Blogroll Me! How This Old Brit Sees It ...: Who's Winning The World-Wide-Web War ?

07 October 2005

Who's Winning The World-Wide-Web War ?



Super! Spiffing! Splendid! Strewth!

Shout it out. Spread it around. Start believing in Santa again.

Because, unaccustomed as This Old Brit is, to blowing his own bugle - or trumpet - he hereby declares that those who enter here, need abandon all hope, no more.

Whoopee, wowzer, whizz-bang and wotchercock!

Feast your eyes on this.


Breaking America's grip on the net

After troubled negotiations in Geneva, the US may be forced to relinquish control of the internet to a coalition of governments

Kieren McCarthy - Thursday - October 6, 2005 - The Guardian

So far, so good, eh?



You would expect an announcement that would forever change the face of the internet to be a grand affair - a big stage, spotlights, media scrums and a charismatic frontman working the crowd.

But unless you knew where he was sitting, all you got was David Hendon's slightly apprehensive voice through a beige plastic earbox.

The words were calm, measured and unexciting, but their implications will be felt for generations to come.

Has the heart started racing already?

Are the tingles running down the spine?

Is the mouse moving for you yet?

Do I detect digits, all quivering 'cross keyboards?

Survived the suspense so far?


Old allies in world politics, representatives from the UK and US sat just feet away from each other, but all looked straight ahead as Hendon explained the EU had decided to end the US government's unilateral control of the internet and put in place a new body that would now run this revolutionary communications medium.

(snip)


The issue of who should control the net had proved an extremely divisive issue, and for 11 days the world's governments traded blows. For the vast majority of people who use the internet, the only real concern is getting on it.

But with the internet now essential to countries' basic infrastructure - Brazil relies on it for 90% of its tax collection - the question of who has control has become critical.

And the unwelcome answer for many is that it is the US government.

Aha! Until now, that is.

So see some more and cease to weep.



A number of countries represented in Geneva, including Brazil, China, Cuba, Iran and several African states, insisted the US give up control, but it refused.

The meeting "was going nowhere", Hendon says, and so the EU took a bold step and proposed two stark changes: a new forum that would decide public policy, and a "cooperation model" comprising governments that would be in overall charge.

Much to the distress of the US, the idea proved popular.Its representative hit back, stating that it "can't in any way allow any changes" that went against the "historic role" of the US in controlling the top level of the internet.

But the refusal to budge only strengthened opposition, and now the world's governments are expected to agree a deal to award themselves ultimate control.

It will be officially raised at a UN summit of world leaders next month and, faced with international consensus, there is little the US government can do but acquiesce.


Well, don't simply sit there like somebody stupid --- hit the link below --- then go man, go.

But before you do -- hands up, all those who said there's never any good news given out here ?

Duh!

Y'know, sometimes, I don't think some darned folk deserve me ....

er, him ..... uhm, us ...... ermmmm, this blog.

Awh, whatever.

What are you waiting for?

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1585288,00.html

See also, this X-ref link to a good American friend & fellow blogger, Elaine.

http://culturelifenewsfinance.blogspot.com/2005/10/two-navis-fight-on-net.html

15 Comments:

Blogger Gert said...

It may be good news at first but is shifting the levers of control from one global media empire to another really going to make much difference?

Amazing low little hoohah there's been around this item, I'll gladly concede that...

4:32 pm  
Blogger Richard said...

gert,

Agreed, it's not a perfect plan - but what is?

The US already wields way too much power & influence on way too many people in way too many places.

Not the best world scenario at any time -- but when such schemers as Bushco hold sway - argh!

Like I said - not a perfect plan - but haven't yet heard which [if any] alternative idea is a better idea. Genuinely - I haven't.

7:13 pm  
Blogger markfromireland said...

Don't forget that information is now a producer commodity. (IOW it is one of the factors of production to be added to the traditional four.) Given how the curent US administration is busy effing over the rest of the world it's no huge surprise that europe in particular is unwilling to cede control.

FWIW this has been going on for a long time. The final straw camewhen the Dept of Commerce in the US refused to cede control to a US based international industry regulatory authority citing "national security" as the reason.

My hunch is that the US is due one final rightwards lurch and that a side-effect of this will be that we see an internet duopoly.

Richard - from other thread - delighted that Helen is back home. Also you're right the extreme right always seeks to impose uniformity. Actually all extremisms do that. People like you, the readers here, me, realise that diversity of opinion goes for long run strenght.

8:03 pm  
Blogger JulieDee said...

Hi Richard! LONG time no see! I too a ummm... an... errr... the opposite of a header... a "butter"?... and were it not for being a lousy house keeper and landing on dirty laundry would have landed in the hospital with a broken hip rather than in bed for a week!

