| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
Obama Leaving With a Bang: The US Internet Handover Is Done With Minimal Resistance. End of Free Speech? (Video)
10-2-16
The United States handed over control of the internet to ICANN.
US hands internet control to ICANN
The long-planned turnover takes place, but not before triggering an outcry from critics.
Capping a highly politicized debate, the US government on Saturday let go of its remaining grip on the internet, handing control of the net’s address book to a nonprofit.
Saying free speech in the virtual realm was at stake, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and others had tried to block the transfer. But a federal judge denied on Friday their request for an injunction and the scheduled handoff took place at midnight.
The transfer involved the internet’s domain name system, or DNS, which translates the Web addresses you type into your browser, like “cnet.com,” into the numerical language that net-connected computers use to communicate.
Under a plan that’s been in the works for years, the US Department of Commerce shuttled control of the DNS to a nonprofit called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), whose multiple stakeholders include technical experts, as well as representatives of governments and businesses.
Cruz and other critics had argued the transfer could lead to authoritarian countries taking control of the internet and eventually censoring content throughout the world.
“Imagine an internet run like many Middle Eastern countries that punish what they deem to be blasphemy,” Cruz said at a congressional hearing on September 14. “Or imagine an internet run like China or Russia that punish and incarcerate those who engage in political dissent.”
“When ICANN escapes from [US] government authority,” Cruz said, “ICANN escapes from having to worry about the First Amendment, from having to worry about protecting your rights or my rights.”
But ICANN said such fears were uninformed.
“ICANN is a technical organization and does not have the remit or ability to regulate content on the internet,” the group said prior to the transfer. “That is true under the current contract with the US government and will remain true without the contract with the US government.”
Supporters of the handoff also argued that preventing the transfer could actually lessen US impact on the net.
Russia and China, among others, had backed the idea of empowering an obscure United Nations body called the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) with internet governance duties. That would have given governments control, but it also would have diminished the relative importance of tech powers like the States.
On Wednesday, the attorneys general of Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, andTexas filed a lawsuit (PDF) to block the turnover. But a federal judge in the Southern District of Texas denied that request for a temporary restraining order.
ICANN said Saturday that the handoff would ensure an open internet.
“This transition was envisioned 18 years ago, yet it was the tireless work of the global internet community, which drafted the final proposal, that made this a reality,” ICANN Board Chair Stephen D. Crocker said in a statement. “This community validated the multistakeholder model of internet governance. It has shown that a governance model defined by the inclusion of all voices, including business, academics, technical experts, civil society, governments and many others is the best way to assure that the internet of tomorrow remains as free, open and accessible as the internet of today.”
The Internet Governance Coalition, a group of companies that includes Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Verizon, also expressed approval of the move but offered a more measured assessment.
“A plan has been implemented that includes strong accountability measures and upholds the bottom-up approach that embodies the very nature of the open internet we experience today,” the group said in a statement prepared Friday. “Although this is an important step in the transition process, there is still much work that needs to be done to ensure the accountability and transparency of ICANN. We look forward to working with the multistakeholder community on these ongoing efforts.”
A representative for Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt said Laxalt and the other AGs were reviewing their legal options. The other attorneys general, as well as Cruz, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CNET’s Stephen Shankland and Marguerite Reardon contributed to this report. SOURCE
#ICANN #internet #freespeech
ARE YOU COMPLETELY PREPARED?
IT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PREP YOU CAN DO!
The Bible tells us that every human has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God which is is a heart-penetrating truth. He has provided a way to cleanse us of our sins since we can never be “good enough” to cleanse ourselves. That avenue to God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness (the cleansing of our sins) is through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth Who is equally God.
Not one of us are guaranteed a “tomorrow”. Has your time run out? Will you continue to ignore the promptings of God the Holy Spirit or have you awakened to the essential need for God, risking eternal damnation?
God the Holy Father, God the Holy Son and God the Holy Spirit are One God, the true, living, uncreated God Who is ever-present, all knowing, all powerful and all loving. He desires that every single person be forgiven, saved and to live eternally with Him. He is our only real protection and His love for you is unchanging. Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, the true Messiah, today.
You can’t take your salvation for a test drive. You’re all-in or not.
Admit to Him that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness, that you are truly sorry for your sins. Acknowledge that He died for your sins, rose from the dead and lives forevermore. Invite Him into your life and to help you to turn from sin. Rejoice! You just became a Christian! Now trust in Him and get to know Him through the Bible which tells us everything we need to know and through prayer/talking to Him. He eagerly desires relationship with you.
And the RINO’S didn’t say sh’t! Time to get them OUT the next time around!