hyperbole needs to die.

      The internet is not like that these days. Witness one example of a relatively minor disaster causing massive problems.

      Lets also take a look at the - pretty large impact for two damaged links.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    29. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by X0563511 · · Score: 2

      Fucking slashdot eating anchor links.

      This one went missing (it was my "one example")

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    30. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That would be fruktansvärd eller zelfs verschrikkelijk!

    31. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Macthorpe · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So you think that having all of the above-mentioned countries controlling the Internet would be better?

      The above mentioned countries were only mentioned because those are the states you're scared of.

      My point is mainly that the US government is trying to say "Hey, don't let these guys control the internet - they might be as bad or worse than we've already proved ourselves to be!"

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    32. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by bug1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The US demonstrated it is prepared to censor the Internet when they disrupted wikileaks.

      The US has demonstrated it is not capable of behaving responsibly when it has influence over DNS.

      Maybe the UN might be just as bad as the US, but they havent demonstrated that failure like the US has.

    33. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Sulphur · · Score: 1

      Bad, or worse. Pick one.

      On a bicycle for two, the passenger decides that they are on the wrong side of the road and begins pedaling backwards.

    34. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by artor3 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      We've already seen what China and Iran do with the internet. The only reason you're arguing in favor of giving them more power is because you think knee-jerk anti-Americanism makes you cool and edgy. You're a damn fool. Leaked memos have shown for years that China is drafting proposals to allow them to track any internet posting back to its source. Here's an excerpt from their use case:

      1.5 Proxy "Safe harbor" A political opponent to a government publishes articles putting the government in an unfavorable light. The government, having a law against any opposition, tries to identify the source of the negative articles but the articles having been published via a proxy server, is unable to do so protecting the anonymity of the author.

      That's not an example of how great anonymity is. That is literally a problem statement. Something they want to solve. Grow the hell up and stop reflexively hating on the US, or else you'll end up supporting the very sort of Orwellian control you hope to avoid.

    35. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Only time the USG is worried about control is when they don't have it.

    36. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't want the US to muddle with your data? well.. stop addressing it with a US address. And get a legal system that will apply the relevant rule of law without caving to a foreign special interest. .com is a US domain. If Russia wants to control the .ru domain, they can. And already do. Having the UN be the authority over the internet won't solve any problems. Making every foreign special interest a part of the ruling body on the relevant rules is, like every bureaucracy, going to make everybody unhappy.

      If you want the US to not snoop as it can.. well.. good luck. Every government with the resources to snoop is going to. Espionage and intelligence gathering are just part of governance. If you really need your information to not be snooped upon .. then you need a transport mechanism that isn't the internet.If you use the internet for your must-be-secure data then you are exchanging risk for convenience. Not unreasonable, because it is very convenient and you can mitigate somewhat the risk. But lets not kid ourselves about the tradeoff.

    37. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Zemran · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Because we know what a great job the US has done of controlling it. I think it needs to leave the US as that becomes dependant on the whims of the crazy legal and commercial interests. It needs to be independent of any government. The only way that can be achieved is through the UN.

      --
      I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.
    38. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Macthorpe · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The only reason you're arguing in favor of giving them more power is because you think knee-jerk anti-Americanism makes you cool and edgy

      I'm arguing that giving any one country all the power to control an international resource like the internet is a bad idea in both the short and the long term. It doesn't matter how democratic you think that country is right now - their standards are not necessarily your standards, and other people also have different moral values too. In any country where copyright laws are different from the US, ripping .com domains off the internet for US copyright violation is indistinguishable from censorship.

      some blathering about China

      Nobody advocating granted all power over the internet to China, either.

      Grow the hell up and stop reflexively hating on the US, or else you'll end up supporting the very sort of Orwellian control you hope to avoid.

      Calm the fuck down and try reading what I wrote, rather than letting what you think I think enrage you.

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    39. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      But that's like Obama's argument for re-election, yet you'll still vote for him.

    40. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There is no "the people". There are those who want government to have less power, those who want it to have more power, and those who just think how that previous group tells them to think.

    41. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Macthorpe · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm not American, so it's fairly unlikely that I'll vote in your elections.

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    42. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      +5 FUNNY?

      I thought it was rather insightful.

    43. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by thej1nx · · Score: 3, Insightful
      You have to only fill in the missing qualifier to understand what this is about.
      .

      'They could allow (other) "governments to monitor and restrict content or impose economic costs upon international data flows," added Ambassador Philip Verveer, a deputy assistant secretary of state'

    44. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "Hey, don't let these guys control the internet - they've actively attempted at every juncture and publicly stated a future intention to be worse than we've already proved ourselves to be"

      Fixed that for you.

    45. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Macthorpe · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The countries picked in the (as usual) inflammatory summary are only examples of countries that have other ideas for the internet. They do not, and would not, have complete control over the internet if control was passed to the UN. However, right now, one country has control of the large majority of TLDs, and also has the power to create/remove TLDs - the US. When this means they get to act on their own laws against citizens of other countries without due process, that is dangerous. When they actually do that, and disable access to foreign websites hosted in other countries with no recourse under international law, which has happened, I struggle very hard to define that as anything other than abuse of power.

      However, I clearly owe you an apology. I didn't realise pointing out things that actually happened, and then deriving potential motivations, was a sign that I'm "reflexively hating on the US". I was positive that I was allowed to have critical opinions on any government that I derive from facts and logical thinking, but that's offended your sensibilities. Let this be my last word on the subject, in case I say more and you actually physically explode with rage.

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    46. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by thej1nx · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Well maybe you should have stopped USA government from abusing its monopoly of the internet by passing laws that can ban any domain name. And you should have stopped US judges from thinking that US laws apply to the entire world(except where it is impractical i.e. if other country cannot be controlled). It gave these other countries an excuse("Why should only USA be allowed to police the internet as per its own laws, when internet is now a global resource? Why can we not then, apply our own laws and censorship rules as well?") AND it gave them an incentive to de-centralize the internet control, since USA showed that it has to power to disrupt the internet for any country not toeing the line, *and* is willing to abuse that power. They do not want that.
      .

      USA has only succeeded in fragmenting the internet. For all its talk about wanting to help activists across the world, and instill democracy in non-democratic countries, it has succeeded in taking away the biggest weapon that the activists in such regimes had, by choosing to abuse its monopoly on behalf of greedy MPAA/RIAA. And you allowed this to happen, by not stopping your senators from voting such corporate-paid laws into effect. So yeah, you *totally* did want this to happen apparently.

    47. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by jupiter126 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      US, EU, UN, China, Iran, CIA, RIAA, MPAA, your boss,... which of the above wouldn't want to control the internet (or at least what you do with it)? Controlling the internet is today's war, and most the precited don't care about your opinion and just want to enforce their convictions upon you.

      The real question is thus not weither they will fight until one is victorious, but how and when we will organise against their control.

      Actions like the "Pirate Party" tend to fight this trend in a legal way, but what governements and corporations should understand is that using steganography, create VPN's and mesh networks (ever setup a pirate box?) is only a consequence of their inability to find suitable legislation - and most likely a cause of their demisal.

    48. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by artor3 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Typical arrogance. Pretend the person who disagrees with you is frothing with rage, because clearly that means that they're wrong. Sorry to disappoint, but I've got a huge smile on my face after watching (on DVR) the Red Sox get humiliated by the Tigers in the 9th.

      On this issue, you should be aware that the countries listed in the summary are chosen because they are among the ones pushing hardest for this. Why? Because they have the greatest incentive. Maybe you don't give a shit about the billions of people who live in places with abusive governments. But I do, and anything that helps those governments be more abusive is a bad thing.

    49. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by interkin3tic · · Score: 4, Insightful

      But if the internet isn't free for everyone, if it's locked down for everyone who isn't savvy enough to run tor or whatnot, then it really loses a lot of it's potential.

      The internet recently catalyzed revolutions in several middle east countries. If the internet were wide open worldwide, that would be a tool against human rights suppression, and is one of the only real effective tools against that.

      If they make it such that uploading or viewing videos of police beating down protestors is impossible for 90% of the users out there, then that's not a completely effective control, but it could be enough to stave off corrective action on the part of the citizenry.

    50. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Xest · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yep, this is merely scaremongering at it's greatest.

      America can quote the names of countries it believes instills fear in it's populace all it wants, but those countries can't do jack shit when the rest of the world would oppose it.

      The fact is, if a proposal couldn't get the EU and US on board, then it wouldn't stand a chance in hell of passing anyway, so the only reason this fear mongering would ever hold true is if America sided with Iran, China, Russia, North Korea or whatever other country names it's trying to cause fear with.

      But then, maybe that's the problem? maybe the US is afraid it would side with them given the fact it's to date the only country that has enforced it's national principles on the global internet with ICE domain seizures of international domains, owned by international businesses.

      This article is a perfect example of the term FUD, it is 100% FUD, an attempt to retain control of the internet by the US so it can enforce it's ridiculous IP policies on the rest of the internet against the will of the rest of the world.

      UN control of the internet would never be dictated by a minority in the way some special interest UN committees and groupings are like the WTO, which is a puppet of US trade policy, historically setup because WIPO was previously too democratic for the US and didn't let the US push it's self-interest globally due to numerous democratic defeats by countries like Africa disagreeing with the lengths of America's patent and copyright terms for example.

      Really, the solution is simple - tenatively support transfer of control to the UN, and see what's proposed, if the proposal is that any one country can do something nasty, then refuse to participate in the process and hence prevent it going ahead. If however a proposal is put forward that protects neutrality of the internet, prevents arbitrary censorship by any one nation, etc. then we're in a far far better situation than we are now. The US doesn't want that though, because it wants to enforce it's own arbitrary censorship on the globe, and THAT is why it's spreading this FUD, rather than offering to engage in the process of making the internet safer from government meddling and censorship by forcing it into an organisation that requires consensus.

      Really, between ICE seizures, and the whole custom TLD thing which seems merely designed to make ICANN billions of dollars in revenue whilst completely fucking up the hierachial structure of the DNS I don't know how the US can claim either moral, or technical superiority as an excuse to continue controlling the internet. With the US becoming ever more right wing, and ever more religiously zealous it's becoming ever less trustworthy as a guardian of the internet. Things are only going to continue to get worse under US stewardship of the internet, PIPA, SOPA, ACTA et. al. have only been a preview of that, Obama said he'd have vetoed the bills had they made it to him, would Romney? would the next Bush?

      So to take the parents point about "could allow", "might allow", "tries to", I'd like to point out that these statements also apply to the US though personally I'd replace these with "probably will within the next couple of decades".

    51. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by ravenshrike · · Score: 3, Funny

      But if you get an American's CC number you can donate to him, seeing as his campaign disabled(It's turned on by default) CVN and doesn't do name verification.

    52. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by boombaard · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The US is kinda bad, eh? Then why are its citizens petitioning for the creation of a (Please) Do Not Kill (Me) list?

    53. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by 3.5+stripes · · Score: 2

      Yes, a change from a 1 country control to control by committee can only make things worse. The US is controlled by business interests. The rest of the UN is a bit more varied.

      Your problem is you're only focusing on the "bad" parts of the UN.. the US is in there also, as are the UK, and a lot of other democracies. The UN can't agree on mass murdering dictatorships, Why would they all of a sudden be on the same page wrt the internet?

      --


      He tried to kill me with a forklift!
    54. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by SuricouRaven · · Score: 2

      No-one controls the entire internet. It is divided into a great many kingdoms, each governed by a different authority. Many of them eager to expand the size and influence of their holding. Sometimes working as allies, some in opposition. Much like the real world. But there is no part of the internet that isn't controlled by *someone*, simple because the hardware has to exist in some physical space.

    55. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by gbjbaanb · · Score: 2

      the thing I liked about this was the "changing web destinations on a per click basis to fund..." - in other words, the UN is going to become a world government funded by advertising!

    56. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by serviscope_minor · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I am not American, by the way.

      The USA government is not perfect. Far from it. The domain seizure (not the entire internet, just the big 3 TLDs) without due process is awful. The wheels of justice turn slowly, and often very slowly in America. As Winston Churchill put it:

      "Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing...after they have exhausted all other possibilities."

      this is in contrast to most other countries which will stop short. I know mine (UK) will. We have a shadowy organisation (the IWF) responsible for blocking child pronography. The list of blocked sites has not yet been leaked, but in every other country where a direct analog list has been leaked it's turned out that there's plenty more than just child pronography on that list. I doubt that our blocklist is any better. And they're always looking to expand it to other objectionable content like "hate speech". And the government are now looking to put filters everywhere.

      Look at any other European (or Australia) country and it's the same. Look anywhere else and it's worse.

      The USA is, frankly, the only organisation that I would trust to any reasonable degree to actually run the internet. They will do it badly, and have long periods of injustice. But they have the strongest free speech protections of anywhere in the world and will almost certainly do it better and with less injustice that anyone else.

      Who do you think would do a better job than the USA and why?

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    57. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by serviscope_minor · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Maybe the UN might be just as bad as the US, but they havent demonstrated that failure like the US has.

      Have you seen the list of countries which make up the UN?

      Can you name one country which is less keen on censorship than the US? The US is not perfect, far from it, but is there anyone else who isn't actually worse?

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    58. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is possible to control the internet by the UN. When hell freezes over it might affect the US as well.

    59. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by TapeCutter · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Librarians have worked toward a similar goal for centuries and are trully the unsung heros of free speech. They have a strong code of ethics and present a united and publically respectable front. Pity the world's sysadmins and coders can't get their shit togther ethics-wise because we are going to be fighting each other until doomsday over who controls the wires.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    60. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by quenda · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It was. [designed to survive a nuclear strike.] A long time ago.

      No, that was always something of an urban legend.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET#Misconceptions_of_design_goals

    61. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The US will have enough influence in the UN to not be affected. As long as they oppose... It's not about control for the UN but no control for the US.

    62. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But the US doesn't control all the internet. The US just had a role that resulted in the creation and success of the internet and wishes to continue to have similar influence. The internet actually appears on the radar of the typical US couch dweller. Reasonable protection of the internet while in US control is more likely than the continued existence of any random population of brown people because Americans actually care about the internet.

    63. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sorry, which government was it that started seizing .com domains without warning?

      Out of China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia? All of them, actually. And in some cases, the domains don't get ceased, they just suddenly vanish from the DNS records just like the site owners vanish from the streets.

      Given the way they've abused that control, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to see what other people make of it.

      Yes, a few cases of politicians getting stupid have occurred. +5 Insightful??? Start by examining the track record not just of the US, but of these countries you're advocating handing control to. China. Really? You're going to come here and tell us that CHINA of all fucking countries is the shining example of how the Internet should be run? That Iran is fully committed to NOT blocking, seizing, or otherwise prohibiting access to sites the government disagrees with?

      Look, you might not like the US, but at least we have a semblance of due process. You won't get ANY recourse if the UN runs the show, and if those other countries have any say in things, you can kiss any dreams of an open internet good-fucking-bye.

    64. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by TapeCutter · · Score: 2

      If you believe in democracy and free speech then you totally DO want them to participate in a global communications treaty. If democracy really is the best ideaology on offer then surely it will pass the test of refusing to censor it's own enemies?

      Posting due to lack of a +1-hypocritical option.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    65. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by kbg · · Score: 2

      Yes, its totally not like the US puts people in indefinite detention or tortures prisoners or assassinates people without any evidence right?

    66. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I must say that I think exactly like you on this topic. I'm not American - but when I read the list of countries this proposal came from, I nearly had to puke.

      The US are not a judicial miracle wonderland - but they are certainly the best option we have.

      And *anything* handed over to the UN is bound to finally be controlled by dictatorships in the worst case, or a complete bureaucratic dystopian organization in the best case. Better leave it with the US for now.

    67. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Using my new iPhone app, you can even vote from other planets (Requires Diebold voting machines).

    68. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by thej1nx · · Score: 0
      I was talking about the parent post, which *was* made by an American, based on his comment history. And for some reason, you seem to think someone is advocating to replace USA with country X, wherein the argument being made is, that "any one country should NOT be allowed to control internet, and every single country in the world, connected to internet, should have some say and control over how it is run". Any the nonsense about USA being "better than rest of the world" is pure nonsense. Modern Japan is a pretty decent country. Switzerland and Greenland have not been invading any country lately. So USA is only somewhere in middle rungs on that ladder.
      .

      What is dangerous about USA is that it already exploits its military(and earlier economic) dominance in so many ways. It wants to keep the biggest nuke pile on earth, while for some reason, it is evil for other countries to possess nuclear technology. It was shoving globalization down the throat of India and other nations, when they had a closed-loop economy in the 80s but now suddenly globalization is an evil thing.

      USA is dangerous because it PRETENDS to be one of the good guys. Because it does lip service to concept of democracy, while openly and blatantly allowing lobbying and campaigning by the rich, and permitting its politicians to be openly bought off by campaign donations. Heck it openly supported and financed dictators in Pakistan and middle east nations. It acts like a MPD inflicted nation, playing BOTH good and bad cop at once.

      The so-called free speech? Nonsense. Such rights in USA are a mere mockery and feel good illusion, frequently being contested, eroded and challenged. They are allowed to exist only in inconsequential manner, merely to continue the pretension of "we have more rights and are holier than thou".

      Powerful monopolistic companies get anti-trust laws to keep them in check. Why on earth, should USA not get the same? It may have invented the internet, but then again UK invented the railways and yet, USA uses and maintains control of its own railways network. Want a more interconnected example? Heck, if inventing something gave your country some moral/ethical rights to control it, USA should give the claims to computers in the first place, since it did NOT invent those.

      You mentioned child-pornography, for example. But the problem is that US definition is not necessarily everyone else's definition, on who is a child. Australia wants to count young looking or flat-chested women in 40s as children. California decides that anyone under 18 is a child today. Japan constitutional/federal age of consent is only 13. But tomorrow it may wage propoganda war against rest of the states to raise that limit to say, 25 and make the mere subject of gays illegal, and suddenly you will have website being banned just because they mention homosexuals or have whoever put age as 24 year and declaring themselves to be pregnant or even married, being declared as sex-offenders.

      Sounds un-real? But we are talking about a country where a mere court-clerk subverted the entire constitutional process, by faking a nation(or world rather)-impacting judicial decision, and it was subsequently accepted without questions.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Clara_County_v._Southern_Pacific_Railroad). And that gets worse considering that official US stance is that ends justify the means, even if it means committing a crime itself to punish another crime(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Alvarez-Machain). Add to that, the concept of vague rational for planet-wide jurisdiction, it thinks it has(i.e. US laws apply to everyone in the world, unless enforcement is impractical : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_Tort_Statute).

      No country that is already so powerful, and so irresponsible, should be allowed to monopolize a global resource. That much is common sense. A global resource should not be controlled just by one, or even ten countries, but all countries connected to it should have control of it via a vote.

