U.N. Wants Control of Internet: You Think AOL Is Bad

This is some appreciation for you. Al Gore, an American (he claims) invents the internet, and now countries of the world want to take control of the internet away from the U.S.

A number of countries represented in Geneva, including Brazil, China, Cuba, Iran and several African states, insisted the US give up control, but it refused. The meeting "was going nowhere", Hendon says, and so the EU took a bold step and proposed two stark changes: a new forum that would decide public policy, and a "cooperation model" comprising governments that would be in overall charge.

(N)ow the world's governments are expected to agree a deal to award themselves ultimate control. It will be officially raised at a UN summit of world leaders next month and, faced with international consensus, there is little the US government can do but acquiesce.

If you think that the U.N. does a good job in most everything, is efficient, won't find a way to tax the internet, and won't allow China to censor it--then you'll be happy with this news. For those of us who like the U.S running it the way it is, this could be bad news.