Eric Schmidt on threats to internet freedom

Eric Schmidt talks about Internet Freedom and the threats--note what he is talking about, in the case of North Korea and China, is exactly what the UN and its corrupt agency, the ITU, want:

Inside the mind of Eric Schmidt | Alan Rusbridger | Technology | guardian.co.uk: "Let me give you some examples of what governments could do. There is something called the DNS, which is the Domain Name Service, which is how you get to things, so Google.com, Microsoft.com, guardian.co.uk. If you go in and you programme that in a certain way, you can actually delete things. You can also, at the protocol level, lock ports, so you can block, for example, access to YouTube in its entirety. So those have the property that it's not a flat open internet but rather it depends on which country you're in. There are things called VPNs. The Chinese Government, for example,plays a game we call whack-a-mole, where every time a VPN shows up, they shut it down and people move. Using modern encryption there are ways of getting even more sophisticated versions of this kind of thing working. The problem is that if you put these restrictions in place, the elites will figure out a way to get around it, but the average person won't, because they don't have time, or knowledge, or education, so there's a real loss of information."

Never, ever, let the ITU or UN take over the internet!


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Internet Under Assault by the UN and ITU

“The idea that the UN ought to be controlling the Internet . . .  is like putting the Taliban in charge of women’s rights”

Thank God for the United States and allies who are trying to keep the Internet free--

Internet ‘Under Assault’ by Censoring UN, Regulator Says - Bloomberg: "International proposals to control the Internet will continue after a United Nations conference in Dubai and the U.S. should be ready to fight such efforts, lawmakers and a regulator said. “The Internet is quite simply under assault,” Robert McDowell, a member of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, said yesterday at a joint hearing by three House subcommittees. McDowell, a Republican, warned of “patient and persistent incrementalists who will never relent until their ends are achieved.” The U.S. and other nations refused to sign a revised telecommunications treaty at the UN conference (WCIT 2012 sponsored by the ITU) in December, saying new language could allow Internet regulation and censorship by governments. Technology companies including Google Inc. (GOOG), owner of the world’s largest Internet search engine, also opposed the changes. . . .  The U.K., Canada and Australia were among 55 delegations that refused to sign the telecommunications treaty or indicated they would need to check with their governments, while 89 countries signed the pact, according to a House Energy and Commerce Committee memorandum. The treaty doesn’t take effect until January 2015, providing an opportunity to persuade other nations not to adopt the regulations, the committee said in the memorandum. . . . " (read  more at link above)


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Inventor of WWW says an open net is crucial

Are you listening US DOJ, ITU, UN???--

Inventor of WWW says an 'open' net is crucial - One News | TVNZ: "The inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, says an "open" internet, free of Government and corporate controls, is crucial. The physicist is in New Zealand for a series of public appearances, including a rare public lecture at Te Papa museum in Wellington. Three hundred people attended the lecture tonight and appropriately those who missed out on tickets could log on and watch it streamed live through the internet. Sir Tim said it was important to ensure the internet is a place of open communication. . . . The issue of copyright and internet freedom has been particularly topical in New Zealand in the past year with the ongoing extradition case for Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom. The internet tycoon is wanted by US authorities for online piracy charges related to his former file sharing website."


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FCC to Congress: UN and ITU Internet plans must be stopped

FCC to Congress: U.N.'s ITU Internet plans 'must be stopped' | ZDNet: " . . . in a rarely seen show of harshly-written rhetoric, McDowell will also demonstrate that the U.N.'s harmful designs on the Internet are at least a decade old, and its agenda is comprised almost entirely of lies and deceit. McDowell's astonishingly blunt statements (prepared and published in "Fighting for Internet Freedom: Dubai and Beyond") outlined the ITU's frighteningly successful agenda to take control of the Internet by redefining telecommunications treaties in direct benefit to ITU bedfellows not limited to China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. . . . "


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The forces of Internet darkness will strike again

The forces of Internet darkness will strike again | Fox News: "At the end of the conference, Ambassador Terry Kramer, head of the U.S. delegation, noted, “It is clear that the world community is a crossroads in its view of the Internet and its relationship to society in the coming century.” While the importance of global dialogue was made clear in Dubai, so was the fact that the ITU is not the appropriate place for Internet governance."

We will not forget: "the ITU is not the appropriate place for Internet governance."


