Re: [ga] VeriSign fends off critics at ICANN confab and ALAC's ligitimacy

[Joop Teernstra <terastra@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 01:41 p.m. 12/10/2003, Don Brown wrote:
> Joop,
>
> I can't state it more simply, but I do not desire to offend you - You
> just do not understand.
>
> The Internet was born out of a U.S. defense initiative. Don't hold
> your breath for the Congress, Senate, Executive or Judicial branch of
> the U.S. government to donate it to to the world. It's not going to
> happen. That's the reality of it.

Don,

I am pleased that you make the argument so openly. You may be right with 
your assessment of the current mood in the United States. I don't know.

But there is also another reality. The Internet choke-points and DNS 
policymaking  are not susceptible to "donation" .

"The internet" cannot be donated by any party to anyone,  because the whole 
is made up by those who populate its DNS.

It is a network formula between them. It is a public protocol. It is out of 
the bottle.
Its value and composition are a result of global participation.

Impose too high cost or too many restrictions on Naming and Numbering and 
the demand will route around you.
In other words, any single Nation's grip on the Net must remain gentle or 
it evaporates.

Clinton and Magaziner recognized that.  They were not giving up anything 
with the  White Paper.

> Besides, why should they - what margin is in it for them?  Making
> non-US citizens pleased is not on their agenda.

ouch :-)

> With that said, you can be instrumental in making a positive change.
> We all know that ICANN is dysfunctional and fully controlled by the
> insider cliche.  We can all write to members of Congress and to
> Senators to show our disdain.  The number of similar letters from U.S.
> and non-U.S. citizens should get some attention.

OK. Here I am with you. We can help with web-form petitions and email or 
paper letters and see if by presenting massive numbers ICANN can be morphed 
into something more transparent and answerable  by US politicians. It might.

> That is our shot -- to make things right.  I don't know of any better
> way to slay the dragon, do you?

Work seriously on an alternative and better structure. Then lobby for that 
structure. Spend personal money. Volunteer time. Aim for surviving long 
enough that natural selection can do its work. Internet time runs too fast 
for dragons.

I'm not saying it's easy.



-joop-