News UN dodges debate over internet control

So, back to the old status-quo (no, not faded denim and long hair... ) for the next couple of year at least. This from New Scientist:

The issue of who controls the internet will not be decided till 2005, UN member states have revealed.

The member states tiptoed around a controversial debate over who should control the internet in the run up to the first ever World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) which began on Wednesday.

At the moment, key decisions about internet standards, technology and regulation are made by an array of US private sector organisations. The most visible of these is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which has operated the global domain name system since 1988, under an agreement with the US government.

But some nations have called for control of the internet to be handed to an international body such as the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU). They feel this would give them greater say in such matters.

However, in talks held at the weekend, member states agreed only to create a working group of industry, government and public sector experts to discuss the issue and make recommendations at the next WSIS meeting in 2005.

More here

 

DAMN!

/me goes to the barber to get a hair cut

Again, if the UN seizes control of the net, I'm hanging up my Webmaster hat. The UN will just muck up the entire net by imposing stupid and insane regulations for the benefit of 3rd world countries which would require a team of specialists to make sure that your website is "up to code"...

 

good. i hope this keeps getting delayed, i hope it gets delayed for another 30 years and after that i hope there is so much debate over it, that it never gets decided upon. noone should control the internet, its just information.

 

ummm, they're talking about the bits that HAVE to be controlled (otherwise it'd all fall apart) like IP addresses and DNS. Which is currently controlled by "an array of US private sector organisations." Someone didn't read GOO's post.

But really, if the internet does get choked be regulations, people will just find another way (think Freenet).

 

lol! after your comment i read the article, and youre right i wasn't even close! i am sooooo lazy