    69. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Estonia?

    70. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The gubmint tole me that if I let them thar Europeen types anywhere near the intermernets, then the terrists will win!"

      Seriously, go out and fucking educate yourself. The four countries mentioned have no more say over internet policy than the UK, Holland or Sweden, but those are the countries who'll scare the shit out of the public the most, or the US government wouldn't have mentioned them.

    71. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Can you name one country which is less keen on censorship than the US?

      Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Iceland, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea.....

    72. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by shentino · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The problem is that it's not economical to have high level redundancy.

      Transoceanic cables are fucking expensive, so naturally the law of diminishing returns makes any above and beyond the bare minimum a fool's errand in the vast majority of time where things work properly.

      This, in turn, creates a hierarchial structure instead of a partial mesh topology, which in turn makes every node between points A and B a single point of failure.

      The famed resiliency of the internet requires redundant connections, and economics by and large suppresses redundancy as inefficient except in cases where information is important enough to demand backup routes for the sake of guaranteed uptime.

      And I'm not really surprised. TCP/IP was developed for a military topology with redundant links whereas the real world is a for profit endeavor where lean and mean brings in the green.

    73. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sorry, which government was it that started seizing .com domains without warning?

      You mean without due process? That would be no one. Dip shit.

    74. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Talderas · · Score: 1

      I didn't need to read the entire article. Just seeing that it was opposition to proposals by those four countries was sufficient enough grounds for me to oppose whatever it is that is being proposed.

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
    75. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Dog-Cow · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't like it either, but all the domains seized were registered with a US company (as ultimately every .com is). The US had jurisdiction. If you don't want your domain seized by the US, don't register in a US domain.

    76. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      My God, I hadn't realized that all but four nations had left the "UN."

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    77. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by arglebargle_xiv · · Score: 3, Insightful

      My point is mainly that the US government is trying to say "Hey, don't let these guys control the internet - they might be as bad or worse than we've already proved ourselves to be!"

      It does actually remind me of Hosni Mubarak's "Support me or you might get the Muslim Brotherhood". Or Ali Abdullah Saleh's "Support me or you might get Al Qaeda". Or Ben Ali's "Support me or you might get the Taliban". In every case it was just a scarecrow used by an abusive regime to cling to power...

    78. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think I have the vocabulary to phrase this properly, but as I see it, parts of American Control are destructive and corrupt, but those parts are not the legislative government. The problems of censorship (WikiLeaks financial blockade) and DNS manipulation (private agreements and court action between independant groups) are below the level of the legislative governments, the problems are in meetings between individuals, e.g. backroom deals and lobbying/misinformation corruption, also some of the problems seem to be in the courts, e.g. the variable competence of judges combined with precedent fetishism, and the unreliable accuracy of juries. If anything, I'd say that the prevelance of corrupt power in America comes from a high level of freedom, in that companies and individuals are free to act unethically, and to influence the government, and to influence law through the courts disproportionately.

      If control of the internet moves to the UN, which counts genuinely oppressive governments among it's members, then the risk is that censorship and commercialisation of the internet would be done at a governmental legislative level. At this level, the people trying to disrupt the internet have much greater resources, and anything they try to do (if they do it with conviction) will be much harder to route around. There is also something to be said for having control of the internet in a country with a small population which has a common language (the USA's population is small compared to the population of the UN). This sitatuon - where decisions are being made by people beholden to a comparatively small population who can communicate with each other easily - allows outcry and protest to be organised more easily, e.g. I have trouble imaginging what the anti-SOPA protests would look like if it had to be coordinated between people speaking 10 or 20 different languages, and if the protest was made only by people of one or two countries/languages, then the UN would have been able to dismiss it).

    79. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Hodr · · Score: 1

      And that seems to be everyones argument here. The US took down our websites, in our countries. Only they didn't. They removed the .com from the domain servers under their control.

      If you want to keep control local, use a local TLD.

    80. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Digital+Vomit · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Or the Democrats' "Support me or you might get Republicans"...

      --
      Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
    81. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Morbo: Bicycles do not work that way!

    82. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who do you think would do a better job than the USA and why?

      Probably a consortium of neutral countries.
      Why? Because they are the closest thing to politically neutral this planet has. The internet needs this.
      The UN is not in the strictist sense neutral, as it is a collection of politically conflicting opinions.

    83. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to mention a point that everyone seems to be missing (too young to remember the Internet hasn't always existed?): The US fucking invented the Internet. If you're gonna trust one country with its fate, how about the one that originally had the vision and the talent to create it in the first place.

    84. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Post-O-Matron · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Nobody. As in "I think Nobody should have complete control over the internet".

      The internet is a global "region". I don't use the word "resource" here because I don't consider it a resource in this context. I think it's more comparable to international waters. There are globally accepted rules about international waters and the global community enforces them. Any country with a coast also has a portion of the sea which is considered "theirs" and within it their rules apply. But the rest of it belongs to no one.

      I think the same thing should happen to the internet. And let's be frank, by "the internet" here we mean control of TLDs, as everything else derives from that. The US government can then block "fuckamerica.com" from within the US, but not completely take it down in the rest of the world. That's the way it should be.

    85. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Moron...

    86. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > And *anything* handed over to the UN is bound to finally be controlled by dictatorships in the worst case,

      And in the current situation, a worst case would be the USA turning into a oppressive dictatorship. Oh look, worst case scenarios are completely meaningless.

    87. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, that would be the US. Where is the "due process" you're imagining. Oh wait, you think what the government calls "due process" actually is.

    88. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      Robert Mugabe has been honored as a leader of tourism by the UN's World Tourism Organization as of a few days ago. You can't make this shit up! The UN is that bad. And you seriously want them controlling the Internet? Next thing you know Iran will be in charge of promoting Islamic values for the "enlightenment" of the rest of the world or whatever the pandering excuse would be.

      UN = Thugocracy

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    89. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Gonoff · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately, the USA has a hugely disproportionate say on what happens on the parts of the internet that the rest of the planet uses.

      Cut off your citizens from the rest of the planet, like Iran, China etc if that is what makes your corporations richer but stop forcing your frankly bizarre legal system upon the rest of us.

      --
      I'll see your Constitution and raise you a Queen.
    90. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by d3ac0n · · Score: 3, Informative

      It does actually remind me of Hosni Mubarak's "Support me or you might get the Muslim Brotherhood"

      It wasn't a scare tactic. Have you SEEN the elections in Egypt? In case you weren't following, The Muslim Brotherhood WON (Under the moniker of the "Freedom and Justice Party"). Same thing is happening in Libya. Exactly as predicted.

      Mubarak and Ghaddaffi may have both been totalitarian assholes, but at least they were CONTROLLABLE assholes that did what was necessary to keep Islamic extremists under control in their countries. Mubarak went out of his way to protect the minority Copts in his country. Not because he loved them, but because he feared international backlash if he didn't.

      The Muslim Brotherhood has no such compunctions. They are driven by ideology, not statecraft. Expect the slaughter of the Copts, and the destruction of Egyptian historical monuments (as "offenses to Allah", like Bhuddhist monuments in Afghanistan, Jewish temple relics in Palestine, and ancient Christian churches in Turkey) to follow. This is what happens EVERY TIME that truly committed Muslims gain control of a country politically. it's happened before, it will happen again.

      --
      Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
    91. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Last I checked .com was suppose to be used only by the US in the first place, its theirs to do with what they want, same with .gov and .edu.

    92. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by AngryDeuce · · Score: 0

      At least the US will cave into international pressure.

      Yeah, right. If it comes down to it, the U.S. will just tell everyone else to go pound sand.

      The U.S. has been imposing itself on the world since the end of WWII, and that's not going to change as long as the U.S. is in the position of dominance it's enjoyed since then.

      I trust a group made up of representatives from every country on earth a lot more than one comprised solely of representatives from just one of them, and that includes my own U.S. representatives. We gave birth to the TSA for Christ's sake. If anything stands testament to the abuse of authority, it's the fucking TSA.

    93. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by AngryDeuce · · Score: 1

      Or the Republicans "Support me or you might get another 9/11"...

    94. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by d3ac0n · · Score: 1

      Yeah! And it's TOTALLY like the UN isn't looking to put per-click TAXES in place to fund international (read: You won't get a vote on it) censorship of the internet.

      Did you even read TFA? Have you SEEN the bullshit coming out of the UN lately? I wouldn't trust the UN to run a lemonade stand, let alone the Internet.

      The US may be a crappy choice of country to run the Internet, but they are a far sight less crappy than any other country and several orders of magnitude less crappy than letting the UN run it.

      --
      Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
    95. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by GreatBunzinni · · Score: 1

      The UN can't agree on mass murdering dictatorships, Why would they all of a sudden be on the same page wrt the internet?

      Oddly enough, this is an argument in favour of UN control. Contrary to what some business interests claim, the internet works perfecly fine and doesn't need any intervention by any state to improve the way it works.

      So, if the control over the internet is transfered to the UN, and if the UN essentially stalemates any proposed change to the internet, then we are all in a much better position than we are right now, because it protects the internet at a communication medium which actually works and actually benefits the people, instead of a hand full of corporations.

      --
      Slashdot, fix your code or at least hire someone who is competent at it to do it for you.
    96. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by bug1 · · Score: 1

      Can you name one country which is less keen on censorship than the US? The US is not perfect, far from it, but is there anyone else who isn't actually worse?

      The issue is not handing it over to another individual country, the issue is handing it over to an organisation the specialising in dealing with international regulations and diplomacy.

      If the UN abuses the internet, its unlikely any one nation will be the cause or beneficiary.

    97. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by edremy · · Score: 1

      The Muslim Brotherhood has no such compunctions. They are driven by ideology, not statecraft. Expect the slaughter of the Copts, and the destruction of Egyptian historical monuments (as "offenses to Allah", like Bhuddhist monuments in Afghanistan, Jewish temple relics in Palestine, and ancient Christian churches in Turkey) to follow. This is what happens EVERY TIME that truly committed Muslims gain control of a country politically. it's happened before, it will happen again.

      I know- look at the hellhole Turkey has become. It went from an enlightened democracy with an excellent human rights record and a thriving, free market economy to an utter disaster under the Justice and Democracy (Islamic) party. And Indonesia, the most populous Islamic country in the world bans non-Islamic worship and has destroyed all the Buddhist temples in the country.

      (Note to self: probably need to check statements later, but need to finish post ASAP)

      --
      "Seven Deadly Sins? I thought it was a to-do list!"
    98. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Sweden, Finland, Norway, half of EU?

    99. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...The test of any such higher authority is, of course, the police force that supports it. For our policemen, we created a race of robots. Their function is to patrol the [internet]—in [computers] like this one—and preserve the peace. In matters of aggression, we have given them absolute power over us; this power can not be revoked. At the first sign of [censorship], they act automatically against the aggressor. The penalty for provoking their action is too terrible to risk. The result is that we live in peace, without [censorship], secure in the knowledge that we are free from [censorship]—free to pursue more profitable enterprises. Now, we do not pretend to have achieved perfection, but we do have a system, and it works. I came here to give you these facts. It is no concern of ours how you run your own [internet]. But if you threaten to extend your [censorship], this [internet] of yours will be reduced to a burned-out cinder. Your choice is simple: Join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer; the decision rests with you.

    100. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      However, right now, one country has control of the large majority of TLDs, and also has the power to create/remove TLDs - the US. When this means they get to act on their own laws against citizens of other countries without due process, that is dangerous. When they actually do that, and disable access to foreign websites hosted in other countries with no recourse under international law, which has happened, I struggle very hard to define that as anything other than abuse of power.

      Couple of minor nits - the US did control the creation of TLDs - this is true. They then gave each country their own TLD, after which they can exert no control over any of those (180+ TLDs) except that done in cooperation with the other country. A US based company now controls new TLDs. If the foreign entities have US based servers or US based name registrations, there are things that the US can do. If they're entirely foreign, the US can do things in cooperation with that foreign entity. In no case have US "storm troopers" invaded a foreign hosting facility to "steal" foreign equipment. That might actually be seen as an act of war.

      You may not like US influence, you may not like US actions, but don't act like the US was acting unilaterally in these cases. In all cases, the US acted with due process under US law on US entities or entities based on US law, or cooperated with foreign governments in whatever case you'd like to name.

      And thanks for making me defend a country that's acting in ways I don't like.

    101. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obama's from Chicago. Being dead (or a pet) doesn't stop people from voting for Democrats there. Why should not being an American make any difference?

    102. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Taxing = slowing = the introduction of more 'hiccups' into the taxer's economy. Get enough hiccups of sufficient magnitude often enough, and there won't be an economy anymore.

      So therefore if you abolish tax altogether the economy will flourish. Simples, if you're a libertarian.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    103. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Switzerland. They have a tradition of neutrality, listening to their people, and NOT fucking everything up.

    104. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am not American, by the way.

      The USA government is not perfect. Far from it. The domain seizure (not the entire internet, just the big 3 TLDs) without due process is awful. The wheels of justice turn slowly, and often very slowly in America. As Winston Churchill put it:

      "Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing...after they have exhausted all other possibilities."

      this is in contrast to most other countries which will stop short. I know mine (UK) will. We have a shadowy organisation (the IWF) responsible for blocking child pronography. The list of blocked sites has not yet been leaked, but in every other country where a direct analog list has been leaked it's turned out that there's plenty more than just child pronography on that list. I doubt that our blocklist is any better. And they're always looking to expand it to other objectionable content like "hate speech". And the government are now looking to put filters everywhere.

      Look at any other European (or Australia) country and it's the same. Look anywhere else and it's worse.

      The USA is, frankly, the only organisation that I would trust to any reasonable degree to actually run the internet. They will do it badly, and have long periods of injustice. But they have the strongest free speech protections of anywhere in the world and will almost certainly do it better and with less injustice that anyone else.

      Who do you think would do a better job than the USA and why?

      how about nobody?

    105. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by tehcyder · · Score: 2

      The internet recently catalyzed revolutions in several middle east countries.

      I suppose if enough peple say this enough times, it will become accepted as the truth, and spare everyone the bother of looking at the particular political and economic circumstances obtaining in each country, or wondering why Syria is still under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad, while Gadaffi was ousted in a few months.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    106. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by DigiShaman · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Of course...of course! Dead people vote too. And you don't need a drivers license to vote either. But you do need one for buying beer, walking through an apartment for a preview, employment, driving, etc. Dude, that's AMERICA! Gotta love it!

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    107. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 3

      The famed resiliency of the internet requires redundant connections, and economics by and large suppresses redundancy as inefficient except in cases where information is important enough to demand backup routes for the sake of guaranteed uptime.

      The internet has porn and flamewars. That doesn't merit guaranteed uptime ?!???!!!!?

    108. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 4, Insightful

      True, but you should keep in mind that the US is essentially only trying to impose copyright on the internet. What the UN clowns are trying to do will make you wish that the MPAA was the sole internet provider in the US.

    109. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by tehcyder · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm not American, so it's fairly unlikely that I'll vote in your elections.

      Just because you're not American doesn't mean you can't be patriotic and support the US!

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    110. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Or the Democrats' "Support me or you might get Republicans"...

      Yes, but that's actually a reasonable argument..

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    111. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They're not asking to control their own internet. They can and do that today. They're asking to "jointly" control everyone else's internet.

      Specifically these people. Don't worry ! He was cleared of all charges ... by his nephew. I'm sure they had a big laugh about it around the dinner table. What do you expect from islamic theocracies ?

    112. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you're a fucking idiot

    113. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The U.S. has been imposing itself on the world since the end of WWII, and that's not going to change as long as the U.S. is in the position of dominance it's enjoyed since then.

      True, mostly. I'm quite happy with the results by the way.

      I trust a group made up of representatives from every country on earth a lot more than one comprised solely of representatives from just one of them, and that includes my own U.S. representatives. We gave birth to the TSA for Christ's sake. If anything stands testament to the abuse of authority, it's the fucking TSA.

      Then you're insane. It would essentially end democratic control of the internet, as dictatorships and other oppressive regimes (islamic hellholes, communist states, "communist" states like China, ...) essentially control the UN by shear numbers.

      You really think they'd be an improvement over the US ? How can anyone in their right mind think like that ?

    114. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      If you live in a country where there is a law against any opposition, you've got bigger problems than your internet activity being tracked.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    115. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which is exactly what this UN resolution is attempting to change. RTFA. They're not asking for firewalls in other countries. They're asking for the power to send US police officers to take down any US server they don't like (and ditto for any other government).

      You honestly think a muslim government would ask permission before forcing a firewall on their own people ? Even democratic governments in islamic states don't even bother with asking parliament

    116. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      the thing I liked about this was the "changing web destinations on a per click basis to fund..." - in other words, the UN is going to become a world government funded by advertising!

      As long as we get a world government, I don't care.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    117. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You do realize that governments allowing freedom of expression are a minority at the UN, right ? Dictatorships are by far the majority, both by numbers of people and by numbers of countries. I'm sure they'll all agree that anything slightly controversial is to be kicked off the internet immediately.

      Also handing someone a gun because you think them moronically incapable of using it ... strikes me as a level of stupidity that borders on the imbecilic.

    118. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 1, Insightful

      You do realize that the US does have the power to revoke a domain, no matter what tld you register it with right ? All root nameservers are under US control, meaning the US can threaten any tld with annihilation quite credibly.

      Yet they don't do that.

      The UN is demanding control of EVERY nameserver in this proposal btw. Presumably they're not asking for this in order to avoid using it. These people do not have your best interests at heart, is that really so hard to see ?

    119. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree Switzerland is a good choice, but there are others just as good I would go further as having more neutral countries is good for checks and balances.

      This is why I suggested a consortium/group rotation of neutral countries.
      Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Japan, Costa Rica, Panama, Malta, Ireland, Austria, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Liechtenstein, San Marino.

      If you want to have a say in the internet.
      Declare yourself neutral and join in.

    120. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 1

      The US did have a court case about all domain seizures. Yes if you conduct business affairs in the US you're expected to send a representative to any court dispute on the matter, either you yourself, or a duly authorized lawyer, or anyone really, as long as they can prove to speak for you to the satisfaction of the court. That's what "due process" is.

      If you won't, or even can't (in civil cases, which these are), the resulting government action is not a violation of due process anymore than seizing the bank account of someone convicted of fraud.

      Although I'm sure the fraudster won't agree with that assessment, which seems to be what's happening here. But at some point, legal action leads to results. That's a good thing, even if you don't always agree with the judge.

    121. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by ultranova · · Score: 2

      America can quote the names of countries it believes instills fear in it's populace all it wants, but those countries can't do jack shit when the rest of the world would oppose it.

