Stealth Threat, Hidden Agenda:

ICANN--The WTO of the Internet

The Globalization of Power over
Access and Content on the Internet through the
Control over the Domain Name System

Read the full story: http://reclaimthe.net/icann/wto

Corporate Rule threatens to place a stranglehold
over access and content on the internet. Name.Space
has taken the struggle against corporate rule head on
in the courts, in the halls of Congress and in the
media. The political and economic stakes are high
and will have a lasting impact over the future of
individuals' access, free speech, privacy on the
internet.

On the surface the issue seems mundane: adding
number and diversity of domain name extensions (i.e.
"art." "media." "politics." "sucks.") to
the existing "legacy" domain name system (i.e. "com."
"net." "org." "uk." "au." "ca."), which aids
users in connecting to content and resources over the
net. Behind the scenes lies the US Military and
Intelligence communities and their corporate partners
who have historically reaped the gravy train of
"outsourced" activities of the military industrial
complex (that many call "corporate welfare").
http://mediafilter.org/caq/internic

[...]

In a world where globalization threatens the loss
of our sovereignty and law, our Constitutional
protections are being superseded by corporate contracts,
reducing the rule of law and civil society to the
service agreements you sign for things like energy
and communications, as well as hospitals, transportation,
and even prisons. It's where private gated communities
replace public space and where the intellectual property
rights of corporations rule over the speech rights of
individuals, where those with the most money control what
is allowed to be said or seen in the media and by whom.

ICANN has its roots in the corporations MCI,ATT, IBM,
AOL, and close ties to WIPO, INTA, MPAA and other
heavyweights in the intellectual property lobby. In
what should be a rather mundane role of keeping track
of toplevel domain assignments, and repository for
technical data pertaining to the DNS, ICANN has
burrowed itself into the role of world government
in cyberspace, much in the same sense as the WTO
in "corporatespace", regulating access
and content under the dictates of corporate rule
as set forth by the NSA, WIPO, MPAA, and major corporate
interests in networking, telecommunications and media
such as NSI, AOL-Time Warner, Disney, MCI Worldcom,
IBM, and others who have a vested interest in monopolizing
content and publishing over all media. When it comes to
freedom of speech and access to media, none of the above
will ever receive any awards, and in fact are well known
to use lawsuits to suppress criticism, parody, and
fair use. In most cases under the ICANN's controversial
Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) holders of
trademarks are highly successful in what has become known
as "reverse hijacking" of domains, often to chill public
criticism of corporations through parody, as in the
famous "verizonreallysucks.com" case in which Verizon
sued 2600 Magazine for violating its trademark.

[...]

What can one do to counteract the invisible forces
of ICANN and their attempt to become the global
corporate ruler over the internet?
The possibility for substantial public pressure by
independent content producers is great since
the refusal to publish expressive TLDs is a
form of censorship, and as long as the "root" is
still under the control of the US Government,
it is subject to the First Amendment. By registering with
Name.Space you are establishing cause for
seeking relief for the denial of your right to
publish under expressive domain names with policies set
independly of ICANN and it's WTO-like practices.
By switching your DNS you are making a political
choice to vote NO against ICANN and their oppressive
desires to regulate content and access using the
domain name system. By supporting Name.Space with
your registration fees you are using your
economic power to support policies that respect
your rights to access, privacy and free speech,
and building a viable alternative to the otherwise
devastating blow to our freedoms that we know
as the "corporate media".

Put an end to corporate rule over the internet,
or route around it! Switch to Name.Space!

Read the full story: http://reclaimthe.net/icann/wto