Free Republic

If tracking and describing internet wildlife like something out of National Geographic then liberals would probably be classified in the following way.

It sounds like the stuff of science fiction: seven keys, held by individuals from all over the world, that together control security at the core of the web. The reality is rather closer to The Office than The Matrix. The keyholders have been meeting four times a year, twice on the east coast of the US and twice here on the west, since 2010. Gaining access to their inner sanctum isn't easy, but last month I was invited along to watch the ceremony and meet some of the keyholders – a select group of security experts from around the world....

Paul Klane, a father of two, was headhunted to be a part of the elite group that would be able to reboot the internet in case of a major cybersecurity crisis. And the man’s wide eyes indicates that he is keeping careful watch over his special key — that he happens to store in a plastic bag. “Each of the 14 primary keyholders owns a traditional metal key to a safety deposit box, which in turn contains a smartcard, which in turn activates a machine that creates a new master key,” reports The Guardian. The master key is used to...

Imagine you're in a room full of people from different countries, and everyone only speaks his or her native language. In order to communicate, you'd have to come up with a standard set of rules and vocabulary. That's what makes the Internet so remarkable: It's a system that lets different computer networks communicate with each other using a standardized set of rules. Without rules, these computer networks wouldn't be able to communicate with each other. Think for a minute about the scope of the Internet. It's a collection of inter-networked computer systems that spans the entire globe. It depends on...

The decision was announced nonchalantly, in trademark Washington fashion on a Friday afternoon: The U.S. government will cede its last bit of control over the Internet. The government has maintained that influence through contracts with the organization that administers the Internet, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN. But a Commerce Department agency announced Friday that it would relinquish control over ICANN, presumably when its contract expires in September 2015. The office said it wants the group to next convene "global stakeholders" to come up with a transition plan -- a transition...

The United States is planning to give up its last remaining authority over the technical management of the Internet.The Commerce Department announced Friday that it will give the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), an international nonprofit group, control over the database of names and addresses that allows computers around the world to connect to each other.Administration officials say U.S. authority over the Internet address system was always intended to be temporary and that ultimate power should rest with the "global Internet community." But some fear that the Obama administration is opening the door to an Internet takeover...

There are probably only a small handful of you who actually remember the debate about the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, which ceded control of the Panama Canal back to Panama. I opposed it at the time; I still oppose it. In fact, my father and I continue to despise the Senators, such as the late Robert C. Byrd (D.-WV), who deliberately ignored the cries of their constituents and chose to ratify it anyway.

The U.S. government’s plan to give away authority over the Internet’s core architecture to the “global Internet community” could endanger the security of both the Internet and the U.S. — and open the door to a global tax on Web use. “U.S. management of the internet has been exemplary and there is no reason to give this away — especially in return for nothing,” former Bush administration State Department senior advisor Christian Whiton told The Daily Caller. “This is the Obama equivalent of Carter’s decision to give away the Panama Canal — only with possibly much worse consequences.” The U.S....

U.S. officials announced plans Friday to relinquish federal government control over the administration of the Internet, a move that pleased international critics but alarmed some business leaders and others who rely on the smooth functioning of the Web. Pressure to let go of the final vestiges of U.S. authority over the system of Web addresses and domain names that organize the Internet has been building for more than a decade and was supercharged by the backlash last year to revelations about National Security Agency surveillance.

Another Friday, another violation of American freedoms and rights. This one is personal. Today, ICANN and the US government announced their intention to relinquish control of the Internet to the UN by 2015. Where’s Congress? Where’s the outrage that should be thunderous over this travesty? From WaPo: U.S. officials announced plans Friday to relinquish federal government control over the administration of the Internet, a move that pleased international critics but alarmed some business leaders and others who rely on the smooth functioning of the Web. Pressure to let go of the final vestiges of U.S. authority over the system of...