      The rest of the world won't oppose "it", as long as "it" is censorship. No politician on Earth has anything to gain from free flow of information, and plenty to gain from controlling what their citizens see, so the one thing they all can agree on is that the Internet needs to be censored. That's why more and more countries erect their own Great Firewalls.

      The greatest thing about the Internet is that it allows people to see and discuss about things that offend "community standards", and that's also precisely the thing that community leaders hate. Allow communities greater control of "their" shard of the Internet, and it will die. Which is probably inevitable anyway, there's far too much power at stake for the powerful to allow it to continue existing.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    122. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Whoa, that is quite a narrow perspective you have there.
      Just because a country invents something doesnt mean the country should be trusted with it.
      If some crack-pot country X came up with some new mega weapon Y would you trust them with to it's fate?
      I don't think so.

    123. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Countries like Africa eh?

    124. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by MikeB0Lton · · Score: 1

      It was the same government that created it. Get over it.

    125. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 1

      Personally I wouldn't want Germany in control of it either, as well as a host of other countries with various "hate speech" laws. Now these countries are less scary than China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia and may actually not bar speech you agree with but the result would be much the same. Given some of the laws that various US states and the US Federal Government are currently passing they may very well be a better choice but at the moment speech seems to be better protected by the US government.

      --
      Time to offend someone
    126. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by cpu6502 · · Score: 1

      No taxation without representation in the UN government.
      No topdown control either.

      --
      My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
    127. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Finland, Norway, Denmark... they are much better than the US as far as censorship goes.

      The US screwed up very badly, and lost the "good will" position which kept most of the pressure off it.

      The ITU is hell on earth, and will certainly cause a lot of grief... but they do have the benefit of the doubt (which the US lost), AND they already take care of the rest of the worldwide telecom treaties and policies.

    128. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by mcgrew · · Score: 2

      Well, yes. Obama's not been a great President, but he's at least average. From what I've seen of him, Romney could be even worse than Bush. If there was no Libertarian or Green party I'd vote for Obama's reelection. Actually, if Obama supported pot legalization I could vote for him, but everyone in the US has a brother, sister, father, friend, son, or someone else close to them who smokes the stuff. How can you vote for a man (both major candidates) who would put your loved ones in prison? So I vote either Green or Libbie, because although both parties have policies I disagree with, at least they don't want to incarcerate me and my loved ones.

    129. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by EvilBudMan · · Score: 1

      I think you are wrong about the UN. I would rather have Greece in control of the internet than the UN. The US as bad as that is, is less worse than anyone else as the UN rarely does anything properly without US help anyhow.

      A new internet will probably be created anyhow by geeks that want to reduce the signal to noise ratio.

    130. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by EvilBudMan · · Score: 1

      --And *anything* handed over to the UN is bound to finally be controlled by dictatorships in the worst case, or a complete bureaucratic dystopian organization in the best case. Better leave it with the US for now.--

      Agreed unless the US has veto power over any changes.

    131. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by EvilBudMan · · Score: 1

      No. Not of any size.

    132. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by dave420 · · Score: 1

      No, you're entirely right. That's why there are no Christians or Jews in Iran.

    133. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by bhagwad · · Score: 1

      The US has done a pretty good job so far all things considered. Just imagine what would happen if countries like China, Russia, Iran and India got a say in it. Sorry, but these countries are simply not advanced enough to have a say in how the Internet is run. I say this as an India.

    134. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The issue is not handing it over to another individual country, the issue is handing it over to an organisation the specialising in dealing with international regulations and diplomacy.

      And with a 50-year track record of failing to properly apply international regulations and diplomacy and instead using its reputation for the benefit of the most hostile, authoritarian, and totalitarian movements in the world. Look into why Taiwan is not allowed a seat in the UN anymore when the same government, the Republic of China, was a founding Security Council member. Read Jeane Kirkpatrick's "How the PLO was legitimized".

      The UN's position on international regulations and diplomacy is worse than the most well-known American example of Shrub invading Iraq because he could. It is like declaring that Iraq always has been an American state, that American whites are the native people of Iraq, that the Iraqis are colonial apartheid oppressors who all need to be killed, and that resisting the Americans is a war crime. The UN is not a force for world peace anymore, quite the opposite, and it arguably stopped being one when it gave up the fight in Korea back in the '50s.

    135. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      Salon, being about as useful as the NYT's I can see what half your problem is. But yes, it's kinda bad. I suppose I shouldn't tell you that Canada has been killing it's own citizens for the same things that the US started recently doing since the 40's.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    136. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by bhagwad · · Score: 1

      The Arab countries vote as a bloc. They managed to pass through a resolution in the UN making blasphemy a crime. Sorry, but there are far more stupid and backward people in the world than intelligent and forward thinking ones. We can't have the Internet which is one of the greatest achievements and treasures of mankind tarnished by them.

    137. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by bhagwad · · Score: 1

      It's BECAUSE the Internet is important that we can't allow unprogressive and dictatorial regimes to sully it further.

    138. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 1

      As I don't know the laws in those countries but am aware of some of the laws in some of the EU countries would I be able to to create the following site:
      One the proclaims that Adolph Hitler was right and drums up support for white power groups
      One the advocates kill whitey
      One that insists that homosexuals need to punished and removed from society because of their deviant ways
      One that insists that everyone either convert to Islam of be the victim of jihad
      One that seeks to ban minaret
      One that promotes Anders Breivik's actions and ideals
      One that hosts renderings of the Prophet Mohammad
      One that states that the King of Myanmar likes to screw pigs while sodomizing himself with a candelabra

      Like it or not these are currently allowable but I would bet a number of other countries, even in the EU, that would seek to ban one or more of these not to mention what other countries would like to ban from the above list.

      --
      Time to offend someone
    139. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Elbart · · Score: 1

      With the rampant reshaping of the electoral districts in the US, you can never be sure about that.

    140. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 1

      I need to sign that one, but I will probably get put on the do not fly list and taken off of the do not call list.

      --
      Time to offend someone
    141. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 1

      While in principal I agree with you I am not sure what group, country or organization I would trust to not screw it up more. I would trust myself, but then why would anyone else trust me to be internet dictator.

      --
      Time to offend someone
    142. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "As a result most of the physical root servers are now outside the United States, allowing for high performance worldwide."

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_name_server

    143. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd like to see some Salon-equivalent news/editorial outlets from Russia, China, Saudi Arabia. Got any links?

    144. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Macthorpe · · Score: 1

      I think you meant to write "They don't do that yet".

      I'm not willing to trust every US government forever with the ability to turn off parts of the internet they don't like. In fact, I wouldn't trust any government to do that. If we pass it to some semblance of an impartial, global organisation, we have a better chance of that control defaulting to a more universal level where everyone accepts it, or at least has few problems with it.

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    145. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except the Brotherhood is not the Taliban. One of the things they did to stay alive under Mubarak was to become less radical, less violent, and more concerned with politics. Do I agree with their religious convictions? No, but they aren't going to knock down the pyramids and start throwing acid on schoolgirls I bet.

    146. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Macthorpe · · Score: 2

      "But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months."
      "Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything."
      "But the plans were on display ..."
      "On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."
      "That's the display department."
      "With a flashlight."
      "Ah, well the lights had probably gone."
      "So had the stairs."
      "But look, you found the notice didn't you?"
      "Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard'."

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    147. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The U.S. is making bad calls with seizing domains, etc. - they are acting like this should be a regular, acceptable thing.

      Some other countries have the view that censorship and absolute government control should not only be able to be done at the government's whim, but should be built in to the structure of the internet. The U.S., to my knowledge, is not actively pursuing this course of action. I would be willing to bet that someone can find a couple of examples, like SOPA and PIPA, but at least in the U.S. we can get those to be killed, while in certain other countries it would be a criminal act to suggest that people can think for their own and decide if they want said oversight (something about will of the party, or un-harmonious thinking, I don't know).

      I will take the devil I know.

    148. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by ratboy666 · · Score: 1

      And you, Sir, are the moron.

      The United States, as well as China, France, Russia, United Kingdom has veto power in the UN.

      In other words, the US would have to agree to any changes to an Internet under UN control.

      --
      Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061
    149. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Macthorpe · · Score: 1

      I don't care to get into the argument about who created what. However, even if you did create it, it still doesn't mean you get to control it forever. Sometimes it's deemed of a higher benefit to the human race to have that control taken away from people who can't act responsibly, regardless of their role beforehand.

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    150. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not sure this counts as due process:

      ICE domain seizures relied on twisted evidence and MPAA say so.

    151. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Grow the hell up and stop reflexively hating on the US, or else you'll end up supporting the very sort of Orwellian control you hope to avoid.

      Why? The US is moving towards an Orwellian future with the rest of the world, possibly even faster. The US is more or less subservient to the whims or corporations, so instead of evil dictatorships controlling the internet, it would be the fucking MPAA -- who would add just as much censorship and control as China would, but just for a different reason.

      Look at ACTA, which the US is trying to cram down everybody's throats ... it would do more harm to the general internet than good, but as long as we're protecting the interests of corporations, it must be good, right?

      Increasingly, people don't trust the US, because the US is descending into just as much of a surveillance society as anybody, and becoming increasingly shrill in their "America First" mantra.

      A dislike of the US is anything but knee-jerk, or intended to make us look cool and edgy. It comes from literally years of observation that the US is controlled by assholes who are mostly there to do the bidding of companies, and then figure out how to make the rest of the world subject to those laws which were put in to benefit those companies.

      Do you really think that the US government isn't also working on being able to track anonymous posts back to their origin? Of course they are, but it's in the name of fighting terrorism.

      You're deluded if you think the US isn't doing these same things, and yet you expect the rest of the world to think it's OK when you guys do it. Sorry pal, but the US has become one of the most protectionistic and xenophobic countries around -- and quite frankly, the rest of us are getting a little tired of listening to your own hypocrisy as you slowly trample all over these beloved rights you think you still have and become a surveillance society, while at the same time chastising other countries for doing the same fucking thing.

      So, go fuck yourself.

    152. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you think that by handing over control to the UN that the US WON'T do things like this again? If the US decides that something is a threat to national security, they'll take care of it however they deem necessary, whether or not there is a "governing body".

    153. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by houghi · · Score: 1

      Lichtenstein, Monacco, France, Brazil, Netherlands, Canada, Russia, Australia, Belgium, ...

      I think I can name a few hundred.

      Just because the US likes to use Newspeak, does not mean they do not have censorship.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    154. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by thej1nx · · Score: 1

      Indian government might be corrupt, but hardly any more abusive than USA. It is pretty much a democracy like USA, if you were not aware. The censorship push from India is coming from the muslim section there, who would like to permanently ban a mohammed-cartoon saga repeat. But feel free to create stereotypes that hardly fit.

    155. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget that intelligent and educated people aren't limited to any country, and that there are many excellent universities and professional populations in each of those countries. If you take your contrived sentiments too far, you might also falsely conclude that because it's impossible they could ever produce anyone whose ideas could be valuable or correct, they'll need to have someone make their decisions for them, like a government from your own country.

      People != their govenments.

    156. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As far as freedom of the people goes - which is hand in hand with censorship - some countries that are rated higher than the US includes Finland, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand, and Norway. The US is not as free as you think it is. http://www.worldaudit.org/publisher.htm

    157. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Canada.

      Seriously. They haven't abused any powers of internet freedoms (yet). Give us a chance to fuck it up like the USA has.

      I like to think that we are respected in enough places to be a good steward of the internet as a communication medium, and will not support the blocking of domains?

      Just for the record, the USA would probably be a better choice than the UN; the UN can't even agree on the most basic fucking things, like murderous dictators slaughtering their own people, why would we give them any more power over us. Some of the worst offenders have a vote in the UN!

    158. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Elldallan · · Score: 1

      But once you control the hardware you can control the flow of information, just because it has not yet been done in any competent way don't believe that it can't be done if the government is motivated enough, that is the reason I have a problem with ICANN being under the control of any one nation.

    159. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 1

      Is this proposal coming from the security counicil ? No ...

    160. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or the Republicans "Support me or the communists... err Socialists win"

    161. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Paracelcus · · Score: 1

      Yeah, which dictatorship do you want to live under?

      A, the one that watches and listens to your every move
      B, The one that wants to cater to all the petty special interests of the Chi-Coms, Saudis, Pakistanis, Etc

      --
      I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
    162. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Woah... slow down. I don`t like the Brotherhood (the Muslim one not NOD) either but compared to the salafists and that guy from the old Mubarak regime they are quite moderate. Compared to most of the countries in the vicinity an Egypt under their rule would be quite progressive.

    163. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by pakar · · Score: 1

      yes, since the larger countries can usually veto any insane request..

    164. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by pakar · · Score: 1

      China wants to be able to bring down any page they want - Already done by the US.
      China wants to sensor the net - Already done by the US.

      If all countries would get a say in how things are run the bad stuff will not get implemented, and also the larger countries usually have a veto they can use for the really bad crap that might be brought up...

      If it was so bad with the UN why has not the world gone to shit yet? The UN has a military spending of about $8Billion and about 100k troops and military personnel.

    165. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And that is the point. When a dictator starts ethnic cleansing, or murdering political dissenters, the UN still has China or Russia preventing intervention and change. Why on earth would anyone in their right mind think that handing them the same powers over the internet is a good thing? If a Chinese based entity starts a massive DOS campaign, and it is obvious, how would you get a UN body to deal with it if China is a party to it? Yes, a world body would be great at stopping the US from doing silly things with the internet that the world may not like. But, despite other peoples assertion that there is no current recourse, there really is. US controls are still, as it is democratic, influenced by American opinion. And those opinions can and are influenced by world opinions. Why the heck else do you think the government must sell their wars to the US people as humanitarian missions if they really didn't care? If your site gets shut down by a US law you disagree with, you can mobilize a campaign to bring it to light and have it changed in the US. Will it be a success? Probably not overnight. But it at least has a hope depending on how you argue it.

      Now try the same thing with a Chinese or Iranian decision. The UN cannot even agree to stop obvious acts of violence in Syria because everyone knows one of the parties has a single supporter with a veto. So yes, by all means, hand over control of the internet to the UN. And then watch as it never progresses, and something else has to rise in its place.

    166. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Merkins any one would think they invented the damn thing!

    167. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by superdave80 · · Score: 1

      ...they might be as bad or worse than we've already proved ourselves to be!"

      MIGHT be as bad? Have you ever heard of these other countries? Shit, Saudi Arabia is just now, in the year 2012, thinking about maybe letting their women drive cars.

    168. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by deadweight · · Score: 1

      I guess being the "least bad guys" is sort of like being the good guys or close enough :)

    169. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by zlives · · Score: 1

      your corporations do :) because they are people in US :) yayyyy democracy

    170. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      The famed resiliency of the internet requires redundant connections, and economics by and large suppresses redundancy as inefficient except in cases where information is important enough to demand backup routes for the sake of guaranteed uptime.

      Only at the local level. By the time you get to the backbone level, there's lots of redundancy because a single cable can't handle the traffic. And not all of those cables go along the same route. For example, this page shows some (admittedly somewhat dated) maps of portions of the Internet topology of Great Britain and parts of Europe.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    171. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thing is, while the USG has done many objectionable things with the internet, and at the behest of some stupid corporations, there is still a balance. There are some really large and powerful US tech corporations who like the internet open, and will use their money to keep it at least somewhat that way if the USG swings too far away from it.

      I don't think that is true of the UN. Politics will rule the day. Always. And that is never good. So I am afraid the "we're bad but they're worse" argument is rather legitimate in this case.

    172. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unfortunately that inability to act would include acting against countries that decide to take steps to mess up the functioning of the internet.

    173. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by MikeB0Lton · · Score: 1

      Stop using US owned registrars and you'll be fine. If you buy a .com, don't cry if your alleged criminal activity gets your site taken down.

    174. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except the US didn't build the oceans, so your analogy kind of sucks. Why exactly should the US hand over control of the internet to anybody? Because other countries use it? Well, the world also uses a lot of oil, should that be taken away from the countries that produce it and just have all the worlds oil shared with everybody?

    175. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      , as dictatorships and other oppressive regimes (islamic hellholes, communist states, "communist" states like China, ...) essentially control the UN by shear numbers.

      Except for super-important things which are controlled by the Security Council. While many of those regimes you are mentioned are on the Security Council as well, fortunately it doesn't work on majority rule, since individual nations can veto. It's a nice way to ensure things don't get done unless they have support (crafted from deals) by the council.

    176. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by mjwalshe · · Score: 1

      yep it is why phone calls to third world countrys used to be so expensive the porer country was meant to get the extra cash for its infrastructure but normally went into the minster for post and telecoms swiss bank account

    177. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Originally that might have been the idea but today that simply isn't true, .com, .org etc is global these days and the control should reflect that. The US should have to settle for a single national domain like everyone else.

    178. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      Really, the only reason the Internet developed as well as it did was that it was allowed to develop in relative obscurity. If governments knew then what they know now, the Internet would have been fucked with on a constant basis, and we would all have been the poorer for it.

    179. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Elldallan · · Score: 1

      Yes and the US has been overthrowing democratically elected governments because they disagree with their politics for longer than that. The US has a well established track record for threatening, bribing, invading or otherwise strong-arming other nations to suit your own needs so you are no less of a "Thugocracy" then the UN is, just take the usage of the US veto power in the UN Security Council for example.

    180. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm South African (meaning I'm not American either). The US is not perfect but it is better than any other option by far.

    181. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Internetuser1248 · · Score: 1

      I think you are wrong about the UN. I would rather have Greece in control of the internet than the UN. The US as bad as that is, is less worse than anyone else as the UN rarely does anything properly because the US veto everything anyhow.

      ftfy

    182. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Elldallan · · Score: 2

      As a Swedish citizen I'd say that Sweden is hardly neutral anymore, neither is Finland or Austria. Lichtenstein, Malta, San Marino, Costa Rica and Panama so small that no one would take them seriously. Japan has a military alliance with the United States and is therefore hardly neutral, Ukraine was atleast until recently actively seeking a membership in NATO so I wouldn't exactly call them neutral.
      The Vatican is a bunch of religious zealots which are rarely if ever neutral about anything. The only state I would even consider being neutral today is Switzerland, but that would put all trust on a single nation, not very different from today. No it needs to be the UN, that way atleast every nation would have a vote and a voice.

    183. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Post-O-Matron · · Score: 1

      I think your understanding kinda sucks. The US didn't "build" the internet. US-based researchers developed the initial concepts and protocols that are the foundation of the internet. "The US" didn't build the communication infrastructure in Europe, Canada or the Middle East. "The US" didn't raise ISPs around the world and didn't connect households in Norway to communication hubs.

      "The US" can't tell an ISP in Germany or Brazil what IP address to map a given domain name to. If those ISPs decided to map it to something else, there is fuck all "The US" can do about it.

