Nations/NNS challenge/NN
A/DT growing/VBG number/NN of/IN countries,/NN
including/VBG
The/DT Internet/NNP is/VBZ managed/VBN by/IN a/DT nonprofit/JJ
private/JJ organization/NN called/VBD the/DT Internet/NNP Corporation/NNP
for/IN Assigned/JJ Names/NNS and/CC Numbers,/NNP or/CC Icann,/NNP
set/VBD up/IN by/IN the/DT U.S./NNP Department/NNP of/IN Commerce/NNP in/IN
1998/CD and/CC based/VBN in/IN Marina/NNP del/NNP Rey,/NNP
Calif./NNP Icann/NNP
has/VBZ an/DT international/JJ advisory/JJ body,/NN but/CC the/DT U.S./NNP
government/NN retains/VBZ veto/NN power/NN over/IN all/DT decisions/NNS --/:
such/JJ as/IN the/DT creation/NN of/IN new/JJ Web/NNP domains./JJ
Icann/NNP oversees/VBZ
domain/NN names,/VBG a/DT database/NN of/IN Web/NNP addresses/NNS and/CC
other/JJ standards./JJ Such/JJ measures/NNS ensure,/VBP for/IN example,/NN
that/IN a/DT user/NN plugging/VBG in/IN a/DT Web/NNP address/NN will/MD
connect/VB to/TO a/DT single/JJ Web/NNP site/NN with/IN that/DT name./CD
Though/IN arcane/JJ and/CC out-of-view/NN of/IN users,/VBG the/DT
procedures/NNS are/VBP critical/JJ to/TO making/VBG the/DT Internet/NNP
work./CD
But/CC several/JJ countries,/NN led/VBN by/IN developing/VBG nations,/NN
now/RB argue/VBP that/IN since/IN the/DT Internet/NNP is/VBZ a/DT global/JJ
tool,/VBG no/DT one/CD country/NN should/MD control/VB it./JJ They/PRP
contend/VBP that/IN decisions/NNS should/MD fall/VB under/IN the/DT
jurisdiction/NN of/IN an/DT international/JJ body,/NN such/JJ as/IN the/DT
United/NNP Nations./NNP Their/PRP$ argument/NN received/VBD an/DT unexpected/JJ
boost/NN late/JJ last/JJ month/NN when/WRB an/DT EU/NNP commissioner/NN
proposed/VBN removing/VBG U.S./NNP oversight/NN of/IN Icann,/NNP
reversing/VBG the/DT EU's/NNP support/NN of/IN the/DT
current/JJ arrangement./JJ
The/DT proposal/NN was/VBD met/VBN by/IN a/DT storm/NN of/IN
criticism/NN from/IN surprised/VBN U.S./NNP officials,/NN as/RB well/RB as/IN
from/IN some/DT European/JJ companies/NNS that/WDT worried/VBD such/JJ a/DT
change/NN would/MD politicize/VB the/DT Internet,/NNP add/VB bureaucracy/NN
and/CC hinder/VB its/PRP$ innovative/JJ nature./JJ
"We/NN look/NN at/IN the/DT Internet's/NNP success/NN and/CC
want/VBP to/TO make/VB sure/JJ we/PRP keep/VBP the/DT recipe/NN for/IN
it,"/NN said/VBD David/NNP Gross,/NNP the/DT lead/NN U.S./NNP
negotiator/NN on/IN the/DT matter,/NN in/IN an/DT interview./JJ "If/NN
you/PRP modify/VBP it,/VBG the/DT risk/NN is/VBZ that/IN you/PRP come/VBP
out/IN with/IN something/NN far/RB worse."/CD
Viviane/NNP Reding,/NNP the/DT EU/NNP
commissioner/NN for/IN Internet/NNP and/CC media/NNS affairs/NNS who/WP
made/VBD the/DT proposal,/NN told/VBD the/DT BBC/NNP in/IN a/DT recent/JJ
interview:/NN "There/RB must/MD not/RB be/VB any/DT government/NN
involvement/NN in/IN the/DT day-to-day/JJ management/NN of/IN the/DT
Internet,/NNP neither/DT one/CD of/IN the/DT U.S./NNP government/NN nor/CC
by/IN any/DT other/JJ government."/JJ
A/DT U.N./NNP information/NN society/NN summit/NN to/TO take/VB place/NN
in/IN Tunis/NNP ,/, Tunisia/NNP ,/, in/IN mid-November/NNP will/MD address/VB
the/DT issue./CD
Experts/NNS place/VBP the/DT current/JJ tiff/NN in/IN the/DT context/NN
of/IN other/JJ nations'/NN discomfort/NN with/IN the/DT U.S./NNP as/IN the/DT
world's/NNS only/JJ superpower,/NN unafraid/JJ of/IN taking/VBG unilateral/JJ
action./NN In/IN June,/NNP the/DT U.S./NNP Department/NNP of/IN Commerce/NNP
released/VBD a/DT statement/NN that/IN the/DT U.S./NNP would/MD retain/VB
control/NN over/IN the/DT governing/NN of/IN the/DT Internet,/NNP at/IN
least/JJS for/IN the/DT foreseeable/JJ future./NNP Previously,/NNP the/DT
U.S./NNP had/VBD indicated/VBN that/IN it/PRP would/MD sever/VB any/DT
government/NN connection/NN to/TO Icann./NNP
The/DT matter/NN intensified/VBN in/IN August,/NNP when/WRB the/DT
U.S./NNP government/NN asked/VBD Icann/NNP to/TO
table/VB an/DT initiative/NN to/TO add/VB a/DT new/JJ domain/NN name/NN for/IN
pornography/NN Web/NNP sites./NNP Icann/NNP had/VBD
