Another attempt to kill the Internet, this time at UN / ITU
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 7:27 pmI've just heard of the latest skirmish of those trying to kill the Internet.
The old media and trade representatives tried SOPA, PIPA and ACTA. With some kickback, but some success too.
A possibly worse attempt to kill the Internet has just taken place at the UN. The ruling regimes in Russia, UAE, China, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan, and Egypt (there's doubt that the actual Egyptian delegates had anything to do with it) have tried to take over the Internet using the UN.
Among other things they used a variety of dishonest, thuggish tactics in an attempt to foist their plans on the world. (Possibly orchestrated in large part by a character called Hamadoun Touré, who is ITU Secretary-General .) Part of these shenanigans involved Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, Togo, China, Sudan, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Burundi. Ultimately a group of countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Kenya, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and the Czech Republic said no, before the chairman, a character called Mohamed Al-Ghanim, shut down further objections. The objections appear to have been as much to a politically dishonest "human rights" clause, as to putting the Internet under control of politicians and ruling regimes.
Ultimately 89 signed up and 55 didn't. So there's 89 states that some might think of as "rogue states" out there.
For more details see http://j.mp/VTdyI8.
If a number of countries hadn't overplayed their hand on language, this might have passed.
These guys aren't going to go away. They seem intent on destroying key features of the Internet, that they don't like. We need ways to fend off their actions. I don't think governments are up to the tasks.
The old media and trade representatives tried SOPA, PIPA and ACTA. With some kickback, but some success too.
A possibly worse attempt to kill the Internet has just taken place at the UN. The ruling regimes in Russia, UAE, China, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan, and Egypt (there's doubt that the actual Egyptian delegates had anything to do with it) have tried to take over the Internet using the UN.
Among other things they used a variety of dishonest, thuggish tactics in an attempt to foist their plans on the world. (Possibly orchestrated in large part by a character called Hamadoun Touré, who is ITU Secretary-General .) Part of these shenanigans involved Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, Togo, China, Sudan, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Burundi. Ultimately a group of countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Kenya, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and the Czech Republic said no, before the chairman, a character called Mohamed Al-Ghanim, shut down further objections. The objections appear to have been as much to a politically dishonest "human rights" clause, as to putting the Internet under control of politicians and ruling regimes.
Ultimately 89 signed up and 55 didn't. So there's 89 states that some might think of as "rogue states" out there.
For more details see http://j.mp/VTdyI8.
If a number of countries hadn't overplayed their hand on language, this might have passed.
These guys aren't going to go away. They seem intent on destroying key features of the Internet, that they don't like. We need ways to fend off their actions. I don't think governments are up to the tasks.