    184. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seizing .com domains, mandatory limits on procreation, executing people for twitter posts...do I really need to sing the "one of these things is not like the other" song to you?

    185. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Pseudonym+Authority · · Score: 1
      But then who mediates the DNS? Surely you don't suggest that GoDaddy would be appropriate. They manage to get things taken down even when they don't serve the name, simply by sending threads to the host on company letterhead.

      And let's be frank, by "the internet" here we mean control of TLDs, as everything else derives from that.

      No, it doesn't. I can still access 168.192.0.1 just fine if there is a DNS entry or not. I could very well put a seized domain in /etc/hosts and be done with it. As far as taking sites down, things like Megaupload were hosted in the US, so what was the issue?

      The US government can then block "fuckamerica.com" from within the US, but not completely take it down in the rest of the world

      Maybe they should just get a different TLD. There are tons of them. What's the obsession with .com anyway?

      That's the way it should be.

      I disagree. The adhoc mess that it is now is much better than a streamlined system that will allow this much more properly. The US can't touch .ru, but under your system, they could prevent anyone in the US from accessing it. That's just terrible. Besides that, there are things that do, should, need to be taken out of the DNS records, such as spammers and phishers.

      I think it would be nice to have an anarchic internet too, with absolutely nothing is contraband (and I really do mean this) and subservient to no authority, it just isn't going to happen without a true P2P internet.

    186. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Pseudonym+Authority · · Score: 1

      And to charge per click, of course!

      I swear that you fucking morons haven't even read the summary.

    187. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      haters gunna hate

    188. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 1

      This is not being tried by the security council.

    189. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 1

      You cannot start a court case without sending physical registered mail to the listed address if it's within the US. If such a case catches you by surprise you're legally incompetent. Not having a postal address, or not reading registered mail sent to it, is a way to fall into quite a few legal surprises.

      Don't do that (btw half of the domain registrars offer a PO box + forwarding in the US. If the domain is important, get that)

    190. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 1

      If you don't trust any government to do that, you need to give control of it to a few dozen entities in the private sector ... wait ... that's exactly what the US does !

      And the US is completely unique in that. Even the Euro states almost exclusively have registrars that are small government departments ... and most non-western states don't even pretend it's even vaguely separate from the government, even when immediately results in incompetent morons running the DNS servers.

      And look at how the US historically behaved versus the UN on censorship. It's just not a contest.

    191. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      ...Obama said he'd have vetoed the bills had they made it to him...

      Obama has said many things and did exactly the opposite when crunch time came, so excuse me if I don't take what he says at face value. I pay much more attention to what he does.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    192. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Macthorpe · · Score: 1

      You missed my point - I'm saying you have to trust every government of that country forever, which means you can't just keep it in one place. Furthermore, you give it to a private company (as it is now), that company is still beholden to the laws of the country it's created in, and you haven't solved a single thing.

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    193. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, I have seen the list of countries which make up the UN: one of them is called "the USA", the same one which banned Wikileaks from Amazon servers, named it a "terrorist organization" (Congressman Peter King) and compared Julian Assange to al-Qaida

    194. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "name one country which is less keen on censorship than the US": how about Iceland - the same country that thanks to Wikileaks found out who robbed them (oh, by the way: Wikileaks is that organization called "terrorist" by your congressman Peter King, as well as presidential candidates: Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee)

    195. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 1

      So in order to avoid a potential future problem we should walk eyes open into a catastrophe now ?

      Keep in mind that the vast majority of people worldwide actively oppose (or live under governments that actively oppose) free speech, and even basic freedoms. The large majority opposes equal rights for women. The large majority opposes anything remotely like porn. The large majority seeks to enforce copyright, but are completely toothless at the moment. You can go on like this.

      You're right in a theoretical sense, no question there. But we live in the real world here.

      What really needs to happen is that a private company needs to launch a huge network of small leo satellites that can provide basic unfiltered connectivity for anyone worldwide in a way that's hard to jam, a huge number of tiny satellites with a network between them and an orbit slightly lower than the ISS orbit. Something like GPS but with say 2mbit data connectivity. Well, preferably 10 of those companies should exist. And yes, a thoroughly American company should do this, preferably claiming that their operations take place in "international" space, where no laws apply. In the US, such an argument might actually work.

    196. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Post-O-Matron · · Score: 1

      If the US wants to block a given .ru it can do so, it's just a question of forcing ISPs to block it. I don't know what the current legislation in the US is for ISPs and what they are obliged or not to do when the government asks them to. But at the end of the day the traffic has to pass through some medium to reach Russia, and neither you or me or our ISPs laid down network cables across the Atlantic or put communication satellites in orbit.

      What's the obsession with .com? Well there is already a lot invested in .com and the US holds all of this power. You can't just tell everyone to "switch to .ru what's the big deal?". That was a good question to ask 10 years ago. Right now it's fact and the question is how to distribute the power of .com.

      What I'm suggesting will create anarchy in TLDs, that is true. But in practice nothing really has to change. The registry for .uk becomes authoritive for .com in the UK, the registry for .fr becomes authoritive for .com in France, and so on. Then they just need to agree on a process for change management between them, and a way to resolve disputes. When disputes cannot be resolved there will be fragmentation, which I believe is better then one side, the one that happens to control the TLDs, forces their laws and opinions on the other.

      In practice 99.9% there won't be any issues, and the rest of the time it will be around politics or intellectual property. But it is exactly this potential of fragmentation and anarchy that will guarantee the global neutrality of the "global" TLDs.

    197. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by elucido · · Score: 1

      It's BECAUSE the Internet is important that we can't allow unprogressive and dictatorial regimes to sully it further.

      Decentralized control is better than centralized control. Right now probably a handful of Americans control the internet and we probably don't even know their names. How is that better than the UN controlling it? At least with the UN we will know which governments and which individuals are trying to control it.

    198. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by elucido · · Score: 1

      While in principal I agree with you I am not sure what group, country or organization I would trust to not screw it up more. I would trust myself, but then why would anyone else trust me to be internet dictator.

      The Internet already is controlled by an organization in the USA which acts as dictator. I don't see how opening it up globally would make things worse. Just because the USA doesn't agree with some other countries? That has nothing to do with our interests because we are getting censorship either way no matter what so why shouldn't we put it in the UN control? At least the internet would be censored in a culturally neutral manner if it's going to be censored at all.

      As things are now we are having nations fight over who gets to censor what. They are fighting for the power to censor while claiming they are fighting for freedom.

    199. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Xest · · Score: 1

      The UN doesn't make laws, so I'm not really sure how they could've make it a crime. The human rights council adopted a resolution by a mere margin of 3 out of about 50 votes back in 2010 which is what you're presumably referring to, but this holds no weight on UN constituent countries laws.

      The resolution effectively just says "The UN should do something more to support this idea", but it's ultimately failed because then it has to get through the general assembly where guess what? It never gets enough support each time it's brought up there. This example, somewhat ironically, kind of completely disproves your point.

      The internet is already being tarnished by US censorship.

    200. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by bhagwad · · Score: 1

      The Arab nations managed to get together and pass a UN resolution prohibiting "blasphemy". Till the rest of the world become more mature and civilized, I don't want them touching the Internet.

    201. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by mgcarley · · Score: 1

      Is that sarcasm? I seem to recall having seen documentaries to the contrary.

      --
      Founder & COO, Hayai India (hayai.in) / USA (hayaibroadband.com) // t: @mgcarley
    202. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by mgcarley · · Score: 1

      I'm not entirely sure China would be able to stop me searching for information on Falun Gong if I'm in the US or Europe or Australia, but they can (and already do) if I'm in China.

      I *think* these countries would be making suggestions to stop people in their own countries from accessing content and using the argument to legitimize the various mechanisms already in place, but I get the feeling they couldn't realistically stop people in other countries from accessing the same content.

      The reason I think this is otherwise you'll have nations squabbling over what should and shouldn't be allowed on the Internet: Muslim countries would want to stop anything anti-Muslim or non-Muslim from being there, Christian countries would want to stop anything anti/non-Christian and so on, China might want things removed that are perfectly legal in say, the Netherlands... and so on.

      I should HOPE that any kind of UN control would basically suggest that "Hey, what's (il)legal in China is (il)legal in China only - you can't affect anything in any other nation" - the same as if I were to smoke marijuana in Netherlands (where it's not a crime) versus the same in Japan (where it is): Japan can't prosecute me if I fly from Amsterdam to Tokyo, even if I still have THC in my blood. At the time I committed the "offense" I was in a territory where it is perfectly legal.

      That all being said, I guess I need to read the actual proposal to decide whether it's really a good or a bad thing.

      For the record, I'd add India to this list as well. They're not proving themselves to be particularly competent at anything Internet related and as a foreigner living in India, I'm rather unimpressed with a lot of what is going on here.

      --
      Founder & COO, Hayai India (hayai.in) / USA (hayaibroadband.com) // t: @mgcarley
    203. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just because you're not American doesn't mean you can't be patriotic and support the US!

      Patriotic. This word. I do not think it means what you think it means...

    204. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by lsatenstein · · Score: 1

      On consideration, I think it is a great idea. In the USA, given the RIAA, , Disney, and large media companies etc. who real objective is to monetize the internet (as if it was a TV station carrying advertisements), would destroy the internet as we know it today. With the UN there, the internet can be extended to poorer countries, where network based educational courses, news, information showing how others live, and with the net, increased tolerance for others would promote worldly well-being. We may pay for some slight usage, but we can hope for less censorship. Perhaps we need a second internet, that is an alternative to the existing one.

      --
      Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
    205. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by uninformedLuddite · · Score: 1

      obviously they haven't seen what a terrible thing that has been in other countries.

      --
      The new right fascists are bilingual. They speak English and Bullshit.
    206. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by uninformedLuddite · · Score: 1

      So you live in a place without an abusive government? Congratulations

      --
      The new right fascists are bilingual. They speak English and Bullshit.
    207. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by uninformedLuddite · · Score: 1

      Who do you think would do a better job than the USA and why?

      I would have more faith in it being run by Somalian pirates than the US. Because they behave exactly as they portray themselves.

      --
      The new right fascists are bilingual. They speak English and Bullshit.
    208. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The majority of humanity d/n need, want, invite government of any kind to participate, control, or manipulate in any of the variables, or any of the ownership, concerning the Internet. Modern humanity must be able to monitor and audit the activities of governments around the world without restriction or propaganda by those governments.
      Government are fictions, they do not really exist; instead a few persons, in our societies, animate our governments, and claim the right to think and act as if they were not only the government but also the governed. Animators invoke the fiction of government to justify abusive anti-competitive practices, which they claim are practices imposed by government, but which in reality, are practices dictated by the very select few. The activities of the copyright and patent associations around the world, together with the actions and laws generated by the government animators, such associations control, can easily be fitted together to explain the current demise of the economy of the world. The limits on competition imposed by those who animate governments have completely truncated significant global competition in the name of promoting collective progress. Copyrights and patents are modern enclosure acts. The anticompetitive, self-serving methods imposed by those who animate government generally extend the power of the animator and economically benefit private monopoly beneficiaries.
        It is anticompetitive to make laws that endow private parties with monopoly ownership or that bestow private monopoly powers enforced by government.
      Copyrights and patents inhibit competition, they concentrate wealth, and they deny free and active human participation in the benefits of contemporary society.
      Maybe Its time for humanity to think about restricting animator use of monopoly generating governments?

    209. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you grant control of the Internet to the UN, or any aspect of the unfolding world government, when the Antichrist arrives, only his propaganda will be allowed on the Internet. Right now the Internet is a fairly wide open channel and anyone can post their opinions for the world to see.

    210. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by boombaard · · Score: 1

      It would help if you had actually clicked the links before spouting this comment. I don't read pravda, and I don't care for most of the salon writers either (self-congratulatory bunch of liberals that they are), but I don't think Greenwald should be dismissed as a source simply because he's paid by Salon... So please be a tad more substantive the next time you write something.
      (PS. Why do you assume I would be shocked to hear something bad about canada, a country I've never visited?)

    211. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by badkarmadayaccount · · Score: 1

      Heh. If it were up to my parents, they'd send me off to prison for the same reason. "My house, my rules." "No buying pot with my money." The latest brain fart is "As soon as the drivers course is done, no more cash from us if you still smoke pot, move out, get a job and do whatever you want, but not here." I finished high school this year, this autumn I'm going to Sofia university. Or at least I'm supposed to. Between stoping pot (mental if not physical suicide), and work and study (which is relatively rare around here, especially for STEM students). This is the only thing keeping me from abusing pills and winding up in a straightjacket (because they haven't stoped fucking up their job in subtle ways since I was born).

      --
      I know tobacco is bad for you, so I smoke weed with crack.
    212. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by cthulhu11 · · Score: 1

      The only real-world single points of failure are last-mile edge connections to single-homed sites, eg. home users with cable/DSL links, and whatever subset of businesses rely on single upstream links. Everything else is redundant.

    213. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      If it were up to my parents, they'd send me off to prison for the same reason.

      Well, yes, the reason is ignorance.

      "My house, my rules."

      Well, they're right, there. You should be able to set the rules in the house you're paying for.

      "No buying pot with my money."

      Again, they have that right.

      This is the only thing keeping me from abusing pills and winding up in a straightjacket (because they haven't stoped fucking up their job in subtle ways since I was born).

      It sounds like they've indeed screwed you up mentally. When you get to college, seek out some counselling.

    214. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Galestar · · Score: 1

      And you don't need a drivers license to vote either. But you do need one for buying beer, walking through an apartment for a preview, employment, driving, etc.

      Voting is a right. Those other things are not. The homeless (no job, apartment, car... probably still lots of beer) still have a right to vote.

      --
      AccountKiller
    215. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except that Egypt is getting the MB and Tunisia is getting Salafists where they used to be fairly liberal and secular. I don't love dictators but I love them better than religious dictators.

    216. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      Voting is a right...for US CITIZENS. So it's rather paramount that we identify who is and who isn't a citizen prior letting him/her vote.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    217. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That may be one of the major reasons but not exactly.

      The article says "the summit would consider proposals including '[using] international mandates to charge certain Web destinations on a "per-click" basis to fund the build-out of broadband infrastructure across the globe' and allowing 'governments to monitor and restrict content or impose economic costs upon international data flows"

      Basically, just imagine that all censorship bypassing tools fail to work because the countries censoring internet themselves *are* in control of it.

      Bottom line: There's no one to stop them. Period.

    218. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by EvilBudMan · · Score: 1

      or Russia or China. The UN is toooo many people to deal with.

    219. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by badkarmadayaccount · · Score: 1

      I'm already in counseling for the last three years, for every step we (self and therapist) take, my parents pull me two back. They secretly hate her, because her emotional support is undermining their habit of flushing their crappy emotions in me like a toilet. Love pouring in the guilt. Pulling insults against her, behind her back, I live in a nest of snakes, and I apologize to all snakes for saying that.

      --
      I know tobacco is bad for you, so I smoke weed with crack.
    220. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      As soon as you're able to, run like hell away from those people!

    221. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lol, the UN is a joke pal.
      You might think there was some democratic power there, with all the so called politicians running around and voting on stuff (an INSANE amount of stuff too, more than any member can look over in the time he has).
      But alas, its all decided behind closed doors as usual, between the upper member states.

    222. Re:UN takeover must be stopped? by badkarmadayaccount · · Score: 1

      (hug) Thanks! I really need some support right now - my therapist has gotten into the habit of canceling appointments - she is a a busy person, but that doesn't make me feel better. Look into publishing a guide "Finding your true love for geeks". Getting laid isn't cutting it for me, at all. If you're looking for a nice place to retire, look up Bulgaria, our countryside is filling up with retired Englishmen. I could use some slashdotter company, God knows the bitches are only eating into my nerves.

      --
      I know tobacco is bad for you, so I smoke weed with crack.
  2. Certain Web destinations by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They're proposing a Google tax?

  3. America the Right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    If America cannot own the Internet NOBODY CAN. The UN Summit is most likely to stop the fractioning of the Internet and provide stability and equal sharing. Sorry America- you had your chance to be "for the people... [of the world]" You can complain all you want about "takeovers must be stopped" but when you try it its ok because you are America.

    1. Re:America the Right by 0123456 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Yeah, because we'll be so much better off if Saudi Arabia, Russia and China control the Internet.

      The real question is, why haven't Americans driven the UN into the sea long ago?

    2. Re:America the Right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      herp derp I don't read articles. Did it really not cross your tiny brain that even a stopped clock is right twice a day? Read the damn article. My captcha was "stoned". Maybe you are too.

    3. Re:America the Right by houstonbofh · · Score: 2

      America is trying to manhandle the Internet. But the UN could give it the death of a thousand cuts. Of course they will run into the reverse problem when they try and run the US, the fact that almost all of the Internet here is privately owned.

    4. Re:America the Right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You seem to miss the point in which nations like Russia, China, and Iran want the ability to block, etc. This is not a UN takeover, but a takeover by other nations of their sections. And those nations want the right to push their goods and hype on others, but do not want it pushed on them.

    5. Re:America the Right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why is it that Americans always use kindergarten proverbs when debating? Just shows how dumb and ignorant you are.
      The US government has overtaken the Internet when they started seizing domain names without due process. .com, .net and .org are supposed to be international, but the USA have given themselves the right to seize domains using these extensions, in effect killing the political neutrality of the web.
      This is a serious mistakes and the USA deserve to lose their current control of the web over this!

      Also, ICANN is corrupt and broken. They're creating new TLDs like it's something amazing, when in fact there's simply no reason not to let anyone name their website whatever they want. And they're charging crazy sums of money for these new TLDs too. .com, .en, .us, .fr, etc. are just part of the name. ICANN just decides each website name has to end in dot-something, and from a technical point of view whether it's .com or .octopus makes absolutely no difference, it doesn't require extra work or extra infrastructure/configuration/whatever. But ICANN just wanted control, they felt it was their job to organize TLDs, and now they want to charge money for giving us the freedom to name our websites.

      And I wouldn't worry about China or Russia taking control. If the UN takes control, it means every country will get their say.
      And if somehow China manages to pass rules about the web that we don't like, it will be the excuse we've been waiting all these years to nuke these assfucks.

      My captcha was "fuck off".

    6. Re:America the Right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, troll. You're a bigot.

    7. Re:America the Right by Thiez · · Score: 1

      Because they would lose.

    8. Re:America the Right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And because we invented it. Everyone seems to forget that part.

    9. Re:America the Right by houstonbofh · · Score: 1

      Why is it that Americans always use kindergarten proverbs when debating?

      Targeting the audience...

      Amusingly enough, you are correct in a lot of your points, but your presentation sucks...

    10. Re:America the Right by cdombroski · · Score: 1

      Apparently you can accidentally mod while trying to move to the next post. Sorry about that.

