http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2006/10/03/this-should-scare-you/ Summum nec metuas diem, nec optes - Marcus Valerius Martialis Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:00:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2006/10/03/this-should-scare-you/comment-page-1/#comment-31735 Global Voices Online » Blog Archive » IGF in Athens: searching globally for the Internet’s common ground Mon, 30 Oct 2006 06:03:20 +0000 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2006/10/03/this-should-scare-you/#comment-31735 [...] In the begining of October an article on The New York Sun set a tone and, as many bloggers assented, it transmitted a general skepticism of American cyber-activists in regard to the IGF. Indeed, there is often negative feedback from US bloggers when some new international effort is made to put Internet governance into debate. It seems like even a vague suggestion of governments’ interference frightens the geeks who actually made the Internet and keep it running. Sometimes they appear to be more scared of governments than they are about multinational corporations. The UN taking over the internet. That should really, really, really worry anyone with half a brain. Currently, the internet is governed by ICANN, a private organization which has virtually no real oversight, but pays lip service to the US in tht area. Kofi Annan has pushed initiatives to give governance of the internet to the UN. Imagine that political mess governing speech on the internet. This Should Scare You - Blue Crab Boulevard The IGF, being a spin-out from the UN is a government-o-crat playground. And from what I’ve seen it seems that one characteristic that cuts across all government-o-crats, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, is that they hardly deign to consider mere humans as much more than ants at a picnic. They do, however, seem to have rather more esteem for industrial interests. Indeed, for some governmental delegations, particularly that of the US, the question of whether industry is government’s marionette or vice versa is very much open to question, with the smart money being on industry as the master of puppetry. On the Eve of the IGF/Athens - CaveBear Blog [...] [...] In the begining of October an article on The New York Sun set a tone and, as many bloggers assented, it transmitted a general skepticism of American cyber-activists in regard to the IGF. Indeed, there is often negative feedback from US bloggers when some new international effort is made to put Internet governance into debate. It seems like even a vague suggestion of governments’ interference frightens the geeks who actually made the Internet and keep it running. Sometimes they appear to be more scared of governments than they are about multinational corporations. The UN taking over the internet. That should really, really, really worry anyone with half a brain. Currently, the internet is governed by ICANN, a private organization which has virtually no real oversight, but pays lip service to the US in tht area. Kofi Annan has pushed initiatives to give governance of the internet to the UN. Imagine that political mess governing speech on the internet. This Should Scare You – Blue Crab Boulevard The IGF, being a spin-out from the UN is a government-o-crat playground. And from what I’ve seen it seems that one characteristic that cuts across all government-o-crats, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, is that they hardly deign to consider mere humans as much more than ants at a picnic. They do, however, seem to have rather more esteem for industrial interests. Indeed, for some governmental delegations, particularly that of the US, the question of whether industry is government’s marionette or vice versa is very much open to question, with the smart money being on industry as the master of puppetry. On the Eve of the IGF/Athens – CaveBear Blog [...]

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