Take action before the UN, Russia, and China hijack the Internet
Summary: The UN likes to make deals. It exists to create agreements between nations. It does not, necessarily, exist to create good agreements. But it exists, it grooves on making international policy. Sometimes, like now, that policy threatens to destroy the Internet as we know it.
Never let it be said that I'd pass up an opportunity to be justifiably nationalistic.
Now, I know the right wing has regularly bashed on the United Nations, but this time We The Internet are doing the bashing, and for good reason. The UN is a very important body, but let's be clear. It's made of up many different nations, not all of which share the same agenda.
Just remember, stay legal. We don't want to give anyone an excuse for further meddling, so be vocal, but behave.
In fact, many of the member countries in the UN -- even those "special" countries that make up the UN Security Council -- wish to control their citizenry, not guarantee their freedom. Let's also be clear that the primary goal of the UN, their raison d'etre, is consensus.
The UN likes to make deals. It exists to create agreements between nations. It does not, necessarily, exist to create good agreements. But it grooves on making international policy.
Sometimes, that policy is good. Sometimes, like now, that policy threatens to destroy the Internet as we know it.
Violet Blue explained the details in quite excellent depth, so I'd recommend you read her article as background. But here's the bottom line: this weekend, a bunch of shadowy operatives are meeting in secret in Dubai, and their goal is to seize control of the Internet from the (relatively) benign non-governmental organizations that have overseen Internet policies.
Instead, authoritarian nations like China and Russia want to control the Internet, they want to be able to cut citizens off, they want to be able to tax, tariff, and charge for traffic, and they want to control what travels over the pipes and even what you can read or view.
In short, they're trying to kill all the Internet freedoms we hold dear.
This is a time for action. Read Violet's article and visit Google's Take Action site. And then, take action. Pick up the phone, Tweet, post, Facebook, yell, protest, email your Congresscritter, donate, and otherwise make a fuss. Remember, We The Internet can make one heck of a fuss when we're angry.
I'd like to take this moment to remind the UN and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that you won't like us when we're angry.
See also: Don't let the UN steal the Internet
Just remember, stay legal. We don't want to give anyone an excuse for further intervention, so be vocal, but behave.
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Talkback
EU and USA not supporting it.
Let there be two worlds...
After a couple of decades of that lets see how well the restricted part of the world is making out. My bet is, and for some very common sense reasons, the restricted world will be a lot more of a backward world and be struggling to keep up and be relevant in the future. It will never last.
There will always be those who try to restrict human development in what ever area of development scares them; look around; while that approach has indeed turned many countries into partially backward thinking semi primitive notioned cultures, it has never stopped them completely and as such it never will. Sure, go ahead, lead a country and FORCE them to be hobbled intellectually. You tell me how many of those leaders have fared over the long term. Its a risky business. Sooner or later just enough of them get educated enough to overrun you then hang you or shoot you in the street.
Not a great end for leaders who try to suppress their populace forever. Its just not a long term good, or workable plan.
Everytime someone comes up with such nonsensical ideas, a warning should be attached saying "prolonged use may shorten users life".
That's why we forbid guns in China
No doubt...
I recall, growing up as a child in Mexico, witnessing a presidential election. I forget the year (I was still an adolescent at the time) but the PRI government had made loud promises that they were going to run the cleanest election the country had ever seen. The night of the election I turned on the TV and was stunned by what I saw... namely: nothing, no coverage at all of the election. I tuned in to a news show and the word "election" was never even uttered. There was a complete and utter blackout of election coverage. It was as if I had tuned in to another country's television stations somehow, half a world away.
The next day I saw something that also stunned me: the newsstands were stocked with newspapers whose full page headlines read: ELECTION FRAUD! and whose articles accused the government of running a massive ballot stuffing operation as soon as it became apparent to electoral officials that the PRI was, in fact, losing the popular vote.
For a while, this dissonance confused me. How was it that the TV stations were completely silent on this while the newspapers were loud and insistent in their protestations?
It took me a while to make these two things jibe, but eventually I realized what was going on: newspapers were a minor annoyance to the government. The were read (at the time) by a relatively affluent, relatively literate, relatively educated minority. The bulk of the populace, OTOH, got most of their information from the same medium that brought them their soccer games: their televisions. Control what shows up on TV and you largely control the message.
I have a sense that the internet today is largely replacing the television as most people's source of information, especially the younger generation. Its why, I suspect, the (justly) derided "Citizens United" Supreme Court decision damaged the GOP far more than it did the Democrats. The older demographic that favors Republicans still gets much of its news from the TV, and that's why Romney's millions allowed him to bury his opponents in the GOP primaries and claim his party's nomination, even though he went into the contest far from being the favorite. But once the general came along, all the TV advertising in the world wasn't going to sway the younger voters who favored Obama, since they get much of their news from independent internet sources and can't be force fed misleading 30 second ads the way a TV viewer can.
So yeah, the internet is the new TV, and dictators around the globe know that they need to control its message if they want to stay in power.
These same folks that get their "Info" from the internet
911
Now I have a question for you: How do you know whose job was it?
The internet is a source of informations and who is to say which information is good for you? Some power hungry official who never met you and doesn't care you even exist, apart from your vote and your taxes of course, or you yourself?
Google propaganda
Use your resources for GOOD not evil
Talk about narrow minded focus
Re: Talk about narrow minded focus
They will make everyone angry
UN
gary
Just get rid of it...
We should never surrender our national sovereignty or freedom as a price of membership in this ill-conceived organization.
RE: Just get rid of it...
Get over it. This is the America you wanted
RE: Get over it.
America is not great.
Obama isn't perfect but at least he stands for social progress. Like healthcare and equality for LGBT people.
You need to fix your own country before thinking about playing big internationally. And the USA are HELLA broken!
Nah, obama sucks too
The difference is Obama got out the credit card. Buy them votes with other people's (namely our children) money! Spend spend spend. Don't worry I hate republicans too. Driving the country into insolvency is a bipartisan effort!
Right Wing Nutters
The internet is a perfect place it seems...
Control is exactly what is needed now (today) and should have been in place a decade back. The structure of the internet and how it evolves to the benefit of all counties can be handled by a global group. Sure there will be problems to start with because of the greed and corruption that is at the forefront of power but it will sort itself out.
As for the content, Holy crap: please pull your head out of the preschool sand pit.
The comment sections of any web page are so full of vitriol it is hard to get a handle on what decent people are advocating.
The freedom you hanker for will be for the future when people's DNA has time to evolve to place their brain into gear first.