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The two visions of the internet

The UN's ITU decided in 2012 to join the dark forces--those who do not want the internet to be open and free (Russia, China, some Arab nations, etc.)--

Who Signed The ITU WCIT Treaty... And Who Didn't | Techdirt: " . . . So, what does it all mean? Very little right now. Even those countries that signed on still need to go through a ratification process -- and one hopes that people in some of those countries will realize that it's bad to be supporting a regime that wants political bureaucrats having anything to do with the internet, even if it's dipping a toe in the water. However, many of the countries don't much care about that, and simply want the new rules so they can try to control parts of the internet (and/or profit from it). The rules won't actually go into effect for a while. While they aren't binding, it is pretty customary for signatories to eventually adopt such rules locally. The real story here is a world in which there are two competing visions for the future of the internet -- one driven by countries who believe the internet should be more open and free... and one driven by the opposite. . . these two visions of the internet are unlikely to go away any time soon. The next decade is going to be filled with similar clashes as certain countries seek to limit what the internet can do, for their own political needs and desires. Seeing the initial breakdown of who's in which camp is useful, but this isn't over yet."

Staying Alert--My claws are sharp!


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Abolish the ITU!

Internet freedom remains US priority at UN conference | PCWorld: "Instead of creating new regulations that could affect the Internet, the ITU should do away with the international telecom regulations, he said. Instead of the ITU, private companies and civil society should come up with rules for interconnection and other telecom issues, he said. The ITU and its telecom regulations have hung around after their original purpose has expired, Mueller said. "It's almost impossible for intergovernmental organizations to go out of existence," he said. "They just hang on and try to think of new things to do.""

Abolish the ITU!

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WCIT-12 leak shows ITU, Russia, China, others seek to define 'government-controlled Internet'

The ugliness of the conspiracy to undermine internet freedom, led by the nefarious ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré, Russia, China, and other governments of repression, is now coming to light--

WCIT-12 leak shows Russia, China, others seek to define 'government-controlled Internet' | ZDNet: "New proposals submitted to the World Conference on International Telecommunications(WCIT-12) aim to redefine the Internet as a system of government-controlled, state-supervised networks, according to a leaked document. The WCIT-12 summit in Dubai is currently where the U.N.'s International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is being held, where member state countries are going head-to-head about proposed revisions to the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITR), a legally binding international treaty signed by 178 countries. The leaked document [PDF] was proposed by a member state bloc comprised of Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). . . . . It cannot be understated the damage such a proposal could do to the free and open Internet, online privacy and anonymity, with access to the Internet at risk from an array of oppressive governments."

The proposals won't even be available to delegates until Monday (December 10th) in spite of requirements that all such proposals be pre-filed 4 months before the conference!

"ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré (said) . . . it was "really premature" to discuss the document or "prejudge what would happen." Also on the table is a proposal to create a new article, 3A, to discuss Internet issues." Read more: http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/wcit-12-uae-submits-surprise-inter-regional-proposal-itrs/2012-12-07#ixzz2EWPn145H 


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Congress approves resolution to keep Internet control out of UN hands

House approves resolution to keep Internet control out of UN hands - The Hill's Floor Action: ""The 193 member countries of the United Nations are gathered to consider whether to apply to the Internet a regulatory regime that the International Telecommunications Union created in the 1980s for old-fashioned telephone service," Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said on the House floor. He said countries will also consider whether to "swallow the Internet's non-governmental organizational structure whole and make it part of the United Nations." "Neither of these are acceptable outcomes and must be strongly opposed by our delegation," Walden added. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) said both the White House and lawmakers were united against U.N. control of the Internet. "I think that we are all very, very proud that there is not only bipartisan, but bicameral support underlying this resolution, and there is complete support across the Executive Branch of our government," she said. "In other words, the United States of America is totally unified on this issue of an open structure, a multi-stakeholder approach that has guided the Internet over the last two decades.""

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Internet freedom remains US priority at UN conference

Internet freedom remains US priority at UN conference | PCWorld: "The U.S. delegation to an upcoming United Nations telecom treaty-writing conference will not budge on its positions advocating free speech online and opposing broad new regulations for the Internet, the leader of the delegation said. The U.S. delegation wants a successful World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), said Terry Kramer, head of the U.S. delegation. But if other delegates to WCIT attempt to expand the U.N. International Telecommunication Union's telecom regulations to the Internet, "we might as well not waste our time," Kramer said during a WCIT discussion in Washington, D.C. last week. The U.S. delegation, however, will work hard to advocate for telecom competition and free expression during the ITU event, starting December 3 in Dubai. Open markets offer the only proven way to expand telecom and broadband services to more people, and the U.S. delegation has strong support for that position from parts of Europe, the Far East, and Latin America, Kramer said at the event, sponsored by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University."