    11. Re:America the Right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like Americans use proverbs, the rest of the world ignores reality. The UN is only as good as its members -- and unfortunately the number of countries that disagree with western liberal values far outnumber those that agree. The result with be an Internet that does not embody the principles that you likely desire.

    12. Re:America the Right by poity · · Score: 1

      This isn't about "the UN taking control". This is not a UN vs US issue. It is a few countries that want to further control and limit their part of the internet, and they see the current US control of it as an obstacle. They need to erode this obstacle. By using the UN as a pivot, they can potentially gain legitimacy and a dilution of power. So by going through the UN they seek to accomplish two things: 1. launder their intentions with the name of the UN, and 2. alter the status quo so that current checks to their power to act on their nodes are removed.

      --
      your thin skin doesn't make me a troll
    13. Re:America the Right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why is it that Americans always use kindergarten proverbs when debating? Just shows how dumb and ignorant you are.

      +4, Insightful. The Eurotrash sure is out today.

    14. Re:America the Right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      .com, .net and .org are supposed to be international

      Actually not true. All of the original generic TLDs have been under the administrative control of the U.S. since the days of the ARPANET. This is why .mil and .gov only contain second-level domains for the U.S. government, for example.

      Of course, the registrars will gladly hand out gTLDs to anyone, and legal arguments for the DoJ being able to seize domains without due process by essentially going through the back door of the Commerce Department is spurious at best, but that is the reality of the process as it works today.

  4. You fools! by maugle · · Score: 5, Funny

    You all kept saying that nobody could mishandle the Internet worse than the US, and the UN took it as a challenge!

    1. Re:You fools! by houstonbofh · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Unfortunately, people will mod you "funny" and not insightful.

    2. Re:You fools! by Grayhand · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Given that the cast of characters demanding control of the internet I would have to agree. Every country named has sought to filter internet content to restrict speech. If they take over I'd say the open internet would be effectively dead.

    3. Re:You fools! by jamstar7 · · Score: 0

      It makes about as much sense as the US demanding ThePirateBay get shut down.

      --
      Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
    4. Re:You fools! by psiclops · · Score: 1

      Given that the cast of characters demanding control of the internet I would have to agree

      that would be because it's a biased statement specifically listing nations that should invoke ill feelings when used in a discussion about the internet.

      it's not like they combine to form a controlling vote.

      --
      i spent five minutes thinking and all i got was this crappy sig
    5. Re:You fools! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      so its OK for america to be a douchebag as long as there is a greater douchebag out there ?

    6. Re:You fools! by houstonbofh · · Score: 1

      so its OK for america to be a douchebag as long as there is a greater douchebag out there ?

      No. But, because there is another douchebag out there it does not excuse you from being a douchebag.

    7. Re:You fools! by bhagwad · · Score: 1

      Tell that to the Arab countries that vote as a bloc. They'll come together with China and India on this one. That 3 billion people right there.

    8. Re:You fools! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The best comments are both funny and insightful!

    9. Re:You fools! by Thugthrasher · · Score: 1

      so its OK for america to be a douchebag as long as there is a greater douchebag out there ?

      No. But, because there is another douchebag out there it does not excuse you from being a douchebag.

      But it also doesn't mean you should give control to said bigger douchebag. If you have a choice between two bosses and one is a complete ass and the other is only kind of an ass...neither is good, but you pick the one that's less of an ass.

  5. This is scary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What a bunch of bullshit. This is a virtual false-flag, and will give a pretext to kill the Internet the way the Patriot Act, etc... killed the soul of the USA.

  6. US not great, UN would be worse by JoshuaZ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The US is not great. The US does things like seizing domain names based on minimal cause and then spending years before they give them back. A lot of those seized have been over copyright issues and in some cases they haven't even been clearly infringing. This is similar to how many states in the US have assert forfeiture laws which allow police to confiscate large sums of money or cars under minimal suspicion of involvement with illegal drug dealing, and getting them back is difficult.

    But the UN would be worse. The UN contains many countries with little conception of free speech. Even allies of the US like Canada and Britain have substantially less free speech than the US does. In the case of Britain libel although being reformed is still very much a danger. In Canada, speech which specifically targets minorities or criticizes religions can be labeled as hate speech with fines given. And most of the world, is much much worse. Consistently a large fraction of the Islamic countries have tried to push through anti-blasphemy regulations in the UN. So far they've failed. But it is easy to imagine what would happen if they could actually block pictures of Muhammad. Similarly. China would slaver at the thought of not having to do its own censorship but simply have no websites discussing Tiananmen Square at all. Letting even weak internet control get in the hands of the UN is a recipe for disaster. Maybe in 20 or 30 years when the free speech situation has improved. But not right now.

    1. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by jamstar7 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Maybe in 20 or 30 years when the free speech situation has improved. But not right now.

      I seriously doubt in 20 or 30 years the free speech situation will improve. Going by recent history, I'd say it's a full tilt sucker bet that the situation will get worse.

      --
      Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
    2. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Max+Romantschuk · · Score: 2

      The UN contains many countries with little conception of free speech. Even allies of the US like Canada and Britain have substantially less free speech than the US does. In the case of Britain libel although being reformed is still very much a danger. In Canada, speech which specifically targets minorities or criticizes religions can be labeled as hate speech with fines given. And most of the world, is much much worse.

      While it is completely true that there are many countries in the UN that definitely don't have proper free speech your comment highlights a major difference in the European and American interpretation of the term "free speech". In most of Europe free speech means the freedom to express your thoughts and opinions. Free speech is not considered the freedom to say anything you please.

      For example if I were to set up a web site proclaiming that all black people are simply not human and that black women should be raped at will on the streets because they deserve it it would not be considered to be protected under free speech in (most of) Europe. A site like that would be taken down and I would be fined at least.

      Frankly I'm not sure how a web site like that would fare in the US. Anyone care to enlighten me?

      --
      .: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
    3. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It would stay up, and you'd likely get lots of negative communication from various people, but it's not against the law to say those kinds of things here. If someone actually read your website and acted on your directive they might try to charge you with a crime, but it wouldn't be related to the speech.

    4. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by artor3 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It would be legal. The US does have some limitations on incitements to violence, but a webpage expressing the things you described wouldn't fit the bill. You pretty much have to be pointing at a person, yelling "Hey everyone, kick that n*****/f*****/etc.'s ass!" in order for the first amendment not to protect you.

    5. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And yet I would argue that Canadians are freer than Americans. Sure, Americans might have better protection of free speech, but in return the US is inching closer and closer to a police state, I am not sure that is a trade-off worth taking.

    6. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by mrbester · · Score: 0

      "In Canada, speech which specifically targets minorities or criticizes religions can be labeled as hate speech with fines given."

      You say that like it's a bad thing. Which would you prefer, WBC assholes shouting that your loved one that you are currently burying will been in hell, or the legal facility to shut such hate mongerers down?

      --
      "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
    7. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The UN is an organization that is mostly irrelevant today. They are trying to move into an area just to muster some sort of relevance that they don't already have. I would love to see that organization replaced with something else. Although yes Canada does have anti hate speech laws, the Canadian constitution does protect freedom of expression which in many ways is not limited to just speech. So the Canadian system in many respects is more open then the US system. The anti hate speech laws are a small limitation to prevent idiots from causing trouble. The laws in Canada are different. I think the biggest threat to free speech in Canada is the CRTC which censors content. One could make a good argument that the CRTC violates the Canadian constitution.

    8. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which would you prefer, WBC assholes shouting that your loved one that you are currently burying will been in hell, or the legal facility to shut such hate mongerers down?

      I perfer "WBC assholes shouting that your loved one that you are currently burying will been in hell" because that's harmless compared to the "legal facility to shut such hate mongerers down". The saying is, "Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me."

      When you have "legal facility to shut such hate mongerers down" the legal definition of "hate mongerers" becomes anything the government perceives as a threat against government. Government uses "Sticks and Stones" to enforce laws.

    9. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by fnj · · Score: 1

      I believe you are mistaken. The proposed site is clearly hate speech and an incitement to violence.

    10. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which would you prefer, WBC assholes shouting that your loved one that you are currently burying will been in hell, or the legal facility to shut such hate mongerers down?

      I prefer the first option. Using jack booted thugs (the state) to go and beat on people because you don't like what they are saying seems pretty barbaric to me. Just ignore them.

    11. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by fnj · · Score: 1

      I am puzzled by your thought sequence. Nothing could be a clearer incitement to violence than the site described. If you want to try a test cite to see which one of us is right, feel free. It's about the last thing I would risk, even if I believed the drivel.

    12. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Word.

    13. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Country without freedom of speech is by definition a police state.

    14. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by artor3 · · Score: 4, Informative

      The US has a very strict standard of what constitutes incitement to violence. It comes from the Supreme Court decision in Brandenburg v Ohio. To count as incitement, the speech has to meet three criteria:

      1) It has to be intended to incite violence (the website meets this one)
      2) The violence being incited must be "imminent" (this is the real killer, as written word is unlikely to be an incitement to any "imminent" action)
      3) It has to be "likely" that violence will result (this could go either way... given the sort of crap you read on forums, the judge might rule that internet postings are often extreme and unlikely to be taken seriously)

      As I said, the only way to pass the "Brandenburg test" is to basically be at the scene of the crime, pointing and yelling "Get 'em!"

    15. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not in the US.

      There is very, very, very, well established case law that requires not only a party stating that violence should be committed, but that it must be spoken in a context where it is believed that violence is an actual possibility.

    16. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The absence of knowledge and prejudices are no excuse on the long run. There is no one else who can hit the US harder than their own people... good work!

    17. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by ravenshrike · · Score: 0

      You should probably brush up on 1st amendment law as it by and large protects expression as well.

    18. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It would be legal. The US does have some limitations on incitements to violence, but a webpage expressing the things you described wouldn't fit the bill. You pretty much have to be pointing at a person, yelling "Hey everyone, kick that n*****/f*****/etc.'s ass!" in order for the first amendment not to protect you.

      Not sure what regex you are trying to match, but I highly doubt /etc has ever done anything bad to you!

    19. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by oldredlion · · Score: 2

      IANAL but I think it'd be OK.

      That same website with a link to a pirated film, however, would have the feds seizing your servers pretty quickly.

    20. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 1

      I can play that game to with a much less offensive example. Lets say I create a site that advocates that white people (or pick your favorite ethnic group) are superior to all others and as such should be the only ones allowed to run things. More common instances of restricted speech in Europe are the various Holocaust deniers. While their ideas are patently false should only truthful information be allowed on the internet?

      --
      Time to offend someone
    21. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 1

      So long as I can carry a sign and yell back at them I will take their speech over the ability to shut it down. Personally I like being able to criticize religion especially ones as marginal and defective as the WBC, Scientology, the Railains, etc.

      --
      Time to offend someone
    22. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 1

      I don't have an opinion as to who is freer not having lived in Canada - but the limitations and notwithstanding clauses in the Canadian Charter of Rights are really a big concern to me.

    23. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by CCarrot · · Score: 1

      While their ideas are patently false should only truthful information be allowed on the internet?

      What, you want to shut the whole thing down? Perish the thought! Then where would I get my "Add 1-3 inch easy! sat1sfy her she sm1le all time!!" meds?

      --
      "I love animals! Some are cute, others are tasty, what's not to like?" - Betsy Schroeder, Jeopardy contestant
    24. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by dmatos · · Score: 1

      Okay, let's just clear something up about Canadian hate propoganda laws. What, exactly, is forbidden?

      1. Advocating or promoting genocide.
      2. Inciting hatred where such incitement is likely to lead to a breach of the peace.

      That's all. I can stand around all day shouting that I hate Jews, or Mexicans, or people with purple hair. As long as I'm not telling other people that we should kill them all, or beat them up, or burn their houses and rape their wives, I am not committing an offense under the Criminal Code.

      Are you seriously going to argue that this is an unjust law?

      BTW - reference, if you care to check it - the Criminal Code of Canada. Look at sections 318 and 319 for the hate propoganda laws.

      http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/

      --

      It may look like I'm doing nothing, but I'm actively waiting for my problems to go away.
      --Scott Adams
    25. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by JoshuaZ · · Score: 1

      The problem is the behavior of the CHRC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Human_Rights_Commission_free_speech_controversy which falls under Section 13(1) of the CHRA. Different legislation. The relevant penalties are civil not criminal.

    26. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Pseudonym+Authority · · Score: 1

      Alright: stormfront.org , kkk.org , 4chan.org/pol/ .

      All up, after years and years.

    27. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Pseudonym+Authority · · Score: 1

      In most of Europe free speech means the freedom to express your thoughts and opinions. Free speech is not considered the freedom to say anything you please.

      Then it isn't truly free speech. If your thoughts are extreme, but extreme ideas are censored, then in Europe, you are not free to express yourself, thus there is not really free speech.

    28. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Pseudonym+Authority · · Score: 1

      I would never want someone to be punished for mere words. They can say what they like and I can ignore them. It's survival of the fittest for ideas. Free speech doesn't exist to protect the mainstream, it exist for the fringe.

    29. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by Max+Romantschuk · · Score: 1

      Then it isn't truly free speech. If your thoughts are extreme, but extreme ideas are censored, then in Europe, you are not free to express yourself, thus there is not really free speech.

      My point is that free speech is a different concept in parts of Europe. Just as the word God will be interpreted differently depending on context, the same applies for any other word. I'm not trying to say what is right or wrong. But a lot of people in Europe do view the US as more oppressive than our own governments desipte the "lack" of free speech.

      --
      .: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
    30. Re:US not great, UN would be worse by dmatos · · Score: 1

      Ah, thank you. Interesting reading.

      --

      It may look like I'm doing nothing, but I'm actively waiting for my problems to go away.
      --Scott Adams
  7. US Control of Internet Must Be Stopped, UN Warns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    In a rare show of bipartisan agreement, countries not named United States of America warned this morning that a United States pizza binge summit in December will lead to continued U.S. virtual dominance of the Internet.

  8. UN Retaliates by skirmish666 · · Score: 0

    UN retaliates by saying the same of the US.

    --
    Sigger than your average
  9. A rock and a hard place. by multicoregeneral · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think the question lies in what you consider worse. Do you fear unlimited, unaccountable, and unbridled surveillance, like the kind that's being proposed in the US, that effectively covers the entire world... or are you more worried about censorship, virtual toll roads that make the doing business more expensive, and totally unrepresented taxation? Not to mention regional fragmentation, which you'll see in some of the proposals. Neither agenda is good, but which is worse? Personally, I don't think either side of this debate understands the internet at all. If the internet is going to be controlled by anyone, it should be the people who work and live in it. It's mine, damn it.

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    This signature intentionally left blank.
    1. Re:A rock and a hard place. by ktappe · · Score: 2

      I think the question lies in what you consider worse. Do you fear unlimited, unaccountable, and unbridled surveillance, like the kind that's being proposed in the US... or are you more worried about censorship

      Unfortunately it's not either/or. We're all likely to eventually get both.

      --
      "We can categorically state we have not released man-eating badgers into the area." - UK military spokesman, July 2007
    2. Re:A rock and a hard place. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just put Switzerland in control of the web and everything will be fine. They're completely neutral and very respectful of online privacy and free speech in their own country.

      Currently Switzerland regularly hosts important meetings between various country, specifically because they are 100% neutral and thus safe ground to meet for anyone who might fear being arrested or assassinated. Switzerland has earned a reputation and control of the Internet - not that they want control as far as I know, but maybe the world should ask them.

      Either way, if we're going to have one country in charge like is the case now, better Switzerland than the USA.

      Personally I think the best solution is to let the UN control the Internet, however the UN should only ensure the Internet is completely unrestrained. So instead of making laws about what you can't post online, what websites can be blocked, etc. they should make sure every single country lets people post what they want and do not take down or block websites. That would be the safest scenario.

    3. Re:A rock and a hard place. by kdemetter · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think the question lies in what you consider worse. Do you fear unlimited, unaccountable, and unbridled surveillance, like the kind that's being proposed in the US, that effectively covers the entire world... or are you more worried about censorship, virtual toll roads that make the doing business more expensive, and totally unrepresented taxation?

      They are both part of the same thing : finding dissident voices and shutting them up.
      And I want neither.

    4. Re:A rock and a hard place. by multicoregeneral · · Score: 1

      I tend to agree. I keep offering to help my elected representatives with this stuff. None of them seem especially interested. Except Roy Blunt. He's an idiot, but at least he listens to reason.

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      This signature intentionally left blank.
    5. Re:A rock and a hard place. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Personally I think the best solution is to let the UN control the Internet, however the UN should only ensure the Internet is completely unrestrained

      They're talking about click-taxes before they've even taken control. You really think they are planning less interference?

    6. Re:A rock and a hard place. by jon3k · · Score: 1

      Honestly, if I absolutely HAD to pick one, I'll take surveillance, because I can encrypt all my sensitive communication.

    7. Re:A rock and a hard place. by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You think the US has unbridled surveillance?

      Compared to what is going on in China, one of the parties to this proposal?

      It's not an either-or. With the US you will get surveillance with at least a little accountability. With the UN you will get unbridled surveillance, censorship, toll roads and no accountability.

    8. Re:A rock and a hard place. by multicoregeneral · · Score: 1

      The US doesn't have unbridled surveillance yet. But we're getting it with CISPA. And given the nature of the root server system, that makes it a global problem. Like I said earlier. I don't think either body understands the internet well enough not to totally screw it up over the next ten years or so; and that they need to hand it over to a body that understands the key concepts involved. I can't imagine anyone having an issue with that point of view, but everyone's entitled to their opinion, I suppose.

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      This signature intentionally left blank.
    9. Re:A rock and a hard place. by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 1

      Well CISPA is pretty much dead in the water at present. However the alternatives that are following on aren't much different.

      However to compare these to Chinese style surveillance is laughable. That's MUCH worse than even CISPA.

      My thinking is that there should not be a centralized body. The various nations should be free to go to hell in their own ways.

      And really what does a centralized domain name server do for you? Not a lot. Blocking requires the ability to filter out at an address level. Otherwise it's just a matter of adding another IP to your DNS list.

  10. Not black helicopters after all by asmiller1950 · · Score: 1

    Turns out the black helicopters are actually black wireless routers.

  11. Re:The US made it by qirtaiba · · Score: 2, Informative

    The US did not make the Internet. Quoting from this history, "The earliest pioneers included a Frenchman, Louis Pouzin, who introduced the idea of data grams and an Englishman, Donald W. Davies, who was one of the inventors of packet-switching. Another of the great pioneers in Britain was Peter T. Kirstein, who went to America at the beginning of the Arpanet in 1969 when it was decided that Davies could not go for reasons of national security." And of course as we all know Tim Berners-Lee, another Englishman, invented the web.

