alL yoUR inTerNet are beLong to uS.

[Lakemonster]

[b]Breaking America's grip on the net[/b] After troubled negotiations in Geneva, the US may be forced to relinquish control of the internet to a coalition of governments [b]Kieren McCarthyThursday October 6, 2005[/b][url="http://www.guardian.co.uk/"][b]The Guardian[/b][/url]
You would expect an announcement that would forever change the face of the internet to be a grand affair - a big stage, spotlights, media scrums and a charismatic frontman working the crowd.
But unless you knew where he was sitting, all you got was David Hendon's slightly apprehensive voice through a beige plastic earbox. The words were calm, measured and unexciting, but their implications will be felt for generations to come.
Hendon is the Department for Trade and Industry's director of business relations and was in Geneva representing the UK government and European Union at the third and final preparatory meeting for next month's World Summit on the Information Society. He had just announced a political coup over the running of the internet.
Old allies in world politics, representatives from the UK and US sat just feet away from each other, but all looked straight ahead as Hendon explained the EU had decided to end the US government's unilateral control of the internet and put in place a new body that would now run this revolutionary communications medium.
The issue of who should control the net had proved an extremely divisive issue, and for 11 days the world's governments traded blows. For the vast majority of people who use the internet, the only real concern is getting on it. But with the internet now essential to countries' basic infrastructure - Brazil relies on it for 90% of its tax collection - the question of who has control has become critical.
And the unwelcome answer for many is that it is the US government. In the early days, an enlightened Department of Commerce (DoC) pushed and funded expansion of the internet. And when it became global, it created a private company, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) to run it.
But the DoC retained overall control, and in June stated what many had always feared: that it would retain indefinite control of the internet's foundation - its "root servers", which act as the basic directory for the whole internet.
A number of countries represented in Geneva, including Brazil, China, Cuba, Iran and several African states, insisted the US give up control, but it refused. The meeting "was going nowhere", Hendon says, and so the EU took a bold step and proposed two stark changes: a new forum that would decide public policy, and a "cooperation model" comprising governments that would be in overall charge.
Much to the distress of the US, the idea proved popular. Its representative hit back, stating that it "can't in any way allow any changes" that went against the "historic role" of the US in controlling the top level of the internet.
But the refusal to budge only strengthened opposition, and now the world's governments are expected to agree a deal to award themselves ultimate control. It will be officially raised at a UN summit of world leaders next month and, faced with international consensus, there is little the US government can do but acquiesce.
But will this move mean, as the US ambassador David Gross argued, that "even on technical details, the industry will have to follow government-set policies, UN-set policies"?
No, according to Nitin Desai, the UN's special adviser on internet governance. "There is clearly an acceptance here that governments are not concerned with the technical and operational management of the internet. Standards are set by the users."
Hendon is also adamant: "The really important point is that the EU doesn't want to see this change as bringing new government control over the internet. Governments will only be involved where they need to be and only on issues setting the top-level framework."
Human rights
But expert and author of Ruling the Root, Milton Mueller, is not so sure. An overseeing council "could interfere with standards. What would stop it saying 'when you're making this standard for data transfer you have to include some kind of surveillance for law enforcement'?"
Then there is human rights. China has attracted criticism for filtering content from the net within its borders. Tunisia - host of the World Summit - has also come under attack for silencing online voices. Mueller doesn't see a governmental overseeing council having any impact: "What human rights groups want is for someone to be able to bring some kind of enforceable claim to stop them violating people's rights. But how's that going to happen? I can't see that a council is going to be able to improve the human rights situation."
And what about business? Will a governmental body running the internet add unnecessary bureaucracy or will it bring clarity and a coherent system? Mueller is unsure: "The idea of the council is so vague. It's not clear to me that governments know what to do about anything at this stage apart from get in the way of things that other people do."
There are still dozens of unanswered questions but all the answers are pointing the same way: international governments deciding the internet's future. The internet will never be the same again.Now how do you like that?

[Soup]

I, personally, have no proble with it.  I saw this on Fark and I decided to check out what people had to say about this, and with the majority of the members being American, they were overwhelmingly against it.  Sure, you Americans invented the internet, but it also spans the globe.
I don't like to think of it in terms of whenever I log onto the internet that I am in an American controlled, virtual world.
I have nothing against Americans, infact i have never met an American that fit the stereotype.  My point is that the internet is separate from America, it is a space all its own.
Alexander Graham Bell (born in Edinburgh, Scotland) invented the telephone, another worldwide device, and the Scottish don't control the phone companies.

[Lakemonster]

Point understood.
As Americans......... we relish the idea of unadulterated free speech on an "un-nannied" environment.
I think the fear for us is that this element of the internet will slowly become lost due to restrictions.
WE dont want to be censcored on this side of the globe because the other side wont allow it to be read.

[Soup]

I believe that every country should be in control of what content is viewed in their little sphere as abiding by the federal laws of the country.
As for the fear, it is not well set.  The internet is too integrated into daily, commercial, and political life to be lost.  If it was not for the internet, this forum...this discussion, would not exist, you couldn't do your banking, postal service would fall.  If the internet did fall of into nothingness the world would stand still, nothing would be done.
To touch on free speech, it is only as free as the bottom line states.  If free speech was indeed free, the government would be in a whole mess of trouble.  They silence us, tell us what they want us to hear and what they want us to do, as they lead through the pasture like the cattle we are.  Why else do you think cows don't talk?

[Alex818]

The Internet was designed by the US Military and was later released to the general public. It should considered a privilege for other countries to even be allowed to be a part of the internet. They have no right to ask the US to give up control. (IMHO)

[Kofod]

Then again - rest of the world could just cut of the US in the new W-USWW. Nobody can control which kind of telecommunications other people set-up not even with a story about who invented what.
"Telegraph was invented by an italian (Marconi) and airborn telegraph by a dane (Poulsen). Now we want to control everything said in radio inclusive mobilphones at the same time as everybody should be glad to be part of "our" radio and telegraph net" how lame ass would that sound if anybody said meant that - the same goes for at lot of other thing and nets.
By the way the electric curcuit (power net) was invented by Volta and italian to - so we really ought to ask the italiens on how you can use that to. Maybe we could make them command other countries to make sure that we don't have to bring traveler adapters with our luggage.
Allas - I hope no frenchmen have anything against me using Galois method for solving 5'degree equations to day.
On the internet and al other nets you only control whats yours and if others want to do something then its their bussines.