IP: Cone of Silence:ICANN or Internet democracy failing

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

Another opinion -- take it as you will djf


>Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 08:01:33 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Ronda Hauben <ronda@panix.com>
>To: farber@cis.upenn.edu, ip-sub-1@admin.listbox.com
>Subject: Cone of Silence:ICANN or Internet democracy failing
>
>    Following is from an article in TELEPOLIS titled
>   
>    Cone of Silence
>    ICANN or Internet democracy is failing
>
>     by John Horvath 
>    
>         URL: http://www.heise.de/tp/english/inhalt/te/2837/1.html
>
>    an excerpt follows:
>    
>         "...There's a battle being waged behind the scenes that many 
>    of us don't know about - even those whose lives have now become 
>    dependent on computer mediated communication systems like the 
>    Internet. The process to hand over government control of the 
>    Internet to a private body - a process which was formulated 
>    last summer and initiated toward the end of that same year 
>    - has been rife with problems that various sides are continually
>    struggling to deal with.
>    
>    While many people who use the Internet will have heard about this
>    process and the organisation involved -  ICANN , to which the whole
>    process has become synonymous - the truth of the matter is that for
>    the vast majority it is something relatively unknown. Indeed, there's
>    been a "cone of silence" over the issue, and for those involved that's
>    just the way they like it.
>    
>    In order to try and break this cone of silence and to better
>    understand what is really at stake, what will be looked at is the
>    origin and evolution of the process and the organisation it has
>    created, ICANN. Its first moves and the corresponding negative
>    reaction that gave the whole process a stillborn start will be
>    examined, along with ways in which attempts have been made to rescue
>    the process. This will be followed by a more in-depth look at those
>    for and against ICANN and the process, along with some observations as
>    to how and why the silent complicity that surrounds the issue exists.
>    
>    In the end, it will be shown how the issue is not just one involving
>    the transformation of the Internet from a government body to a private
>    one, but strikes at the very heart of democracy in the digital age. It
>    also affects the emergence of a new form of civic discourse, one that
>    transcends the limits of physical space. In fact, it's something which
>    will profoundly change our lives, and unless more attention is paid to
>    what is actually going on behind the scenes, a future will be built
>    for us that will run counter to many of our hopes and expectations."
>
>    (see URL for rest of article)
>
>
>    Also there is an ICANN meeting in Berlin scheduled for 
>    May 25-27.
>
>
>