  12. lol butthurt by Alex+Belits · · Score: 0

    lol butthurt

    --
    Contrary to the popular belief, there indeed is no God.
  13. To Whomever it may concern: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The internet was designed to be open and free. Leave it be.
    The internet was designed to be unregulated. Leave it be.
    The internet was designed with open access for everyone in mind. Leave it be.
    The internet was designed to be unhindered, unfettered, unfiltered, uncapped. Leave it be.

    For those bastards who think they have the right and the need to control it, regulate it, tax it, reroute it, filter it, cap it, limit it, contain it - leave it be.

    Information wants to be free, it will find a way. The internet, like nature will evolve until it does so.

    1. Re:To Whomever it may concern: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So - you are saying it is good the US no longer has a stranglehold?

      Nice idea....

    2. Re:To Whomever it may concern: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, you'd have no problems with child porn, posting your personal details, bank number, PIN etc or anything else I can find about you there? No issues if I posted naked pictures of your children, where they went to school and where they were at any time of the day?

      Be careful what you wish for. An unregulated internet would be hell.

    3. Re:To Whomever it may concern: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      An unregulated internet would be like the internet was in the 80s and 90s, Awesome. and if people are dumb enough to post their private information... oh wait they already do, remember that little site called Facebook?

  14. Irony... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is a bitch

  15. The internet does have a central authority by AlphaWolf_HK · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's pretty common to believe that no central source can control the internet - and it's true for the most part - with one major exception: IANA ultimately answers to the US Department of Commerce.

    In order for the internet to function, there has to be a central authority who determines who gets what IP addresses and domain names. That authority is under the control of the US. Sure you could create your own internets (yes, plural) with your own name and number rules, however if you can't all agree upon who gets what IP address blocks and domain names, you aren't going to have a very cohesive and universal network like the one we have today.

    Honestly, I am perfectly fine with the US having control over that, and in fact would much rather they hold the keys rather than the UN. If the UN had their way, that would mean countries who have heavy influence of the UN (e.g. China) would have their way.

    So far, the US has done a great job. Sure, we've had talks about filtering the internet (e.g. SOPA) many times, but unlike 90% of the other countries out there (Australia, UK, Germany, China, Iran, just to name a few,) we haven't acted upon any of them. Granted, we have taken extraordinary and unnecessary if not unethical measures, such as taking down megaupload, we didn't do so by ordering IANA to break the infrastructure.

    The best thing about the US having control, is that we've never done anything to dismantle the infrastructure in the name of politics. The UN wants control because they plan on doing exactly that.

    --
    Careful with names containing L slashdot.org/~AiphaWolf_HK slashdot.org/~AlphaWoif_HK slashdot.org/~AiphaWoif_HK
    1. Re:The internet does have a central authority by elucido · · Score: 2

      It's pretty common to believe that no central source can control the internet - and it's true for the most part - with one major exception: IANA ultimately answers to the US Department of Commerce.

      In order for the internet to function, there has to be a central authority who determines who gets what IP addresses and domain names. That authority is under the control of the US. Sure you could create your own internets (yes, plural) with your own name and number rules, however if you can't all agree upon who gets what IP address blocks and domain names, you aren't going to have a very cohesive and universal network like the one we have today.

      Honestly, I am perfectly fine with the US having control over that, and in fact would much rather they hold the keys rather than the UN. If the UN had their way, that would mean countries who have heavy influence of the UN (e.g. China) would have their way.

      So far, the US has done a great job. Sure, we've had talks about filtering the internet (e.g. SOPA) many times, but unlike 90% of the other countries out there (Australia, UK, Germany, China, Iran, just to name a few,) we haven't acted upon any of them. Granted, we have taken extraordinary and unnecessary if not unethical measures, such as taking down megaupload, we didn't do so by ordering IANA to break the infrastructure.

      The best thing about the US having control, is that we've never done anything to dismantle the infrastructure in the name of politics. The UN wants control because they plan on doing exactly that.

      More governments arguing for control over the internet is better than just having one government and fewer people deciding,

    2. Re:The internet does have a central authority by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, we've had talks about filtering the internet (e.g. SOPA) many times, but unlike 90% of the other countries out there (Australia, UK, Germany, China, Iran, just to name a few,) we haven't acted upon any of them.

      Except at least http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Immigration_and_Customs_Enforcement#Intellectual_property

      There needs to be a central authority, at least probably and for now. This is about who controls that authority. It naturally should be the people who use the internet i.e. all nations and not US alone.

      UN is a fairly fucked up organ, thanks for example the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_veto_power which the US among others has been abusing extensively.

    3. Re:The internet does have a central authority by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think this has alot to do with the ITU wanting to become an alternative registrar to provide IP address allocation as was evident in 2009/2010. As far as I know, the idea failed however it has not stopped them from finding alternative methods. Also, I agree with the posters above regarding the control we will be ceding to the UN. The UN is a highly bureaucratic organization that tries to appease every member state and get things done. Also, those particular nation states were chosen because they are the most oppressive governments that we know off who have tried everything they can to censor and control the Internet. We are not better served by having them having a say in this matter.

      On a side note, the UN is also working on Child Online Protection acts that I fear will be used to further control and limit what gets said and done on the Internet if they are given control. The choices allowed will be what they decide is good for us and kiss all the porn and shows goodbye. My 0.02 cents.

    4. Re:The internet does have a central authority by Rennt · · Score: 1

      I don't know how you can be so comfortable when Congress has shown it's not above meddling with the Internet... and has full intention to do it again. The current situation is dangerously unpredictable - one victory is all they need, and we can't keep winning battles like SOPA forever.

      It's plainly obvious that the Internet should not be controlled by any one country. Especially by the US, which has proven itself capable of selling out even it's own interests to please pressure groups. Let me tell you I have less fear of China's influence over the UN then of Hollywood's influence over the US government.

      Sorry, but if there must be a central authority I can't think of a better one then the UN. Maybe if the US was a little less afraid of erosion of empire they could share control with the "good" nations through treaties, but honestly I think that's less likely to happen at this point.

    5. Re:The internet does have a central authority by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What will probably happen is the internet will fracture a little in TLDs, as each country decides how to handle their own DNS systems. ICANN will have less say in calling the shots. So if you go to a U.S. based ".com" outside the U.S. you'll have to do it like ".com.us". Things like that. So if you're elsewhere in the world and doing the ".com" the old way, you'll end up going to a ".com" based in whatever country you're in. Ditto for .org, .net, .whatever...

      Each country gets control of domains and access in a way that they're happy, but it'll make figuring things out for us users a bit more of a pain in the butt. Might end up getting more firewalls, protocols, restrictions, and things of that nature to deal with. UN or not.

      Still people will figure out ways around to get wherever they want to go on the net.

      At least that's what I see happening.

    6. Re:The internet does have a central authority by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Sure, we've had talks about filtering the internet (e.g. SOPA) many times, but unlike 90% of the other countries out there (Australia, UK, Germany, China, Iran, just to name a few,) we haven't acted upon any of them."

      Umm, Australia has only talked about it as well. A couple of ISPs have voluntary filters, but so do some in the US. Let me say that again. There is no government mandated Internet filtering in Australia.

    7. Re:The internet does have a central authority by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't lump Australia in there. That's very ignorant of you. We stopped any filtering plans while they were just plans: it never happened and it didn't even get as far as SOPA did - or ACTA. Or the DMCA.

    8. Re:The internet does have a central authority by AlphaWolf_HK · · Score: 1

      More governments arguing for control over the internet is better than just having one government and fewer people deciding,

      I disagree. The great thing about democracy is that we all get a say in how we run the government, and we can even do things like set rules that apply to one group, but not necessarily another, and people in general are fine with that. However that is also the biggest problem with democracy.

      Communication is one area where democracy would ultimately fail.
        - Imagine having a courtroom without a judge. Who would decide who gets to speak and when?
        - Imagine if we had more than one FCC within the US. It would be extremely difficult for radio communications to function, because people would always be trying to speak over one another on any given band.

      In these types of situations, you need either a dictator or an oligarchy.

      The internet is just another medium of communications. The US's current approach is to let everybody speak about whatever they want, so long as they speak from whatever corner of the internet that they are assigned to.

      The UN wants control for no other reason than that they want to change the status quo and add restrictions. Personally, I think the status quo of the internet is good. The UN on the other hand frequently talks about censoring hate speech. Hate speech is a pretty vague term. Who gets to decide what is hate speech? If you make a joke about mohammed, for good or for malign, the muslim countries will call that hate speech.

      --
      Careful with names containing L slashdot.org/~AiphaWolf_HK slashdot.org/~AlphaWoif_HK slashdot.org/~AiphaWoif_HK
    9. Re:The internet does have a central authority by badkarmadayaccount · · Score: 1

      IPv6 stateless autoconfiguration, distributed route propagation protocols like B.A.T.M.A.N.

      --
      I know tobacco is bad for you, so I smoke weed with crack.
  16. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_protocol_suite

    The Internet protocol suite resulted from research and development conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the early 1970s. After initiating the pioneering ARPANET in 1969, DARPA started work on a number of other data transmission technologies. In 1972, Robert E. Kahn joined the DARPA Information Processing Technology Office, where he worked on both satellite packet networks and ground-based radio packet networks, and recognized the value of being able to communicate across both. In the spring of 1973, Vinton Cerf, the developer of the existing ARPANET Network Control Program (NCP) protocol, joined Kahn to work on open-architecture interconnection models with the goal of designing the next protocol generation for the ARPANET.
    By the summer of 1973, Kahn and Cerf had worked out a fundamental reformulation, where the differences between network protocols were hidden by using a common internetwork protocol, and, instead of the network being responsible for reliability, as in the ARPANET, the hosts became responsible. Cerf credits Hubert Zimmerman and Louis Pouzin, designer of the CYCLADES network, with important influences on this design.
    The network's design included the recognition it should provide only the functions of efficiently transmitting and routing traffic between end nodes and that all other intelligence should be located at the edge of the network, in the end nodes. Using a simple design, it became possible to connect almost any network to the ARPANET, irrespective of their local characteristics, thereby solving Kahn's initial problem. One popular expression is that TCP/IP, the eventual product of Cerf and Kahn's work, will run over "two tin cans and a string."
    A computer, called a router, is provided with an interface to each network. It forwards packets back and forth between them.[3] Originally a router was called gateway, but the term was changed to avoid confusion with other types of gateways.

    Yes the United States did make the internet. You're welcome.

  17. "free from government control"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is all a bit rich, reading the resolution, considering that is is coming from the country which unilaterally seizes domains at will.

    Don't forget as well that this is coming from the same government that proposed a kill switch for the Internet. Sounds more like "nobody should control the Internet, unless it is us" (well, this arguably applies to the US part of the Internet).

    The resolution also says: "Whereas the world deserves the access to knowledge, ... and the informed discussion that is the bedrock of democratic self-government that the Internet provides;"
    I thought that WikiLeaks and cablegate were exactly the kind of things which promote a healthy discussion in a democracy, but I doubt that that's what they had in mind when they drafted this resolution, free access to knowledge and all.

    This all seems more like a bit of patriotic posturing. Blah blah land of the free blah blah cannot trust anybody else to be as free as we are blah blah. Seriously, it does not matter one bit what will be proposed at this conference; how exactly are you going to *force* the US to relinquish control? Not going to happen.

    1. Re:"free from government control"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Woooooooooosh.

      Discussion is not "Well the US should take control", the discussion is "Well, so far, the US is the lesser of evils".

      Thanks for playing though!

    2. Re:"free from government control"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Woooooooooosh.

      My point was not "Well the US should take control". My point was that the resolution is hypocritical because it is not about freedom, it is about control.

      Thanks for playing though!

    3. Re:"free from government control"? by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 1

      At this point in time the idea that the US controls the internet is laughable.

      What they control are some pieces of the internet infrastructure that allow them to seize some domains. These seizures have little to no effect because many non-US registries exist.

      A US implemented kill switch would affect what? The US that's it. And maybe not even that. Given the pool of engineering talent available in the US underground nets would be very hard to suppress.

      The real danger is having a completely centralized control.

  18. This is a complete fiction by qirtaiba · · Score: 5, Informative

    As any expert will tell you, none of these pie-in-the-sky proposals about the ITU taxing the Internet or the like have any chance of being pushed through. Even the US government itself doesn't take the risk seriously, except for political purposes like this. This is all just the latest step in a huge beat-up about something that could never happen. The motivation is just to distract from the real Internet governance changes that do need to happen, and that are being discussed much more sensibly in other fora (such as at the WSIS Forum last month in Geneva). That doesn't mean that we need to keep an eye the ITU, because it is true that it's a very secretive and closed organisation, but at least let's be honest about the risks.

    1. Re:This is a complete fiction by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 5, Insightful
      It's being nipped in the bud. Otherwise, this happens:

      "It is at first denied that any radical new plan exists; it is then conceded that it exists but ministers swear blind that it is not even on the political agenda; it is then noted that it might well be on the agenda but is not a serious proposition; it is later conceded that it is a serious proposition but that it will never be implemented; after that it is acknowledged that it will be implemented but in such a diluted form that it will make no difference to the lives of ordinary people; at some point it is finally recognised that it has made such a difference, but it was always known that it would and voters were told so from the outset."
      -- Times editorial, published on August 28, 2002

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    2. Re:This is a complete fiction by tomhath · · Score: 1

      The UN will continue to float proposals for taxing rich countries and transferring the wealth to poor ones. Carbon tax is the biggest part of the global warming debate, now an Internet tax; who knows what they'll try next. Once the door is open a crack they're on their way.

  19. It's pretty obvious which is FAR worse by SuperKendall · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Who cares if anyone can surveil was is sent across the internet. That is rather the point of a public network, and if you don't want others to snoop then you encrypt.

    ANY of the other stuff inherently breaks the internet or at least seals it off to a huge portion of the planet.

    It's not even close which is why even in the middle of an election season two diametrically opposed parties are dead set against it, in unison.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  20. Re:The US made it by kaws · · Score: 1

    I don't think he was saying that that the US made the internet. He's more implying that a lot of the internet is based upon the US's network.

  21. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ummm... the internet was mostly a European effort, although the US contributed. The entirety of the web protocol cam efrom Europe, as well as most of the original research on packet networks. What people think of as "the internet" came from Europe.

    Learn some history.
    ]

  22. Still far worse by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    You mentioned the U.S. seized a few domains. I also think that was wrong.

    But the U.N. would block whole CATEGORIES of domains from even existing.

    You are worried about a theoretical Kill Switch on the internet. The U.N. wants a Kill Switch on every website...

    to be pressed by the Chinese or Russians as they see fit.

    And you are seriously arguing against the U.S. on this one? Yes they could improve but you don't seem to be grasping how much worse things could get, very quickly.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Still far worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Way to misread what I wrote. My only point was that it is hypocritical. If you think that the US is more interested in a free Internet than it is in keeping control of it, you are giving them more credit than they deserve. This is about control, not about a free Internet. If the US had to choose between a free Internet and keeping control of it, what do you think they would decide?

  23. Better the devil you know by ed1023 · · Score: 1

    Better the devil you know than the angel you don't.

  24. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Needs to be modded down - the US did not "make it", and Europe contributed far than the US more include the freakin World Wide Web which is the same as "the internet" to most ppl.

  25. It should be run by an NGO by presidenteloco · · Score: 1

    Ok so DARPA through in some funding, but the Internet was invented at a bunch of Universities, by, you know engineers and boffins.

    I humbly suggest that we let a collegial group of senior engineers and boffins (from around the world) govern the Internet, nominated by a vote of an association of qualified computer professionals.

    --

    Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
    1. Re:It should be run by an NGO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please mod this guy up. That's what SHOULD happen. The UN doesn't do much good as far as I can see.

      The net was created as a technical means to communicate. It is not political, and it shouldn't be changed from it's original intent. It is an informational tool, and it is critical to the freedom of the entire planet (well of the people on it, I guess) that it remain that way.

      No censoring, no kill switches. Let it be, it has changed our planet, and I would argue for the better! Why do people always seek to control others? We certainly can't take this lying down, it would be a disaster of truly staggering proportions if our Open and Free internet was destroyed by a committee decision. We've already been losing ground towards this. We need to move the other way now a bit.

  26. Re: Speeling by presidenteloco · · Score: 1

    Crap. That should be "threw in some funding". Never post after 15 hours of work.

    --

    Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
  27. everything is better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    than the US controlling anything, that place is run by paranoid idiots! (unlike the UN)

  28. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    And they're just letting everyone else use it....

    That's funny.

    The US might have created a ubiquitous communications network but they don't "make" the internet today. What "makes" the 'net is numbers. The net, community, social website, etc. that survives has the numbers. If everybody else but the US quit the internet and created a new one, the US would be on the outside looking in. Kinda weird, but the true I believe.

  29. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just learned some history. You're wrong: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET

  30. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Which is why I suggested they go form their own with their new rules. Other countries would be welcome to join which ever network fit them best. Mostly free countries would end up on the mostly free internet, and mostly censored counties would end up on the mostly censored internet.

  31. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Really

    The history of the Internet began with the development of computers in the 1950s. This began with point-to-point communication between mainframe computers and terminals, expanded to point-to-point connections between computers and then early research into packet switching. Packet switched networks such as ARPANET, Mark I at NPL in the UK, CYCLADES, Merit Network, Tymnet, and Telenet, were developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s using a variety of protocols. The ARPANET in particular led to the development of protocols for internetworking, where multiple separate networks could be joined together into a network of networks.

    But like all things America leads Europe tries to take all the credit.

  32. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    The US did not make the Internet. Quoting from this history [nethistory.info],

    Exactly - glad to see some actual data.

    The original research that led to the internet was almost all done in Europe. Saying the "US made the internet" is like saying "the us invented the automobile". It's only seen as true to Americans raised to think the US did everything.

    Captcha; elephant

  33. Re:The US made it by artor3 · · Score: 2

    Your quotes don't support your claim. Some Europeans invented a few of the underlying technologies. So what? The first car was made by Karl Benz (yes, as in Mercedes-Benz) in Germany. Would you claim that Germany didn't invent the car because the internal combustion engine was invented elsewhere?

  34. lolwut? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    The world wide web was invented at CERN. The research that led to the early stages of the internet also came from EU nations. The US came along later and claimed it "invented it" just as it did with the automobile and various other things, but it was largely an effort that came from CERN.

  35. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    Europe did jack squat towards forming the internet.

    You've heard of a little thing called the world wide web, yes?

    The thing you're using to post this?

    Guess what - it came from CERN.... in case you don't know, that's in the EU.

  36. Grey-haired hams by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I can just see them, nodding with a look in their eyes that conveys a combination of "I told you so" and "censor this!".

  37. There is a "the" Internet? by 0-9a-f · · Score: 0

    About the only consensual requirement for The Internet is agreement on IP address allocation... and even that doesn't need to be globally unique - just look at all that RFC1918 overlap. It all comes down to routing.