WASHINGTON—The U.S. government plans to give up control over the body that manages Internet names and addresses, a move that could bring more international cooperation over management of the Web, but will make some U.S. businesses nervous. The Commerce Department said Friday it plans to relinquish its oversight of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, which manages a number of technical functions that serve as signposts to help computers locate the correct servers and websites. The action is viewed as a response to increasing international concern about U.S. control over the Internet's structure, particularly in light...

My mother and sister [at separate locations] cannot connect through Earthlink. Modem connects, but cannot access any web site. I work with computers, have cleared their caches, run anti-malware and anti-virus, changed DNS addresses, etc. Nothing seems to work. 2 strange things, though. I can grab updates for the anti-virus software and other programs that have new updates, but this is not through a browser. Also, from my location, I can long distance dial their access numbers, get the modem connected, AND I can get to web pages. Any thoughts?

Make of it what you will...but this proves to me that The Internet does predict the future.

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. government is relinquishing its control of the Internet's address system in a shift that may raise questions about the future direction of online innovation and communications. The decision announced Friday begins a long-planned transition affecting the stewardship of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN. Although other countries have had a say in how the Internet is run, the U.S. government retained veto power over ICANN. The Commerce Department hopes to end its ICANN oversight by the time its contract expires in September 2015. Proposals for a new ICANN stewardship will be...

U.S. officials announced plans Friday to relinquish federal government control over the administration of the Internet, a move likely to please international critics but alarm many business leaders and others who rely on smooth functioning of the Web. Pressure to let go of the final vestiges of U.S. authority over the system of Web addresses and domain names that organize the Internet has been building for more than a decade and was supercharged by the backlash to revelations about National Security Agency surveillance last year.

Mark Zuckerberg lashed out at the government for its surveillance practices in a rant today on his Facebook page. “When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we’re protecting you against criminals, not our own government.,” Zuckerberg wrote. Zuckerberg and other major tech CEOs have called on the Obama administration to be more transparent about spying efforts. The Facebook co-founder, 29, said he vented about his concerns in a phone call to the president. “The US government should be the champion for the internet, not a threat. They need to be much more transparent about what they’re doing,...

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web since its public release by Sir Tim Berners-Lee in 1990, prompting the Pew Research Center to release its latest re03-technologies-that-would-be-hard-to-give-upport, entitled The Web at 25 in the U.S. The report looks at a combination of objective metrics for Internet penetration, as well as survey results of how users perceive the Internet. On the whole, the internet has fundamentally changed the way we interact with the world—from creating content, to interacting with our government, to taking care of our health. Regardless of how people use it, the Internet is clearly...

"Al-Qaeda unveils new magazine aimed at Western jihadis Advert for 'Resurgence' magazine uses words of Malcolm X in appeal to disaffected Muslims in US and Europe, as it turns focus away from Middle East" SNIPPET: "Al-Qaeda is starting an English language magazine as part of a fresh effort to recruit and inspire Western jihadis to launch attacks in their own countries, according to security analysts. A video posted on YouTube uses the words of Malcolm X to justify violent struggle, before announcing the name of the magazine, Resurgence." SNIPPET: "However, the new magazine appears to be the first English language...

Seven years ago this summer, I upgraded from dial-up to DSL. For the first time I could actually play videos, including live streams. And this is how things stood . . . until recently. For about a month or so (at least) I have noticed that flash videos have been playing very sluggishly, with a lot of lagging and stuttering. I have attempted some fixes which have improved YouTube, but there is still trouble elsewhere, especially live feeds, which might as well still be on dial-up. I have been told I'm not the only one having this problem, and that...

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) plans to introduce legislation to prevent a “takeover” of the Internet by the United Nations or another government regime. Speaking Monday at Google’s office in Washington, the possible presidential contender said he will introduce legislation to codify U.S. support of an open Internet as other countries attempt to control its growth. “Since the Web is worldwide — and since it has proven such an effective catalyst for pro-democratic revolution — it has become a battleground that many fight to control,” he said.