[kictanet] Is the UN (Read Governments) the Next Big Threat to Internet Freedom?

[Ali Hussein]

Indeed. I'm abit surprised by the silence from CCK and other Governmental Agencies on this issue. Does it mean we as a country do not have a position on this?  

Ali Hussein

+254 773/713 601113

Sent from my iPhone®

On Jun 4, 2012, at 5:04 PM, McTim <dogwallah at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> This is not just about ICANN, the ITRs that will are being negotiated
> in this process cover a whole gamut of Internet related things (such
> as peering and interconnection), not just names and numbers (a la
> ICANN).
> 
> We should have something to say in the formulation of the Kenyan
> position, certainly.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> McTim
> 
> On Mon, Jun 4, 2012 at 12:31 AM, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:
>> Listers
>> 
>> Interesting article. A few weeks ago I raised the issue on Internet Freedom
>> and Governance and asked whether our government has a position on this?
>> 
>> http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-01/is-the-un-the-next-big-threat-to-internet-freedom
>> 
>> This article brings to the fore the different voices that are advocating for
>> two key positions:-
>> 
>> 1. Should the status quo remain? Where the key player ICANN (the Internet
>> Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers), which is a private, U.S.-based
>> nonprofit organization) exerts control over the fundamental levers and gears
>> that underlie the Internet—including the domain-name system.  Although ICANN
>> says it operates on a multistakeholder model that involves such groups as
>> the Internet Engineering Task Force and the World Wide Web Consortium, there
>> has been a lot of criticism of the organization over the years, from
>> allegations of conflicts of interest to moves such as the recent expansion
>> of the top-level domain system.
>> 
>> 2. Should the UN, through the ITU (international Telecommunications Union
>> take over from ICANN? Critics including one of the “fathers of the
>> Internet,” TCP/IP developer Vinton Cerf say putting control of the Net under
>> the UN body would subject the Internet to the whims of many nations whose
>> commitment to democracy and free speech is questionable at best, including
>> China and Russia. Cerf, who is currently the chief Internet evangelist at
>> Google, said the move would threaten the free and open nature of the
>> Internet:
>> 
>> As the Internet Community in Kenya do we have a position on this? The Kenya
>> Government? CCK?
>> 
>> Regards
>> 
>> --
>> 
>> Ali Hussein|Managing Partner
>> 
>> 
>> Telemedia Africa
>> Azania Technology Group
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