In a meeting that will go down in internet history, the United States government last night conceded that it can no longer expect to maintain its position as the ultimate authority over the internet. Having been the internet's instigator and, since 1998, its voluntary taskmaster, the US government finally agreed to transition its control over not-for-profit internet overseeing organisation ICANN, making the organisation a more international body. Update: Ars contradicts El Reg's claims: "Contrary to some reports, things are not about to change. After a meeting at the Commerce Department, Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, John M.R. Kneuer, said that the existing arrangement was likely to continue, at least for another year."
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Member since:2005-07-06
That's a very simplistic view of the world. The US provides numerous services to the world, voluntarily. The internet is one example, so is the GPS constellation used by all civilian GPS services. The US dollar lubricates transactions internationally (1), and US power insulates European foreign policy from the vargacies of world politics (2).
In the case of the internet specifically: the US invented it, the US laid a lot of the basic infrastructure for it, and American companies still own its major backbones. I agree it would be a good faith gesture on the part of the US, at a time when its poor foreign policy has hurt its image abroad, but don't misunderstand the issue. It is the prerogative of the United States to cede control of the internet, and any such gesture would be a gift, not an obligation.
(1) Though the Euro is slowly supplanting the dollar in this regard, its a far way from replacing it.
(2) Compare the complexity of European politics pre WWII to that of European politics post WWII.
Member since:2006-02-01
In the case of the internet specifically: the US invented it,
Amongst other things, the following were invented or dicovered by the British:
Electricity (Michael Faraday)
The telephone (Alexander Graham Bell)
The television (John Logie Baird)
The jet engine (Sir Frank Whittle)
The computer (Charles Babbage/Ada Lovelace/Alan Turing)
Public-key cryptography (Clifford Cocks)
The world-wide web (Sir Tim Berners-Lee)
The flush toilet (Thomas Crapper)
On behalf of Her Majesty, we hereby revoke your right to use such inventions and discoveries. Furthermore, anyone else peddaling the idiotic notion that the country that invents something has a right to tell the world how to use it will also have their rights revoked.
Have a nice day.
Member since:2005-12-23
Europe has implemented their own GPS system recently mainly to avoid the control the U.S. military has on GPS.
Also, in response to other posts about a non-profit controlling the Internet. We have allot of problems like Google mapping privacy invasion and Wikipeida errors that other world leaders are complaining about, and how the U.S. dictates the policy ultimately.
Where should this be discussed? With a back room handshake with a corporate or government money machine, at the U.N. then? or at ICANN in an open and transparent way. I prefer ICANN over the U.N. The U.N. will just make larger and larger demands I think it's in everyones interest to maybe hand over control to ICANN.
Essentially we could have other dictators running the Internet if the U.S. feels they need to cover face. like a game.
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2005-07-06
As an American Marine who has served in Desert Storm, I wholeheartedly agree with you. Our country needs to be more cooperative with the rest of the world, (espesially our allies), to be more of a global player.
I personally think that ICANN should have representives from as many countries as would be willing to be members; this way EVERYBODY (or nearly everybody) could have a say in what exactly governs the internet.
/my 2 pounds sterling.
Member since:2005-12-23
"As an American Marine who has served in Desert Storm, I wholeheartedly agree with you. Our country needs to be more cooperative with the rest of the world, (espesially our allies), to be more of a global player.
I personally think that ICANN should have representives from as many countries as would be willing to be members; this way EVERYBODY (or nearly everybody) could have a say in what exactly governs the internet."
I agree with you as I think we can still maintain certain ownership and ICANN is located in the U.S. Even if people invent stuff they do it within a community. What does inception have to do with ownership? Allot of people will argue thet God invents everything but he doesn't weant us to be robots. I think ICANN is a very American institution and patriotic. I like ICANN becase it';s in Silicon Valley and it should stay there. The reason everyone is hot and bothered about patriotism is that we are losing it because of globalazation, but there is a way to maintain it with localazation. Everyone is bothered about it not just here.
It looks like we are handing control over to ICANN but it will take a year, like with Java, as read on Ars. WOW! Interesting.
Also with this new major NSA spying program that seems like it is is never-ending, even with no war going on. Do we want another country like China to make a back room deals with the U.S. and spy on us? Do other countries want the U.S. to spy on them? It needs to be more open and neutral.
The NET neutrality debate doesn't make allot of sense just within the scope of one country. More democrats want openness but they only seem to want it on a country by country basis and that includes the U.N.; which I don't think is as powerful anymore.
Imagine a future Utopia society where we are one humanity in outer-space. We need to be one system and we can still have localization but it should not rule all. We aren't local anymore. In early history we were more local but now with people going back and forth we need to re-localize ourselves but universally.
I don't care so much about the U.S (it's OK, the flag is nice if it wasn't being burnt like every weekend), but more about America. The U.S. institution has changed like any other government throughout history. I care about my culture and the area I live in. The original Pilgrims. The original Pilgrims came here for religious freedom. I don't think a flag and a few pictures of Uncle Sam defines everything I am. I am just tired of everything being dictated by these sub continental entities and not the people. We could be re-locking ourselves back into Europe if we continue to worship these large static entities and not our original intent.
Member since:2006-03-15
Member since:2005-11-14
Is something wrong with the Internet? The Internet is a US product. Why shouldn't they lead the direction of the Internet? I realize the popular thing to do these days is to bash the US, but this is just stupidity. There is nothing wrong with what the US has done with the Internet. Sure, the pedophiles are upset because they didn't get their prOn domain of xxx. The Internet isn't a place to get your jollies off at. It's an economic product, and thus should be treated as so. I, for one, am really hoping and praying that the Internet splits off, and the European and Asian countries get their own Internet. We'll see how far that lasts with all of the censorship that'll take place, not to mention the taxes levied by European countries (several have really been drueling about taxing emails).
Lets put it this way. You buy a car. You rely on the car for work. Then, people ask to start car pooling with you. You continue to pay for the majority of the upkeep of the car, the car note, oil changes, etc.. Then, one day, those that you were giving a ride to for just pennies decided that they should have an equal ownership of the car because they started relying on YOUR car so much. Tell me how that makes even the tiniest bit of sense.
Member since:
2005-11-13
I am a US citizen, but I cannot see as to how it is fair for the US to control ICANN, it is time that the US learns it is a player in the world, not the leader of it.