Internet Freedom!


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UN internet control?

Google enters debate on UN internet control - Americas - Al Jazeera English: "Larry Downes, an analyst with the Bell Mason Group consultancy who follows technology issues, said the Russian proposal "makes explicit" Moscow's desire to bring the internet under greater control of the UN agency and diminish the role of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which manages the internet address system. "The Russian federation's proposal ... would in specific substantially if not completely change the role of ICANN in overseeing domain names and IP addresses," Downes said in a blog post. "Of course the Russian Federation, along with other repressive governments, uses every opportunity to gain control over the free flow of information, and sees the internet as its most formidable enemy.""

Internet Freedom!

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How the ITU could put the Internet behind closed doors.

How the ITU could put the Internet behind closed doors.: "Think of all the terrible things governments do to the Internet. The US destroyed Megaupload, Russia jailed activists over a YouTube video, and China monitors Internet users' every move-- even hacking activists outside its borders. Now imagine if a panel of governments, giant corporations, and dictatorships had absolute power over the entire Internet, deciding in secret what you can see & do online. When the ITU meets December 3rd, they'll decide on this. Only a global outcry can stop it. Join us on December 3rd, and tell your leaders right now: “I don't trust the world's governments to run the global Internet. Don't give the ITU any more power.”

On Dec 3: Stop the Internet Coup


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Google attacks UN's internet treaty conference

BBC News - Google attacks UN's internet treaty conference: "It has been claimed some countries will try to wrest oversight of the net's technical specifications and domain name system from US bodies to an international organisation. . . Google has asked web users to add their name to an online petition to support its view. "The [UN agency] International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is bringing together regulators from around the world to renegotiate a decades-old communications treaty," it wrote on its Take Action site. "Some proposals could permit governments to censor legitimate speech - or even allow them to cut off internet access. "Other proposals would require services like YouTube, Facebook, and Skype to pay new tolls in order to reach people across borders. This could limit access to information - particularly in emerging markets." Google added that it was concerned that "only governments have a voice at the ITU" and not companies or others who had a stake in the net, concluding that the World Conference on International Telecommunications (Wcit) was "the wrong place" to make decisions about the internet's future."

Viva Google! Internet Freedom!

Keep the Internet free & open.

Make your voice heard.

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The ITU speaks--Do not believe a word they say

Below is an excerpt from the ITU blog-the ITU is "evil incarnate"--their "power grab" is being supported by the most repressive regimes in the world:

The Google campaign – An ITU view « The ITU Blog: "The freedom of expression and the right to communicate are already enshrined in many UN and international treaties that ITU has taken into account in the establishment of its Constitution and Convention, and also its mandate by-the Plenipotentiary Conference, which is the Supreme Organ of ITU. These treaties include Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."

Yeah, right--ITU you are a liar! 

Support Internet Freedom--take action against the ITU, UN, WCIT power grab!

Keep the Internet free & open. Make your voice heard.

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PS: here is the comment I left on the ITU blog which they have yet to publish--"Your comment is awaiting moderation"--

"We don’t need the UN or ITU regulating the internet and taking away INTERNET FREEDOM–go away and find something else to do. YOU are NOT trustworthy. We do not believe a word you say. Quit blaming Google for the fact you are attempting a “power grab.”"

The UN's Coming Internet Power Grab

Come December 3rd, the UN is going to try to grab control of the internet and abolish internet freedom--

The UN's Coming Internet Power Grab - Hit & Run : Reason.com: "Currently, the ITRs [International Telecommunications Regulations] cover only international telecommunications services (PDF). But the Russians propose adding a new section to the treaty to deal explicitly with "IP-based networks." Bringing the Internet into the treaty in any capacity would represent a major expansion of the scope of the ITU's authority."

HISS!!

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How the ITU could put the internet behind closed doors.

Take action at http://www.whatistheITU.org Fight for the Future and Access collaborated on this short, informative video about a serious threat to the free and open internet that could have devastating effects for human rights and free expression around the globe.