Ahhhh but back to the subject at hand...fingers! More correctly, fingers on keyboards!

If Bush&Co wanted to hijack the internet, the last chance they could have been technically able to physically do that might have been 5 or 6 years ago. To do that now I don't think would be entirely possible, too many ways around and about the bottle-necks that might have once served as customs gateways. Now with direct satellite up liking available to any Joe Schmuck who wants it there just ain't no way that they can really control anything without a whole lot of voluntary cooperation at just about every level.

8:54 pm  
Blogger markfromireland said...

Sheeeesh I'm getting forgetful. I meant to say that I'm now at the quadruple checking of references, interview notes, etc etc stage for my series of articles on the various kinds of Islamic activism. I'll let you know when they go live.

8:56 pm  
Blogger Richard said...

mark,

Too true; everything's a commodity these days. Health, justice, intellect[ual property] etc, etc.

What's next, one wonders? The air we breathe?

Also, thanks for goodwishes for Helen - and yep - thank God for the coallition of the 'sane'.

P.S. Sounds like an interesting piece you're working on. Where's it going? Liberal avenger?

11:08 pm  
Blogger Richard said...

juliedee,

Good to see you. I was 'asking' about you recently. Heh - I asked if anyone here had upset you. Sorry about your problem but glad you're over it now.

As for the tech-talk - you know me - I'm still kintergarten-class in that dept.

11:13 pm  
Blogger Richard said...

Elaine,

Great. Thanks - yet again. I'd better go see.

11:14 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

anti american shit
brit shit
european shit
irish shit
islam shit
muslim shit
terrorists shit
eat shit!

12:55 am  
Blogger markfromireland said...

Hi Richard,

I see you've been visited by an anonymous "patriotic" coprophile. Oh well.

Cover your ears Richard and all you other good peeps I'm about to bellow in delight about something that is not completely off topic. Also this is long:

Wooooo hooooooo! you go girl!

Ah that felt good - It's morning here in Copenhagen as I start to write, er type, this and I've just had one hell of a boost.

Richard do you remember my recommending Nur Al Cubicle?

http://nuralcubicle.blogspot.com/

Well if you go to Liberal Avenger and read this post you'll see that it links to a story on America Blog which in turn cites a report from the Orlando Sentinel that Chris Wilson has been arrested on pornography charges.

The thing started to take off big time after Helena Cobban followed up on some comments I made on her site: Mark from Ireland then came in with this ...here is the link to some articles:

Helena Cobban's done lots of coverage and it got picked up by amongst others Antiwar.com

Toddle along to http://justworldnews.org/ I don't always agree with her but she knows her stuff and she's another enclave of decency.


So Who the hell is Chris Wilson?

He's great big stinking piece of festering scum who owns Nowthatsfuckedup.com . NTFU's server is located in the Netherlands, (the techncial and admin contact lives in Belgium,) and the audience is worldwide. In it people (I suppose we have to call them that) post erotic pictures of their girlfriends wives etc. Ho hum. But there's a savagely vicious and perverted twist. Some of the fora are frequented by US and Allied service personnel in Afghanistan an Iraq who in return for posting pictures they've taken of dead and mutilated people - some of whom are undoubtedly jihadis - get free access to the -"normal porn"

Death porn for sex porn - good eh?

But ya know what - sometimes the coalition of the "sane and civilised" score one too.

Major kudos to Nur

Well I've taken up way too much of your bandwidth. So I'll answer briefly no it won't go on Liberal avenger - way too long for one thing. I've my own site (not a blog) that I keep for coding experiments and it'll go there. I'll do a summary on LA and link to it.

Keep well and keep posting it does make a difference

11:06 am  
Blogger markfromireland said...

Just think Richard - one disgusted american woman who loves her country with a blog:

http://nuralcubicle.blogspot.com/

started an avalanche.


yea!

11:09 am  
Blogger Richard said...

mark,

I heard about that death for porn stuff - in fact I went and saw some of the 'body parts' of those poor mutilated Iraqis. Saw 'some' then had had enough - talk about scum of the earth - ugh!

But you've certainly given me quite a few more links to follow through on. I'll have to check them out. Ta!

10:23 pm  
Blogger Richard said...

Oops! As for the troll[s] - when they get toooooo XXXXX - I bin 'em.

Otherwise, if they're just plain stupid - I've decided to leave their rubbish for all to see - and give everyone else a good laugh - 'at them'.

10:28 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

assholes
shits
scumbags

11:09 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

SOsCmh The best blog you have!

7:13 am  

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