Posted on 12/11/2003 8:43:53 PM PST by webber
In a recent CNSNews.com commentary, Tom DeWeese called the Internet "the only unregulated source of liberty" in a world "already suffocating under the weight of rules and regulations designed to control, tax and consume every outlet of human expression". Well, leave it to the United Nations to hatch a plot to take over the Internet.
According to an article in the Washington Times by John Zarocostas, "Governments spearheaded by China, Brazil, India, Russia and Saudi Arabia are trying to place the Internet under the control of the United Nations or its member governments."
The issue has cropped up in preparatory talks for a world summit on the information society to be held from Dec. 10 to 12 in Geneva, with the stated goal of "advancing the management and worldwide use of the Internet, especially in poorer nations."
Pierre Gagne, executive director of the world summit, has identified control of the Internet as one of two key issues in the talks, adding that control and financial issues "will probably be the last issues to be resolved" at the summit.
The Internet, at present, is loosely managed by a private organization in California named the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which coordinates such matters as Internet servers and domain names. Many third world countries would like to hand over that authority to a U.N. agency, such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
Yoshio Utsumi, secretary-general of the ITU, which will host the December summit, said in an interview that Brazil is "a very strong advocate" of his agency taking over the Internet. China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Senegal and many other African countries were also "keen" for the United Nations to have a role, he said.
Yeah, we just BET he and his UN buddies are "keen" to take over the Internet. Can you imagine? UN control over all e-mail
UN control over all websites
UN control over all domain names
UN control over all e-commerce
These guys are worse than Dr. Strangelove and Dr. Drakken combined. They really DO want to take over the world!
We need to stop them dead in their tracks, NOW!
ACTION ITEM: So far, The United States, backed by the European Union, Japan and Canada, has been able to turn back third world efforts to place the Internet under the control of the United Nations or its member governments. But we haven*t stopped them -- just slowed them down.
In fact, as of today, the participating nations have agreed "to ask U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to set up a working group on Internet governance *in an open and inclusive process that ensures a mechanism for the full participation of governments, the private sector and civil society... to investigate and make proposals for action, as appropriate, by 2005."
This means these UN world-government types are going to pressure everyone for over a year to "take the Internet away" from privately-run ICANN, and put it under control of the UN. And who has the power to stop them? Right now, our one big hope is President Bush.
So, we*ve set up a quick and easy way for you to have your voice heard LOUD and CLEAR on this issue!
NOTE: As always, we*ve set up a way for you to send an e-mail to President Bush for FREE.
"Cut" and "copy" the "letter to the president" below, and then click on the link that's below the letter and paste the letter to the president into your email and then send it off to the President.
(President Bush's email address: president@whitehouse.gov)
Dear President Bush,
I urge you in the strongest possible terms to instruct any and all U.S. representatives to the United Nations to "hold the line" against any attempts by the UN to take over control of the Internet.
The Internet is the only unregulated source of liberty in a world already suffocating under the weight of rules and regulations designed to control, tax and consume every outlet of human expression.
We must NOT allow it to come under the control of forces hostile to the very idea of individual liberty, such as China, Brazil, India, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
The greatest threat to personal privacy over the Internet today is posed by governments that gather information to profile users, snoop into bank accounts, and track our movements.
Should we now put an unaccountable, faceless international bureaucracy in control to compound the situation?
Mr. President, please do NOT allow any governments or groups to place the Internet under the control of the United Nations or its member governments. Thank you.
Sincerely,
(Your Name and Address)
As DeWeese noted, "the greatest threat to personal privacy over the Internet today is posed by governments that gather information to profile users, snoop into bank accounts, and track our movements. Should we now put an unaccountable, faceless international bureaucracy in control to compound the situation?"
Be sure to forward this Alert to everyone you know that wants to keep the UN*s grubby little hands OFF of the *net. If every one reading this bombards the White House with e-mail letters and demonstrates an outpouring of grassroots support for keeping the Internet UN-free, we can put a STOP to efforts of these international faceless bureaucrats!
We*ll need a concerted demonstration of solidarity to keep President Bush "on task" with everything else going on.
Thank you!
Newsmax.com
That should keep them busy for years!
ICANN (with the root nameservers), the backbones and the ISPs call the shots. Others can try to "take control", and get absolutely nowhere fast.
The truth is that the internet was developed as a strategic U.S. asset, and it remains just that. Everyone else is welcome to go along for the ride, but if they get too grabby, they will be cut off.
This is why countries like China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, et al, or tin-pot dictatorships like the UN cannot take over the Internet. They simply lack the ability, and it can't even be given away to them, simply because it is impractical, if for no other reason.
Hardly fair to use DeWeese's quote without an attribution.
As DeWeese noted, "the greatest threat to personal privacy over the Internet today is posed by governments that gather information to profile users, snoop into bank accounts, and track our movements. Should we now put an unaccountable, faceless international bureaucracy in control to compound the situation?"
Hot air coming out of the UN is the greatest single cause of global warming.
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