On Aug. 16, the Asst. Secretary of ICANN announced that the Obama administration is following through with a promise made two years ago to give up sovereign control over the internet and allow it to be managed by private hands.
Currently under the Department of Commerce, ICANN controls the creation and distribution of domains and addresses for the world wide web across the globe.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was established in 1988 to coordinate domain names across the globe. A nonprofit organization, ICANN is overseen by the US Department of Commerce.
Naturally, a number of countries and privacy advocates have expressed concern that a global entity as vital as the internet is under the control of the US, and the Obama Administration promised to cede control over ICANN.
Until recently, Washington had failed to make good on this promise. But on Tuesday, Assistant Secretary Lawrence Strickling confirmed that the process will be finalized in roughly two months.
“On Friday, ICANN informed NTIA [National Telecommunications & Information Administration] that is has completed or will complete all the necessary tasks called for in the transition proposal by the end of the contract term,” he wrote in a post on the department’s website. - Sputnik News
The Internet was created by the United States military, and was made into a public network in the early 80’s when it allowed scientific research centers and universities to communicate with one another. And when ICANN was founded in 1988, the net began its historic growth through the advent of the world wide web nomenclature and the invention of browsers.
For years the United Nations has sought to wrest control over the internet from the U.S., and seek international determination over domains, protocols, and usage. And like the current trade platform President Obama seeks to create through the TPP and TTIP, moving the world wide web under corporate hands is all part of the long term goal for globalization, and control over communications by a select few.
Kenneth Schortgen Jr is a writer for Secretsofthefed.com,Roguemoney.net, and To the Death Media, and hosts the popular web blog, The Daily Economist. Ken can also be heard Wednesday afternoons giving an weekly economic report on the Angel Clark radio show.