Cruz - Is trying to stop Obama's Internet giveaway

[jem]

this is very important. too bad he screwed up during the primaries.

Ted Cruz and other Republicans are barreling toward a September showdown with the White House over its plan to give up oversight of the internet, as the Obama administration tries to rally support from the tech and telecom industries.

GOP lawmakers have long warned that the administration's plan to relinquish its authority over ICANN, the global nonprofit that manages the internet's domain name system, could give authoritarian countries like China and Russia an opening to make an online power grab. Now, as the actual date of the transition approaches — Oct. 1 — Republicans are looking at throwing up new obstacles.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/internet-transition-icann-227864#ixzz4JgaKz2cm

 

[nitro]

I wish I understood this issue more. It is funny that this is one issue I should have the strongest background and therefore the most eloquent opinion, but I don't have much to say because I don't really understand the motivations nor have I thought it through.

 

[jem]

technically its about root zone control. The US owns it. its worth billions and it allows our freedom of speech laws to rule over the internet in America.

If we give that away... the new owners would be unaccountable to our constitution.
They could impose China like restrictions on speech on Americans.
They could sanction criticism of politicians and groups they choose to protect.
I believe in the long run it would like be used against... apple and google and many other big "US" companies
You could have been prevented from writing pro Bernie things.

 

[der_kommissar]

The "old left" would be vehemently opposed to this potential development...the "new left" views it as as opportunity to silence their opposition...

 

[jem]

the problem with America in a nutshell. The old opposition party is gone and is now replaced by a party more fascist than republicans on the issues of freedom. The liberal left has been replaced by the Corporate left.

those of us who love freedom have become the only remaining true liberals

The "old left" would be vehemently opposed to this potential development...the "new left" views it as as opportunity to silence their opposition...

 

[jem]

thank cruz again...



WASHINGTON


During an often-contentious hearing Wednesday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, took on the Obama administration for what has become his latest signature issue: internet oversight.

The Obama administration is due to relinquish U.S. control Oct. 1 over a private-sector, nonprofit organization that administers internet domain names and designations. Cruz warned that the Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers will not on its own honor U.S. protections of free speech, and he is leading an effort to delay or stop the transfer.

“Under the guardianship of the United States and the First Amendment the internet has become truly an oasis of freedom, but that could soon change,” Cruz said at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts, which he chairs.

“It is not a democratic body,” Cruz said of the organization, which includes such internet stakeholders as Google and Facebook and is based in Los Angeles. And he warned that authoritarian countries such as China, Russia and Iran could exert control over the organization and censor internet use in their countries.

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Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article101851207.html#storylink=cpy