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United Nations’ Proposal To Regulate Internet Going Before House This Week

It seems that everybody wants a hand in the massive cookie jar known as the Internet. The latest group that wants some form of control over the Internet is the United Nations. I don’t need to te...
United Nations’ Proposal To Regulate Internet Going Before House This Week
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  • It seems that everybody wants a hand in the massive cookie jar known as the Internet. The latest group that wants some form of control over the Internet is the United Nations. I don’t need to tell you how bad of an idea that is and it seems that our government finally agrees with the Internet on something.

    The House of Representatives will be examining the proposal this week. According to The Hill, the UN backed proposal is already supported by China, Russia, Brazil and other countries that would benefit greatly from being able to control the Internet. If there’s one thing that we’ve learned, it’s that the U.S. hates it when foreign countries try to control the Internet.

    Thankfully, our government doesn’t seem to like this proposed regulation. The Hill has found that a majority of congressmen from both sides of the political spectrum are against it. It would appear that the Obama administration is also not a fan of letting the UN’s International Telecommunication Union have more of a stake in the way the Internet is run.

    Sen. Marco Rubio was quoted as saying that he’s against letting countries that are “not exactly bastions of Internet freedom” have a stake in the international Internet. He went on to say that countries, like Russia and China, that censor search terms “should not be a leader in international Internet regulatory frameworks.”

    To discuss the issue, the House is inviting several prominent people involved in the workings of the Internet to discuss the proposal. Those invited include Robert McDowell, FCC commissioner; David Gross, former State Department official; and Sally Wentworth, senior manager of public policy at the Internet Society. At face value, it looks like the House has chosen a varied approach when it comes to approaching this particular proposal.

    The main issue at hand is that governments want more control over the Internet. According to The Hill, the UN wants more control to better fight cyber attacks and control how international Internet access is regulated. You can already see how such a proposal is a bad idea. Our own government is already trying to violate its citizens’ privacy by using cybersecurity as an excuse. Just imagine CISPA on a global scale with multiple stakeholders including China trying to control the Internet. You have a recipe for absolute disaster and the destruction of what those working on the Internet have worked hard over the last 30 years to help create.

    The only problem is that the U.S. is not the only nation in the UN. There are unfortunately far more nations that would presumably love to control the Internet than countries that support the current non-government organization approach. The UN proposal could come up vote as soon as December when it meets in Dubai. We’ll keep you updated on this latest assault on Internet freedom.

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