ICANN Round Two

**Papewaio** · 11-15-2005, 00:05

Third-world nations have turned their attention to the net despite the pressing challenges of poverty and civil war.

Backed by the EU, they want control taken from the US and handed to the UN. At stake is the US Department of Commerce's grip on the internet through its agreement with the Los Angeles-based ICANN, a private company it contracted to run the domain names system.
ICANN operates the domain name and root server system through an agreement with the US Department of Commerce that expires next year.

...

A preparatory meeting in Geneva last month turned into a circus after delegates disrupted talks by banging on tables to interrupt speakers.

Delegates representing business interests were refused permission to speak in some sessions after government delegates from developing countries objected.

The summit will deal with a long shopping list from a range of countries, some of which have few internet users.

Countries from the middle east, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, are concerned about content on the web, and US control.

The Saudis want more supervision of the internet.

African nations have banded together to seek more financial support for developing countries that have been left behind in the online race, while Russia and the former Soviet states are concerned about US control.

So they are rude and don't allow others to talk, they want others to pay for their infrastructure, they want to restrict access to the internet and they then want to control the internet despite it working quite fine until now.

I say bugger them. If prefer the altruistic system which is largely free of direct government control. Nor do I agree with the idea that governments that have poor human rights records should be controlling the internet... if anything can cause positive social change that is the exchange of information free of government lensing.

Nor do I see the point of financial support for the internet when far more basic infrastructure such as farms, roads and clean water is required first and foremost. I would like to see remote schools given access to the internet to help children, but that should be up to government, public and private charities to fund. It should not have any bearing on who looks after the root servers. It is like saying that because Europe has motorways an impoverished nation without cars should have them too.

**Taffy_is_a_Taff** · 11-15-2005, 00:17

I just thought I'd say "Woah".

They must be joking right?

It's not like the domain name set up did not belong to the U.S. government before it became privatised in the '90s.

**Mongoose** · 11-15-2005, 00:18

Agreed. let them build thier own infrastructure and police it how ever they want. Taking control of our system and limiting our use of it is...well...asinine.

**Xiahou** · 11-15-2005, 00:48

Like I said before- if they don't like it, they can build their own.

**Adrian II** · 11-15-2005, 00:52

Originally Posted by Papewaio

A preparatory meeting in Geneva last month turned into a circus after delegates disrupted talks by banging on tables to interrupt speakers.

Bunch of trolls.

These are mostly the same countries that wanted to establish a New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) in the late 1970's. They argued that 'Western media through control of major international information channels gave an exploitative and distorted view of their countries to the rest of the world'. Yeah right, as if their own state-controlled media didn't do exactly the same thing.

The movement folded after the fall of the Soviet Union, but not before it gave us such gems of modern press agencies as PANA (Africa), CANA (Caribbean) and the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool which is run by the Ministers of Information of the countries concerned (IMHO all press agencies run by Ministers of Information should be burned to the ground).

Now they want to lay their hands on the Internet. And they are going to fail a second time. And they are going to be laughed at for years.

**yesdachi** · 11-15-2005, 02:07

Originally Posted by AdrianII

Bunch of trolls.

These are mostly the same countries that wanted to establish a New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) in the late 1970's. They argued that 'Western media through control of major international information channels gave an exploitative and distorted view of their countries to the rest of the world'. Yeah right, as if their own state-controlled media didn't do exactly the same thing.

The movement folded after the fall of the Soviet Union, but not before it gave us such gems of modern press agencies as PANA (Africa), CANA (Caribbean) and the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool which is run by the Ministers of Information of the countries concerned (IMHO all press agencies run by Ministers of Information should be burned to the ground).

Now they want to lay their hands on the Internet. And they are going to fail a second time. And they are going to be laughed at for years.

Nicely worded AdrianII

The only thing I could add to the end that would make it better is “So screw them”.

**Kralizec** · 11-15-2005, 02:10

They act like a bunch of babies crying and yelling "I want it, I want it", thinking that if they do it long enough, they're going to get it.

And the US isn't the bad parent that just gives in.

**yesdachi** · 11-15-2005, 04:15

Countries from the middle east, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, are concerned about content on the web, and US control.

They are concerned about content on the web but they are ok with this.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) -- A court sentenced a teacher to 40 months in prison and 750 lashes for "mocking religion" after he discussed the Bible and praised Jews, a Saudi newspaper reported yesterday.
Al-Madina newspaper said secondary-school teacher Mohammad al-Harbi, who will be flogged in public, was taken to court by his colleagues and students.
He was charged with promoting a "dubious ideology, mocking religion, saying the Jews were right, discussing the Gospel and preventing students from leaving class to wash for prayer," the newspaper said.

**Marcellus** · 11-15-2005, 18:05

Al-Madina newspaper said secondary-school teacher Mohammad al-Harbi, who will be flogged in public...He was charged with promoting a "dubious ideology, mocking religion, saying the Jews were right

Promoting a 'dubious ideology' and saying 'the Jews were right' are crimes punishable by public floggings? They're a bit behind the times in Saudi Arabia, aren't they?

**Slyspy** · 11-15-2005, 18:25

Of course they are. Its a country run by a medieval style absolute monarchy, with little separation of state and religion. Good luck to any progressives in Saudi. In many respects the Saudis are the rotten heart of the Middle East.