    Seriously, there's no reason why we can't have 203.2.192.124 in Australia, India, China, AND the USA. Your network provider (y'know, the one that shares routes with its peers) would work out which ones matter, and route accordingly. It just becomes extra admin overhead.

    So then you've got DNS issues. Since anyone can run their own DNS server (and lots of people do on a micro scale), there's nothing stopping some commercial entity known for brutal efficiency (perhaps with a share price to defend) from running up a DNS service, making money by selling domains. Bureaucracy confronts market forces...

    So if the UN want to run an Internet according to their rules - that's great. I wonder how long it would take before Enlightened Persons just start routing around the inevitable problems.

    And then we're back here again :)

    --
    With each breath in, a flower somewhere opens; with each breath out, a flower withers away. In between lies beauty.
    1. Re:There is a "the" Internet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if the routing for 203.2.192.124 becomes a policy decision, partially implemented
      by some kind of rule-based DNS, you're adding the exact infrastructure that both the corporate and the governmental
      censors are asking for

      the most open internet is a globally reachable address, unconditionally

  38. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET

    The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), was the world's first operational packet switching network and the core network of a set that came to compose the global Internet.

  39. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't think he was saying that that the US made the internet.

    "The US made it".

    He even put it in the fucking subject line.

  40. And diesel made the diesel motor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And so what ? It has no bearing on what happens with diesel nitir/internet now. Furthermore I cotnend that the talk about china/russia or whoever would "take control and kill our freedom" smack of total idiocy. Those 4 country are but 4 out of 193 in the conference, which the US , and other "allies" are welcome to take part and give their feedback and coutnerpoint. It is not as if anything those *4* country would give as proposal would pass. In fact, even if it passes as proposal, any country could simply ignore it. If Russia and China gave a proposal of "stomp freedom" and it passed, all western country could simply ignore it. And that it *if* it passed. 193 country, chance are that they won't be able to come to conclusion on anything before a comitee is formed and thought about it for years. As for the US, between SOPA, CISPA, and whatever else alphabet soup censorship, take down of domain, and the general facist (collusion governement/corporate) turn it is taking, I am not sure I want it longer as *sole* decider of anything whatsoever for the internet or the web. There should at least be a counterbalance.

    1. Re:And diesel made the diesel motor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your rant has no bearing on the statement of

      The US did not make the Internet.

      That is all the post addressed.

    2. Re:And diesel made the diesel motor by Albeezzyy · · Score: 1

      I can't even read this paragraph. Now I feel like Billy Madison--thanks buddy

    3. Re:And diesel made the diesel motor by Qzukk · · Score: 1

      So someone else figured out how to wire two computers together, someone else figure out how to send datagrams over the wire but the US patented it... on the Internet!

      Try the veal!

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    4. Re:And diesel made the diesel motor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What the us did was "figured out how to wire two computers together", "figure out how to send datagrams over the wire" and the most important part, figure out how to do that in a reliable and network agnostic way.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_protocol_suite

      Using a simple design, it became possible to connect almost any network to the ARPANET, irrespective of their local characteristics, thereby solving Kahn's initial problem. One popular expression is that TCP/IP, the eventual product of Cerf and Kahn's work, will run over "two tin cans and a string."

  41. Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How about US censorship of porn and gambling? Or do you think the .xxx domain will not be used by republicans to make a push in the future to force all porn on to that new domain and then block it everywhere?

    How about the DMCA which has been used to censor material considered undesirable by both parties funders?

    Censorship comes in many forms. Frankly it is no issue to me if Iranians can't see some stuff, but the DMCA hits everyone in the whole world. The US dictating its laws world wide is far worse then a country dictating its laws to its own people. Let the Iranians get rid of their government if they want an uncensored net. It can be done. But the Iranians can never be rid of the US government and its corporate masters.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by artor3 · · Score: 2

      How about US censorship of porn and gambling? Or do you think the .xxx domain will not be used by republicans to make a push in the future to force all porn on to that new domain and then block it everywhere?

      I distrust moral crusaders as much as anyone, but are you seriously using a hypothetical future event as an example? What the hell sort of logic is that?

    2. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks for blaming the .xxx domain on American politicians, last I checked the whole concept as well as the fire sale of .(whatever) didn't happen until after ICANN was put under its current international controls.

    3. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by FrootLoops · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I agree. I don't know how the GP got modded so highly. It did rail against the DMCA, the government in general, Republicans in particular, and it called the US government a slave to its "corporate masters"--all of which wins the /. popularity contest--but still, it's so... stupid.

      To be specific...
        * The .xxx scenario he outlined is ridiculously implausible. Porn was around in images, magazines, and film for decades or centuries in the US before the internet came around. It would take a fundamental, radical shift away from the First Amendment to "block it everywhere". It's just not going to happen. If anything the US is getting less conservative with time, not more.
        * The idea that Iranians can "get rid of their government if they want an uncensored net" is naive in the extreme. Revolutions are terrible--they're bloody economic disasters that might not even do anything substantial when the dust finally settles. And it's not as if any large group of people ever agrees on anything. The way the sentence is phrased makes it seem as if Iranians are actually a single entity which is, well, stupid.

    4. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by progician · · Score: 2

      Revolutions are terrible--they're bloody economic disasters that might not even do anything substantial when the dust finally settles.

      This is bullshit, my friend. Revolutions are perhaps terrible (I don't agree), but revolutions are also necessary. Also, when a revolution turns to armed conflict, it is called a civil war. There's too many examples in history that a regime can not be taken down by the 99% simply because the majority of the population would FEARS their government/armed forces enough not to take action, and therefore no change could come until somebody takes the gun, so the power become contested to the level that people actually can believe that things can be changed and join to the popular uprising.

      I read exactly the same argument over the IAF thread, but the whole suggestion, especially in this context, to discourage oppressed people not to make revolution just make me sick. You can see what is happening when people don't rise up: genocide, several decade of terror and dictatorship, either economical or political. Sure, people end up dying if there's a revolt, but in most of these countries is bloody already.

    5. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by EvilBudMan · · Score: 1

      What exactly does the DMCA have to do with what other countries do on the internet? So far the US has not enforced that on Chinese sites. I don't think they could if they wanted to.

    6. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by Qzukk · · Score: 1

      It would take a fundamental, radical shift away from the First Amendment to "block it everywhere".

      No it wouldn't, all it takes is 12 angry men (most likely angry old grannies once prosecutors are done with voir dire) to decide it's "obscene" and the supreme court says it's no longer protected speech.

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    7. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by webheaded · · Score: 1

      Yeah, you kind of missed the point. What he's saying is it is not a trivial matter. You don't have a revolution to replace the government every few years because they blocked Youtube. The idea that they can just replace their government real quick is ludicrous.

      --
      "Those who would sacrifice essential liberties for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - BenF
    8. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by Thugthrasher · · Score: 1

      It would take a fundamental, radical shift away from the First Amendment to "block it everywhere".

      No it wouldn't, all it takes is 12 angry men (most likely angry old grannies once prosecutors are done with voir dire) to decide it's "obscene" and the supreme court says it's no longer protected speech.

      Until it gets appealed and, based on decisions by said Supreme Court, gets released. And if you think a jury for a case like this would end up as 12 old grannies, you assume the defense has an incompetent attorney and the prosecution has a good one....so, I think your logic is flawed.

    9. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by FrootLoops · · Score: 1

      You're reading too far into what I wrote (and just to let you know, you rambled pretty badly). I didn't say revolutions are never justified, just that they're not some magical panacea. The French Revolution comes to mind as a good example. It led to *decades* of political instability, the Reign of Terror, several regime changes, and the Napoleanic Wars. It also at least dabbled in various Democratic ideals with the goal of giving the people power (the extent to which that actually happened is debatable; success was at least "mixed"). It also enhanced personal freedoms; for instance, sodomy has been legal in France since around the Revolution, whereas it took many other European countries centuries longer.

      As in this example, revolutions often beget revolutions, which has been horrible in African in recent years. It's not all bad, though. South Africa arguably underwent a peaceful revolution in the 1990's that struck down apartheid and put a remarkably progressive Constitution in place. South Africa now has one of the highest GDP's per capita of any African nation.

      Whether or not all of these revolutions were worthwhile is a hugely complicated question that you can't just brush off flippantly. My point is, there are a huge number of things that can go wrong with revolutions, and they should certainly not be started lightly. Government abuses need to be horrific to justify all the negative consequences and uncertainty. As a rule, I think revolutions are completely justified in the case of genocidal regimes.

    10. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by Qzukk · · Score: 1

      Until it gets appealed and, based on decisions by said Supreme Court, gets released

      Which decisions would those be?

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    11. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by FrootLoops · · Score: 1

      I figured someone would take exception to that line. Your reasoning is extremely sloppy, similar to the person I was replying to originally. You really have no idea what you're talking about.

      The Supreme Court's current position on obscenity is Miller vs. California. The Miller Test is...

      (a) whether "the average person, applying contemporary community standards" would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient [lustful; sexual] interest
      (b) whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law, and
      (c) whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

      "patently offensive" is also determined by "community standards" since, 'The jury may measure the essentially factual issues of prurient appeal and patent offensiveness by the standard that prevails in the forum community, and need not employ a "national standard."' So, to "block [pornography] everywhere" on the internet, we would need...

      (1) Under the current system, state legislation to outlaw it, completely changed community standards that call all internet pornography "patently offensive" (I myself am not at all offended by most depictions of sex acts on the internet), an amendment to Oregon's state constitution which according to State v. Henry allows no state obscenity laws in Oregon, a radically altered understanding of internet-based obscenity and indecency censorship as discussed in Reno v. ACLU, the ability to somehow block those outside the US generating pornography from letting US citizens view it, ....

      (2) An extraordinary overturning of the Miller test which also overturns several other protections while simultaneously making the Court into the legislature. Honestly if that happened in a climate anywhere near the current one, we would impeach them for astounding judicial activism. Their decision would almost certainly be reversed through their replacements or through the a constitutional amendment. It's just not going to happen.

      (3) A constitutional amendment that's certain to be wildly unpopular. Even ostensibly popular ones like the DC Voting Rights Amendment don't pass.

      Sexual obscenity prosecutions in the US traditionally deal with extremely hard core acts like simulated rape and abuse, unsolicited hard core materials distributed as advertising, or the distribution of materials to minors. Adults looking up regular porn online fits into none of those categories. The only attempts at restricting online porn I'm aware of try to restrict access to minors and not adults. In all, to "block [pornography] everywhere" on the internet would require extraordinary changes in the Supreme Court, society in general, the state legislatures, and probably Congress. It is not going to happen.

    12. Re:Such as the US wanting to censor porn? by uninformedLuddite · · Score: 1

      It would take a fundamental, radical shift away from the First Amendment to "block it everywhere".

      You mean like prohibiting free speech? Only allowing it to occur in sealed off cages far away from the eyes of those who need to hear it? Or something else that isn't a radical shift away from free speech?

      --
      The new right fascists are bilingual. They speak English and Bullshit.
  42. THIS is the only thing that both sides agree on?! by mystyc · · Score: 2

    Those proposals seem like terrible ideas, but it is no surprise given the countries that proposed them. It is just sad to see what it finally takes for the republicans and democrats to agree on something. Maybe if we tell them that the UN is going to forbid countries from implementing a single-payer health system, then congress will decide to implement it out of spite.

  43. Black Kitchen Apparati by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    While a UN Internet Tax / UN support for nation-wide censoring is bad, does the US not realize how horrible they have been to the freedom of the internet?

    It's bad when you hear better things from Romania Internet-wise.

  44. Re:RISC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It means you have autism.

  45. I don't want the UN nor US interference !! by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why can't they just leave us alone?

    I mean, why do the governments want to interfere with the Net, a medium whereby people from all corners of the world can share information, and discuss, and plan, and scheme?

    Oh, wai ...

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    1. Re:I don't want the UN nor US interference !! by Poorcku · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Because we have pedobears and pirates. And terrorists.

      --
      I take my children to see Madonna(..), but I never for once ever thought I was in the same business.Chris Rea.
    2. Re:I don't want the UN nor US interference !! by ATMAvatar · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Ya, but given how things are these days,the above three are just representatives of the church, the people, and the government, respectively.

      --
      "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    3. Re:I don't want the UN nor US interference !! by SteveFoerster · · Score: 1

      Because political power attracts those who want to rule over others just like shit attracts flies.

      --
      Space game using normal deck of cards: http://BattleCards.org
    4. Re:I don't want the UN nor US interference !! by ZorinLynx · · Score: 1

      Controlling information flow is the key to controlling a populace.

      This has always been the case since the beginning of time.

    5. Re:I don't want the UN nor US interference !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Clap claps. The mods fell for your pithiness.

    6. Re:I don't want the UN nor US interference !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't confuse motives and excuses.

  46. Re:The US made it by registrations_suck · · Score: 1

    Research is great.

    Actually BUILDING something is even greater - and a different topic.

    It's also the difference between SCIENCE and ENGINEERING.

  47. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's worse than that. It like claiming that Germany invented GPS because they created the V2 rocket.

  48. yes by harvey+the+nerd · · Score: 1

    The UN is always looking for a handout or an independent tax base. Of course when the UN is an independent power, US citizens will want consider declaring war on an incipent enemy of the US rights.

  49. Re:The US made it by registrations_suck · · Score: 1

    Needs to be modded down - the US did not "make it", and Europe contributed far than the US more include the freakin World Wide Web which is the same as "the internet" to most ppl.

    Most people are morons.

    The Internet existed long before WWW did. WWW is just a service that runs on the underlying infrastructure.

  50. What kill switch? by Quila · · Score: 1

    I read the law, there's no kill switch provision in there at all. Nobody has ever been able to point it out to me.

  51. I'm missing something... by mvdwege · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What I miss in both the summary and the linked articles are two things:

    1. The actual text of the proposals that are to be submitted at the ITU conference in question.
    2. The support that these proposals, if they exist, can expect to get from the rest of the ITU members present.

    Frankly, all I see right now is the usual anti-UN hit piece written by a lazy American journalist, and a Slashdot audience of complete chumps who fall for it.

    --
    "I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
  52. Re:The US made it by psiclops · · Score: 4, Funny

    yeah well, TCP/IP is kinda useless without Maths. so i guess the greeks invented the internet.

    --
    i spent five minutes thinking and all i got was this crappy sig
  53. Title is incomplete. by SwampChicken · · Score: 1

    UN Takeover of Internet Must Be Stopped, US Warns, because we don't want the competition!

  54. Don't worry... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

    ...the Internet will sense UN control as damage and route around it. Besides, try as they may, it's not as if China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia can completely control access to the Internet now. Seriously, even "The World" can't seem to keep people from getting to The Pirate Bay.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  55. A sad day... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My fellow slashdotters, I have bad news to report. I farted and got more than I bargained for. On the plus side, it was tasty.

  56. Re:The US made it by fnj · · Score: 1

    Why does one have to be greater than the other for you? They are both great, period.

    But note that science has to figure things out come before engineering can implement them.

  57. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The part the UN is talking about taking over is not the HTML standard. Nor the HTTP protocol. They are talking about controlling the domain and address layer, ie, the internet.

  58. Stop them before its too late! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The post mentions "proposals from China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia". No sane person should want those governments involved in management of the net. China, Saudi Arabia and Iran all have heavy censorship in place and they all lock people up, or worse, for violating it. I don't know mch about Russia, but I'm not much inclined to trust their government either, especially on issues around free speech. As for the UN and associated agencies, they have an awful record in regard to the net. The International Standards Organisation tried to set standards for "Open Systems Interconnection" back in the 80s. That was an unmitigated disaster. See RFC 874 for one aspect. Later, the World Intellectual Property Office got deeply involved in ICANN, allegedly "representing" their "stakeholders". That did not work out very well either.

  59. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Math is useless without humanity so Africa invented everything.

  60. The government can certainly try to control the in by LucyMary · · Score: 1

    The government can certainly try to control the internet. They can block a few websites, or even firewall off must parts of it, but people will always find a way to get around it, just like they have gotten around other forms of government control. The internet is more than the hardware, it's also an idea. And that's not so easy to take down.

    --
    I really love club dresses ,
  61. Freedom is earned with blood. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I fundamentally disagree. Not that information "wants" to be free, it does and should be. But that it necessarily will? No. God helps those that help themselves.

  62. Why can't they just leave us alone? by LucyMary · · Score: 1

    I mean, why do the governments want to interfere with the Net, a medium whereby people from all corners of the world can share information, and discuss, and plan, and scheme?

    --
    I really love club dresses ,
    1. Re:Why can't they just leave us alone? by cpghost · · Score: 1

      Since the politicians won't let us alone, we're interfering in the political sphere (rather successfully in some places) just as they've interfered in the Net sphere. It's payback time.

      --
      cpghost at Cordula's Web.
  63. Least of two evils by xenobyte · · Score: 2

    Which is better/worse: The known evil of the US abusing their control power to steal domains and disrupt business for those they do not like (as the result of bribes, misguided politics or plain stupidity), or the possible evil of groups in the UN imposing national politics on the greater Internet?

    I personally prefer to deal with the known, and the known is that the US has been grossly abusing their current power on the Internet - and that needs to be stopped.

    --
    "For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." -- H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) --
  64. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    CERN.... in case you don't know, that's in the EU.

    Eh, not exactly. You would have been right if you had said "it's in Europe", but CERN is an international organization located on the French-Swiss border, and it is officially not under the jurisdiction of either France or Switzerland. And Switzerland is not part of the EU, so no, CERN is not in the EU for a meaningful definition of "in the EU".

  65. Interwebz by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The internet is meant to be free...as in beer. Period. What really irks me is that probably a good majority of the internet is largely based in the US in the first place. SO....in other words its on our territory, just like the UN building is. If you don't like it...consolidate your DNS, and cut your connections with the West, that simple. Its just another poly by the RIAA and MPAA. I'll bet you any money.

    I shouldn't be charged a tax to go where ever the hell I want to go on the Internet. Yes I maybe crossing international borders, but get over it. Solve real problems first, then come talk to us about running the Internet.

    Just for posterity shake, why don't all of the geeks on /. start actually "you know" taking some action. There has got to be enough power, money, and used equipment for an underground internet, especially amongst those of us here in the audience.

  66. World Matters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Things, which concern all states and all people on earth, and cannot be handled locally, like marine law, environmental agreements, world court etc. have to be handled on an international level. The institution to do so is the UN. Yes that means less control for the US. But honestly why should the US control it for everyone? US control means less influence for all humans (beside the 300 Mio US-citizens). And if the UN needs modernization, and surely it does, why is the US blocking it?

    The US often act like a control freak and we, who live in other countries (the other 6.5 billion), have to follow. As a US citizen you might understand that any other citizen find that not so much appealing.