tentatively/RB approved/VBN the/DT new/JJ domain/NN name,/NN called/VBN
.xxx,/CD several/JJ months/NNS earlier,/VBP but/CC at/IN the/DT last/JJ
moment/NN the/DT Department/NNP of/IN Commerce/NNP removed/VBD its/PRP$
support,/NN after/IN it/PRP said/VBD it/PRP received/VBD thousands/NNS of/IN
letters/NNS of/IN complaint/NN from/IN conservative/JJ Christian/NNP groups/NNS
and/CC others./JJ
Regardless/RB of/IN the/DT merits/NNS of/IN the/DT decision,/VBG the/DT
move/NN was/VBD proof/NN to/TO critics/NNS of/IN Icann/NNP
that/IN it/PRP is/VBZ controlled/VBN by/IN the/DT U.S.,/NNP said/VBD Lee/NNP
McKnight,/NNP an/DT associate/JJ professor/NN for/IN information/NN studies/NNS
at/IN Syracuse/NNP University./NNP "Until/NNP August,/NNP the/DT U.S./NNP
had/VBD not/RB done/VBN anything/NN to/TO upset/VB other/JJ
governments,"/NN said/VBD Mr./NNP McKnight./NNP "Then/VBD just/RB
before/IN these/DT meetings,/NN it/PRP did/VBD do/VBP something/NN
unilaterally."/JJ
The/DT original/JJ idea/NN behind/IN Icann/NNP
was/VBD to/TO keep/VB decisions/NNS about/IN the/DT Internet's/NNP
architecture/NN in/IN the/DT private/JJ sector/NN and/CC largely/RB free/JJ
of/IN government/NN meddling./JJ
"Governments/NNS have/VBP not/RB really/RB understood/VBN the/DT
inner/JJ workings/NNS of/IN the/DT Internet,"/NNP said/VBD Mr./NNP
McKnight./NNP In/IN the/DT past/JJ two/CD years,/NN "they/NN have/VBP
gotten/VBN educated/VBN and/CC now/RB they/PRP want/VBP to/TO get/VB their/PRP$
hands/NNS on/IN the/DT levers."/CD
Such/JJ rethinking/VBG about/IN the/DT Internet/NNP has/VBZ arisen/VBN
in/IN part/NN because/IN of/IN its/PRP$ global/JJ growth/NN and/CC growing/VBG
importance/NN in/IN many/JJ areas./CD Widely/NN available/JJ to/TO the/DT
public/JJ and/CC for/IN commercial/JJ purposes/NNS only/RB in/IN the/DT past/JJ
decade/NN or/CC so,/VBG the/DT Internet/NNP now/RB has/VBZ close/RB to/TO a/DT
billion/CD users,/NN estimates/VBZ the/DT Paris-based/JJ Organization/NNP of/IN
Economic/NNP Cooperation/NNP and/CC Development./NNP In/IN that/DT time,/VBG
the/DT Internet/NNP has/VBZ become/VBN a/DT critical/JJ means/NNS for/IN
conducting/VBG business,/NN as/RB well/RB as/IN for/IN receiving/VBG other/JJ
services,/NN such/JJ as/IN video/NN and/CC phoning./CD
Few/JJ expect/VBP any/DT immediate/JJ changes/NNS to/TO the/DT
current/JJ structure/NN from/IN the/DT U.N./NNP
summit,/NN since/IN the/DT U.S./NNP government/NN would/MD need/VB to/TO
approve/VB them./JJ
But/CC as/IN some/DT countries/NNS are/VBP beginning/VBG to/TO
understand,/VB they/PRP do/VB have/VB some/DT
leverage/NN in/IN how/WRB the/DT Internet/NNP works/NNS --/: with/IN
potentially/RB huge/JJ ramifications./JJ
For/IN instance,/NN governments/NNS can/MD
assert/VB control/NN over/IN the/DT Internet/NNP network/NN used/VBN in/IN
their/PRP$ respective/JJ countries,/NN blocking/VBG certain/JJ types/NNS of/IN
Web/NNP sites/NNS and/CC other/JJ information./JJ
Experts/NNS such/JJ as/IN Jonathan/NNP Zittrain,/NNP
a/DT professor/NN of/IN Internet/NNP governance/NN at/IN Oxford/NNP
University/NNP ,/, fear/NN that/IN if/IN such/JJ "cantonization"/NN
increases,/VBG the/DT value/NN of/IN the/DT Internet/NNP as/IN a/DT global,/NN
interoperable/JJ tool/NN diminishes./JJ
That's/NNS because/IN the/DT economic/JJ and/CC social/JJ strength/NN
of/IN the/DT Internet/NNP derives/VBZ from/IN its/PRP$ open/JJ and/CC
decentralized/JJ architecture,/NN enabling/VBG access/NN to/TO users/NNS
anywhere/RB in/IN the/DT world./NN If/IN governments/NNS began/VBD to/TO
create/VB their/PRP$ own/JJ distinct/JJ Internets,/NNP that/WDT would/MD
undermine/VB the/DT essence/NN of/IN what/WP makes/VBZ the/DT Internet/NNP
so/RB powerful./CD
"There/RB has/VBZ been/VBN a/DT misconception/NN --/: and/CC a/DT
helpful/JJ one/CD --/: among/IN many/JJ government/NN bureaucrats/NNS that/IN
the/DT Internet/NNP is/VBZ a/DT non-geographic/JJ phenomenon,"/NN said/VBD
Mr./NNP Zittrain./NNP "But/NN it/PRP can/MD
be/VB reworked/VBN to/TO correspond/VB to/TO national/JJ jurisdictions/NNS
and/CC boundaries."/JJ