In December of 2012 closed door meetings are scheduled in Dubai at the World Conference on International Telecommunications.  These UN sponsored meetings are to develop plans for putting the Internet under the umbrella of the International Telecommunication Regulations.  The desired results by many is to find ways to apply a global tax on the Internet, give states or the UN regulatory control to allow them to determine access and acceptable use, and somewhere in this process move the functions of ICANN/IANA into the UN itself.  If the UN is successful to any degree, freedom on the Internet will diminish as well as freedom itself.

There are many fronts here.  Some can only be addressed by policy.  However some can be addressed with technology.  We must stand with those who fight the policy battles as their efforts will impact us all.  Areas we can address with technology can provide immunity to invasive policies.

Technology Solution 1: ShofarDomain’s rootless domain names

A central power does what it can in all areas to increase centralized power.  With the UN in control of ICANN/IANA and the domain name root, they become the ultimate authority on domain names and can decide who is allowed to use a name.  The rootless full ownership solution offered by ShofarDomain means there is no root for the UN to take control.

With UN control a large corporation will find it easier than it is today to squash any domain that hints at competition.  Political dissidents will find their sites more easily taken down by government authorities.  Using current technology and controlling the root is tremendous power.

Implementing the technology that removes the need for the root means there is no central authority and nothing for the UN to grab onto.  The multi-billion dollar annual domain name fees disappear as domains can now be truly owned.  The potential for a UN tax on domain names evaporates.

Technology Solution 2: ShofarPortfolio unmonitored communications

Knowing about and controlling communications has been a prime goal of all oppressive regimes for millennia and the Internet allows this on a world scale.  The Internet’s designers focused well on the basics of communications.  We now focus on security and build on those basics.

Encrypted communications is a good step toward unmonitored communications, but only a step.  Who is sending to who, when it is sent, from and to where and how much data is being sent is still very easy to detect and valuable to the overlord.  ShofarPortfolio removes all those monitoring points and has numerous other technologies to allow for secure data storage, distribution and archiving.

Keep an eye on the UN

The concept behind the UN as a place for nations to communicate with each other is wonderful.  However, granting any power to the UN sets the stage for a world power and has to be resisted.  There are ways via technology to resist giving power the UN, or any other organization, who seeks control of the mostly free Internet.  Now is not the time to rest in defending Internet freedom.