  67. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And? This is a strange argument. Because those who wrote down that protocol were paid by the US, the US shall control the Internet? So we all have to ask the French for the use of enlightenment or ask the Germans when building cars.

  68. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    At least partially. The rest is in Switzerland, but it is funded by all EU states (and some other European states).

  69. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    DARPA made the "final" version. From what I remember, proprietary solutions predate that.

  70. Domain Name System by aaaaaaargh! · · Score: 1

    Luckily, no matter whether they act on behalf of the US or the UN, many if not all politicians are technically inept and primarily think about the domain name system when they think about "controlling" the Internet. They already have the ability to wiretap, seize equipment, etc. and now they are simply exploring more convenient ways to implement cencorship. As others have pointed out, this is primarily a debate about who should have the power to censor the Net by "seizing" domain names.

    Hopefully someone comes up with a distributed domain name system that has acceptable performance and can be integrated into browsers easily, e.g. via a plugin that could become a default later. It's a technical solution to a social/political problem, but since corrupt politicians and IP instituitions who use methods similar to those of organized crime will not go away overnight, it might still be the best way to solve the problem.

  71. Now they realize the problem by Karmashock · · Score: 1

    We've been saying for years the feds need to be very careful about increasing power over the internet because it gives legitimacy to all these international groups that want to do the same thing.

    The only way to keep the internet free is for the US to focus it's efforts to keep other powers from taking control.

    By listening to the copyright trolls they've jeopardized the whole stability of the internet.

    --
    I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
  72. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Woah there, we all know that the internet is a bunch of 1's and 0's. I believe credit should be given, where it's owed, clearly the Babylonians invented the internet. Without their underlining contribution and technology none of what we call the internet would be around.

  73. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    He was responding to the parent post, not providing a general argument.

    Learn to read.

  74. it's much worse internationally by khipu · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Frankly it is no issue to me if Iranians can't see some stuff

    If the UN gets control of the Internet, there is a real risk that you won't get to see what Muslim clerics and conservative Christians deem offensive, because together, they control a large number of powerful governments.

    How about US censorship of porn and gambling? Or do you think the .xxx domain will not be used by republicans to make a push in the future to force all porn on to that new domain and then block it everywhere?

    Porn and gambling are highly restricted in most places around the world, including parts of Europe. When you compare free speech rights around the world, the US is still better than almost all other places.

    but the DMCA hits everyone in the whole world.

    Bad as the DMCA is, it is still better than the legal situation that exists in many European countries. Look at France's HADOPI or the ability of Germany's GEMA to restrict music distribution in Germany.

  75. The USA have said they want to be worse too. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Like, for example, talking about the Great Firewall of China *as a good thing to do*.

    Plus China, Russia, et al are NOT running the UN ferchrissakes.

  76. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Learn to read, you fucking care-bear.

  77. Given the alternatives by Shivetya · · Score: 1

    I am all for the US keeping "control". Yeah I live there, but that list of other countries who want to either control or influence it really doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy...

    Honestly, while there are many issues with my country some of the other choices are truly worse. The UN has clearly shown it is beyond redemption by the make up of the Human Rights Council, it is almost as if the UN is in permanent parody mode.

    As for Congress, they are way too big to flush and while I trust them as much as I would trust the UN at least we have a chance of affecting the make up of Congress more than the UN

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
  78. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nice job trying to excuse the US's actions. I don't think any country can handle the internet, but the fact that you think the US might have made it doesn't justify a single one of their actions. Millions and millions of people use the internet, and there is nothing that can justify the US's censorship (or any other country's). It's not "go make your own internet," it's, "fucking stop censoring the internet, US."

  79. "Internet"? Shouldn't it be renamed? by ibsteve2u · · Score: 1

    ...to "Businessnet"? Beyond the fact that it is now almost impossible to escape one or another commercial entity's advertisements and/or personal data leeching, there isn't much you dare post on the 'net now that you would be reluctant to say in a business environment. Even if your employer doesn't persecute you for your political views, depending upon the political ideology of the moment your views may garner you a fat data file on a server somewhere in the bowels of government...or worse.

    I think I liked the 'net way better right when we were transitioning away from the BBS systems and onto the 'net...that was fear-free exchange of information.

    --
    Orwell: "In a Time of Universal Deceit, telling the Truth is a Revolutionary Act"
  80. Re:The US made it by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    But note that science has to figure things out come before engineering can implement them.

    Not really. Brewing (which is a primitive from of Biochemical Engineering) was around before people even knew what microbes were. Blacksmithing long predates metallurgy.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  81. US manages DNS or TheDevilsNutsack does by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia

    You got to be kidding. For all its faults and imperfections, no one remotely sane would ever consider handing over DNS from the US to the crapholes of the world.

    I mean, seriously. HOW will things improve if these guys gain more influence ?

  82. This lady nailed it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "In my lifetime all our problems have come from mainland Europe and all the solutions have come from the English-speaking nations across the world."

                      - Margret Thatcher

  83. an idea whose time has come. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yes ! they can give it to such bastions of freedom like china, iran and syria just like they give appointments to the human rights commission to countries who abuse their citizens

  84. Well shit... by Fuck_this_place · · Score: 2

    I don't know who to hate now....oh wait I remember....I hate all of you.

  85. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh give it a rest. Go eat a cane toad or something. Sorry you can't be proud of your country and lash out at others.

  86. Its Israels fault by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Great ! Can't connect ? Israels fault ! spam ? a Zionist conspiracy ! no broadband in your area ? blame the occupation ! oh and label all tcp packets coming the west bank.

    I propose a new status code - 1967 - occupied !

  87. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who cares about the web. The web is not the internet in an architecture discussion, which is what the UN wants to be in charge of. Hard to respect anyone when they use the abbreviation 'ppl' away from a numeric cell phone.

  88. The UN can have .int by cpghost · · Score: 1

    Let's throw the UN a bone: here's the .int gTLD. Take it, and control it as much as you like, but please leave the Net infrastructure alone (and this applies to US' and other governments as well).

    --
    cpghost at Cordula's Web.
  89. Re:The US made it by isorox · · Score: 1

    Guess what - it came from CERN.... in case you don't know, that's in the EU.

    Switzerland's in the EU?

  90. Imagine a world run by librarians... by voss · · Score: 2

    Imagine a world run by librarians...all information is free and uncensored but we all have to speak in whisper voices and women have to wear their hair in buns and sensible shoes and tearing pages out of library books would punishable by a year in jail.

    1. Re:Imagine a world run by librarians... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Imagine a world run by librarians...all information is free and uncensored but we all have to speak in whisper voices and women have to wear their hair in buns and sensible shoes and tearing pages out of library books would punishable by a year in jail.

      The librarians in most of the films I've seen wear very high heel shoes and are enthusiastic devotees of double penetration.

      I should probably get out more.

    2. Re:Imagine a world run by librarians... by LostOne · · Score: 1

      Imagine a world run by librarians...all information is free and uncensored but we all have to speak in whisper voices and women have to wear their hair in buns and sensible shoes and tearing pages out of library books would punishable by a year in jail.

      Women would have to wear their hair in sensible shoes? That would be interesting to see.

      --

      If it works in theory, try something else in practice.
  91. They can pay for their own by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The bulk of the commercial internet was built 1 dial-up account at a time and there was a time when my on-line charges were ~$400 each month, w/ long-distance fees in addition to that (I was working a second job to support my on-line habit) --- I see no reason for my flat rate billing to change to accommodate providing access to people who aren't willing to work as hard for their access fees.

  92. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wrong - the US may started it, but the whole world made it to what it is now...

    Next the US is trying to break down the bits they don't like, and the rest of the world said: keep your hands to yourself..

    The US did not listen, and the rest of the world reacts by trying to take away the powertoy's and put them in the hand of the whole world.

    And now the US is showing it's real face by wanting to keep it soley for itself and deny the rest of the world any control...

    Great huh?

  93. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > The world wide web is useless without TCP/IP [wikipedia.org].

    You really want to go that way? The USA wouldn't even exist if it weren't for the invention of ships that allowed the first settlers to move there and slay most of the Indians.
    Obviously whoever invented ships is responsible for the internet.

    The pilgrims have an important part in US history, would the US as it is today have been possible without their prosecution in England? Obviously the Church of England is responsible for the internet.
    But what caused this religious turmoil in England? I think we can find King Hengy VIII of England as the main cause, who separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. The main cause of this separation was probably his wife's inability to give him a son.

    There, it's settled, the internet was invented by Queen Catherine of Aragon in the 15th century.

    Either that or it was our lord and savior Jesus Christ himself, who made all the religious turmoil possible.

  94. The US vs the UN by morgauxo · · Score: 1

    The US vs the UN - No matter who wins.... We lose!

  95. Re:The US made it by illtud · · Score: 2

    The US did not make the Internet. Quoting from this history [nethistory.info], "The earliest pioneers included a Frenchman, Louis Pouzin, who introduced the idea of data grams and an Englishman, Donald W. Davies, who was one of the inventors of packet-switching.

    I realise you're quoting, but just in case there's any confusion, Donald W Davies was a Welshman, not an Englishman

  96. It's OURS, we invented it. by scharkalvin · · Score: 1

    Like it or not, the internet is an American invention that we have shared with the world. We have managed it according to our views of freedom and (regrettably) corporate greed. I cannot see our government and cooporations allowing control of the internet to pass on to governments that would not manage it according to our needs, or try to strong arm tribute from us to line their pockets for the "purpose" of running it. It would literally be viewed here as an act of war and we would have to take appropriate action. I am not trying to be a pig headed yankee here, I'm just pointing out the reality on how it will be seen by our government and cooporations. A UN take over of the internet will NOT be allowed to happen, the US will NOT stand for it. The rest of the world might well have to pull the plug and leave to create their own network, but the part WE are connected to will remain "the wild wild west". Reactionaries in the GOP and TEA parties wouldn't have it any other way (I'm a Democrate BTW).
       

    1. Re:It's OURS, we invented it. by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 0

      True. This is the bottom line. If other countries want to control and internet, they are free to invent and implement one. In the meantime, I respectfully request the technical illiterati of the UN piss off.

      --
      Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
  97. It is time to pull out. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Worthless organization.

    All people understand is bullets anyway.
    If you shit where you live,live in it.

  98. So as long as it's a private army by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So as long as it's a private army of jackbooted thugs beating up people because the owners don't like what you're saying it's just fine???

    1. Re:So as long as it's a private army by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      What have you got against unions?

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  99. Switzerland's in the USA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gosh, didn't know that.

  100. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yeah well, TCP/IP is kinda useless without Maths. so i guess the greeks invented the internet.

    Why is math both capitalized and plural here? Not to be a grammar nazu but is that a British thing or what?

  101. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    CERN.... in case you don't know, that's in the EU.

    Eh, not exactly. You would have been right if you had said "it's in Europe", but CERN is an international organization located on the French-Swiss border, and it is officially not under the jurisdiction of either France or Switzerland. And Switzerland is not part of the EU, so no, CERN is not in the EU for a meaningful definition of "in the EU".

    What about for very large values of "in the EU." ?

  102. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_protocol_suite

    The Internet protocol suite resulted from research and development conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the early 1970s. After initiating the pioneering ARPANET in 1969, DARPA started work on a number of other data transmission technologies. In 1972, Robert E. Kahn joined the DARPA Information Processing Technology Office, where he worked on both satellite packet networks and ground-based radio packet networks, and recognized the value of being able to communicate across both. In the spring of 1973, Vinton Cerf, the developer of the existing ARPANET Network Control Program (NCP) protocol, joined Kahn to work on open-architecture interconnection models with the goal of designing the next protocol generation for the ARPANET.
    By the summer of 1973, Kahn and Cerf had worked out a fundamental reformulation, where the differences between network protocols were hidden by using a common internetwork protocol, and, instead of the network being responsible for reliability, as in the ARPANET, the hosts became responsible. Cerf credits Hubert Zimmerman and Louis Pouzin, designer of the CYCLADES network, with important influences on this design.
    The network's design included the recognition it should provide only the functions of efficiently transmitting and routing traffic between end nodes and that all other intelligence should be located at the edge of the network, in the end nodes. Using a simple design, it became possible to connect almost any network to the ARPANET, irrespective of their local characteristics, thereby solving Kahn's initial problem. One popular expression is that TCP/IP, the eventual product of Cerf and Kahn's work, will run over "two tin cans and a string."
    A computer, called a router, is provided with an interface to each network. It forwards packets back and forth between them.[3] Originally a router was called gateway, but the term was changed to avoid confusion with other types of gateways.

    Yes the United States did make the internet. You're welcome.

    And in the shadows, controlling it all.........Al Gore!!!! (and manbearpig).

  103. Uh huh by LordGr8one · · Score: 1

    From the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 29

    "Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

    These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations."

    Now re-read the bits about the UN wanting the internet with that last sentence in mind.

  104. Truer words were NEVER spoken by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Facts, are facts (indisputable): Good job - So, whoever the pricks are that modded you down are just that, pricks (who can't defeat truth/facts & want to "hide" your statement of fact... period!).

    * So again, good job, & I'd mod you up for speaking the truth @ least...

    Man... IF I had "mod points", I'd mod you up, but alas, as an AC poster? I do not... I can only speak my mind to you directly in a reply post @ best/most is all!

    (After all - FACT: The UN didn't create ARPANET, & thus, the internet itself... the United States of America did!)

    APK

    P.S.=> If anyone doesn't like what I just said? Oh well - I am only merely pointing out the truth of his words... that's all! apk

  105. Net neutrality and sovereignty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Internet is strange in that sometimes, like the sea, it does not respect national boundaries.

    Generally, sovereignty says, for better or worse, governments should be able to control what happens inside their borders.
        This includes making rules for the the Internet can be used inside their borders
              For example, preventing or discouraging illegal content.

    Many countries make laws which significantly limit the rights of parts of their population.
        Examples include slavery, rights of women and minorities, rules about religion, and rules to prevent a change in rulers.
            This says discouraging illegal content in some countries could include repressing women or preventing a regime change.

    This may say that consequences of Net Neutrality limiting unlawful content were not fully though out.
          (The basic idea NN defending the ability to to innovate from big companies and governments still seems a noble NN.)

    Sorting out how the Internet and sovereignty interact is something that needs to evolve.
        It seems a bad idea to WCIT to do much in this area in December.

    The ITU's strength is in documenting things which already have consensus. This is seems where the questions are still being discovered. Consensus is a distant hope.

    If I were a repressive regeim pressing for pressing WCIT for the ability to control the Internet. I would think twice. The outcome might be in the NN direction which would be the reverse of what was desired. (And probably not a good idea for anybody without time to evolve to a consensus.)

    If they must do something, a baby step might be to agree that packets passing between source and destination nations are not to be messed with (inspection ok, but modification and delay not ok) by intermediate nations along the packet's path. (We can only hope that this won't have unintended consequences like the Net Neutrality 'legal' content stuff.)

    It's really unfortunate that the ITU is treating this a business as usual with regards to stakeholders and the openness of the discussions. The government ITU members may be the legal representatives of the Internet users, but they in no way come even close to to having the ability or desire to represent the majority of the stakeholders. The Internet is something special and deserves better.

  106. Ow, owww... by CCarrot · · Score: 1

    ...I just got an irony headache. Oww...

    --
    "I love animals! Some are cute, others are tasty, what's not to like?" - Betsy Schroeder, Jeopardy contestant
  107. given the utter mess over TLDs... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...it's hard to see how the UN/ITU could be any worse.

  108. A Possible Future by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Back in February I had a conversation with a man who is essentially the head of IT for the entirety of a well-known baguette-centric European country. I can't name names, but at the time, what he told me was almost exactly this. He told me that very soon the entire model of the Internet would change and that governments would switch over to charging sites directly for the traffic they generate (essentially clicks).

    Obviously I was blown away to hear this from someone in a position not only to know what was likely to happen, but to have the power to make it happen. I didn't want to argue with him (I'm just an undergrad CS major, what do I know), but the first thing that crossed my mind as problematic is that such a change on a national scale could drive prominent sites away from that country or motivate them to hamper their services to users in order to avoid taxation.

    Now I know why he wasn't concerned about that. If the UN passed a resolution with this kind of taxation, websites generating a lot of traffic would have nowhere to go.

  109. Re:The US made it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    by that logic the greeks invented everything ...

  110. Stop Russia and China and Iran from taking control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you think of it, China Iran, and Russia already own the internet. They fill the pages of the internet with bogus filth and state controlled viruses, not to mention the take-over they already own in hackers. Russia's " friends " hack the internet more than ever. A control of the internet is ludicris knowing of their army's warehouse sized hackers break into everything imaginable. Our space program, our military, our children's school books, everything. It isn't just that it is the way they now say they should be the big dog lookouts for our free speech. That was the intent of the internet, sharing information with each other. Not putting down or pulling down opposition of their rivals. I reel when I think my words, as uneducational as they are, will be looked at by anyone without a search warrant. We have enough invasion and evasion by the government as it is. Are we going to stand by and let Cuba, Iran, Venezuella, and others take control a way of life and a way of running their own invasion on our projects? I will throw mine in the river before I let them follow my weekly forray into the bypassed news of our world. Would we have an America without the internet? Could we survive without it? Yes. We could but we won't give them the sweat off the keyboards because it is ours, only ours and forever ours. They can start up some commy run baby smashing, car bombing, phone hacking business of their own. This site is taken.

  111. Repeat history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Change all you said to Christian, change a few country names, use Pagan instead and what do you have?

  112. Hm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think everyone agrees that there are a few things that they would rather not see that are on the web, for sure. I'm also pretty sure that most people would agree that there should probably be some kind of an intranet for US citizens if the Chinese are going to be involved in the rerouting of websites and the like. There are things, not only religious things, but things that many people around the globe do on the web that would make them a threat to a regime like China's. It's true that they have made some changes, but even a post like this would be considered illegal and possibly treason to the Chinese government. I'm afraid we have too much red rice on our hands, and we need to do something about it. If the UN agreed to this, it would definitely be worth withdrawing from the UN and the World Wide Web in my opinion. I'm glad to see that most folk are in agreement with that. Things that make you a target: foods and appliances targeted, religious leanings, and even sexual orientation. Personally, I'm straight, and I don't like any funny business. I even want a lot of sites taken down personally. Somethings we could all live without, but I don't think anyone should be anymore of a target than they already are, and regardless of the fact that I refuse to partake in manlove, I don't think you should be killed for that. You will do that to yourself with your lifestyle. Only advice for that is to be celebate, say no to dude love, and of course, some therapy from Jesus. Anyway, I hope ya'll have a good weekend.

  113. Re:The US made it by Rakarra · · Score: 1

    It's sort of a British thing.

    You really should look around you some time.