Friday, September 30, 2005
EU/UN wants Internet Oversight.
My first thought is "HOLY CRAP! No Friggen way can this be allowed to happen!" Then I think that perhaps we should call in Al Gore to defend us from this legislated looting. You know, since he invented it and all.
UPDATE: The idea was soundly thrashed as noted by Instapundit.
- BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - The European Union insisted Friday that governments and the private sector must share the responsibility of overseeing the Internet, setting the stage for a showdown with the United States on the future of Internet governance.
A senior U.S. official reiterated Thursday that the country wants to remain the Internet's ultimate authority, rejecting calls in a United Nations meeting in Geneva for a U.N. body to take over.
<...>
A stalemate over who should serve as the principal traffic cops for Internet routing and addressing could derail the summit, which aims to ensure a fair sharing of the Internet for the benefit of the whole world.
At issue is who would have ultimate authority over the Internet's master directories, which tell Web browsers and e-mail programs how to direct traffic.
That role has historically gone to the United States, which created the Internet as a Pentagon project and funded much of its early development. The U.S. Commerce Department has delegated much of that responsibility to a U.S.-based private organization with international board members, but Commerce ultimately retains veto power.
UPDATE: The idea was soundly thrashed as noted by Instapundit.