The “real” owners of the internet are having a meeting to discuss how they can successfully obtain complete governance over the World Wide Web.
The US State Department (USSD), under the Office of International Communications and Information Policy (OICIP) with direction from the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB/CIP) announced earlier this month that the US “will participate in the ‘Global Multi-stakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance’ to be held on April 23 and 24, 2014” in Brazil.
The task of the EB/CIP is to ensure that information and communication technology is formulated, coordinated and overseen to the agendas of the USSD.
The USSD explained that this current administration “believes that the meeting presents an opportunity to advance the global community’s understanding of Internet governance and promote its evolution toward a more inclusive structure if:
1). the agenda is developed in a truly multi-stakeholder fashion;
2). participation at the meeting is broad and inclusive;
3). any follow on activity is guided by, and ultimately supportive of, the multi-stakeholder system rather than an intergovernmental mechanism of centrally imposed regulation or mandates.”
According to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), this meeting in Brazil “will focus on crafting Internet governance principles and proposing a roadmap for the further evolution of the Internet governance ecosystem.”
The leadership and “technical organizations” that now possess governing control over the internet are under the guidance of the Montevideo Statement on the Future of Internet Cooperation (MSFIC) which called for “a neutral, open forum to discuss Internet challenges.”
The Net1 Initiative was created in response to the MSFIC “to provide an inclusive and open venue supporting discussion of Internet governance matters for all those interested (individuals, governments, civil societies, technicians, etc.) and to deliver the results of those discussions to the agendas of established and developing Internet governance institutions.”
In 2013, ICANN “began rolling out thousands of alternatives to the traditional .com ending used by most websites. New endings using the Latin alphabet, such as .clothing and .singles, became available in January, and hundreds of others are on the way.”
Last month, at the World Economic Forum (WEF) the Global Commission on Internet Governance (GCIG) was announced as a “two-year initiative that will present a comprehensive stand on the future of multi-stakeholder Internet governance.”
The GCIG was created by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA).
One purpose of the GCIG is to “create and advance a strategic vision for the future of Internet governance that can act as a rallying point for states that are striving for a continued free and open Internet.”
Using influence to foster debate, the GCIG will lobby heads of state, incorporate public relations tactics and inject pro-agenda propaganda into the mainstream ideology across the globe.
Two concerns of the GCIG are:
• Authoritarian controls by government over the Internet
• Loss of customer confidence due to revelations of widespread surveillance
The GCIG will advise on how to:
• Avoid risks
• Establish norms regarding conduct
• Initiate cybercrime cooperation
• Proliferation and disarmament
This project is supported by technological leaders who want “greater transparency” when it comes to government surveillance on citizens; with or without their knowledge.
By Susanne Posel, Occupy Corporatism;