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Head of the UN's ITU, trying to take control of the Internet

A follow-up to my most recent posts regarding attempts to take over the internet--

And who is this guy heading up the UN's ITU, who is trying to take control of the Internet?

"Hamadoun Touré was born in 1953 in the Republic of Mali. He studied at the Technical Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication of Leningrad(LEIS), receiving a Masters Degree in electrical engineering, and a Candidate of Sciences degree (equivalent to PhD) from the Moscow Technical University of Communication and Informatics (MTUCI), in Russia."--wikipedia

Sounds like a real comrade. We cannot let this guy, the UN, or the ITU take control of the internet.

Internet Freedom!!

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OMG!--The UN To Control The Internet ?

"Gird your loins"--

There's A Huge Plan In The Works To Give The UN Control Of The Internet - Business Insider:

" . . . Russia, China and other countries back a move to place the Internet under the authority of the International Telecommunications Union, a UN agency . . .  U.S. officials say placing the Internet under U.N. control would undermine the freewheeling nature of cyberspace, which promotes open commerce and free expression, and could give a green light for some countries to crack down on dissidents. Observers say a number of authoritarian states will back the move, and that the major Western nations will oppose it, meaning the developing world could make a difference. . . . Terry Kramer, the special US envoy for the talks, has expressed Washington's position opposing proposals by Russia, China and others to expand the ITU's authority to regulate the Internet. "The Internet has grown precisely because it has not been micro-managed or owned by any government or multinational organization," Kramer told a recent forum. "There is no Internet central office. Its openness and decentralization are its strengths.". . The head of the ITU, Hamadoun Toure, said his agency has "the depth of experience that comes from being the world's longest established intergovernmental organization." . . .  But Harold Feld of the US-based non-government group Public Knowledge said any new rules could have devastating consequences. "These proposals, from the Russian Federation and several Arab states, would for the first time explicitly embrace the concept that governments have a right to control online communications and disrupt Internet access services," Feld said on a blog post. "This would reverse the trend of the last few years increasingly finding that such actions violate fundamental human rights." Paul Rohmeyer, who follows cybersecurity at the Stevens Institute of Technology, pointed to a "sense of anxiety" about the meeting in part because of a lack of transparency. He said it was unclear why the ITU is being considered for a role in the Internet. "The ITU historically has been a standards-setting body and its roots are in the telecom industry. I'm not familiar with anything they've done that's had an impact on the Internet today," Rohmeyer told AFP.

Read my post tomorrow to find out who the ITU's Hamadoun Toure is, and who his "master" is.

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US won’t surrender Internet control to UN agency

Thank God somebody in Washington has some sense--

Official: US won’t surrender Internet control to UN agency - The Hill's Hillicon Valley: "U.S. Ambassador Terry Kramer vowed that the United States will not compromise its principles on human rights, free speech and other issues during negotiations of an international telecommunications treaty in December. "If there are things that are completely objectionable, that violate our fundamental views about human rights, about free speech, about economic opportunities--if they fundamentally violate it--then we will just say no and absolutely we won't proceed," said Kramer, who is leading the U.S. delegation during the negotiations, at a press conference at law firm Wiley Rein on Friday."


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Your internet freedom may be taken away

Stay alert or your internet freedom may be "taken away"--

The United Nations and the Internet: It's Complicated - By Rebecca MacKinnon | Foreign Policy: "When it comes to the Internet, however, Congress, the White House, technology companies, and civil liberties groups are all on the same page: All agree that the United Nations -- a body representing the interests of governments -- should not be given control over a globally interconnected network that transcends the geography of nation-states. The Internet is too valuable to be managed by governments alone. Yet there is less agreement over how well the alternative "multistakeholder" model of Internet governance is working -- or whether it is really serving all of us as well as it might. The immediate threat to the Internet as we know it is the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) scheduled for December in Dubai by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a U.N. body whose remit has thus far been limited to global telephone systems. Members meet behind closed doors. Their policy proposals were until recently accessible only to members -- until activists forced transparency upon them through a website called "WCITLeaks." The leaked documents reveal how a number of governments -- in league with some old-school telecommunications companies seeking to regain revenues lost to the Internet -- are proposing to rewrite global international telecommunications regulations in ways that opponents believe will corrode, if not destroy, the open and free nature of the Internet. (For readers wanting to delve into details, a number of nonprofit organizations including the Center for Democracy and Technology and the Internet Society have published analyses of the leaked documents and other recent ITU statements.)"


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