control of the internet

[Alan Dayley]

Siri Amrit Kaur said:
> Scares the heck out of me. What are our options? Been reading
> commentaries on /. --curious what people on this list think we should
> do.

I don't think there is much to fear with all this.  As I understand it,
this is political blustering by people who don't know what they are
talking about.  (But then I may be one that doesn't know what I'm talking
about.)  Anyway, this is my understanding of the situation:

What they want is control of the root DNS servers and database.  This is
still in control of the USA federal government via the Department of
Commerce, I think.

The internet and it's protocols are such that anyone, within certain
technical limitations, can setup a DNS service.  If the EU or UN or
whoever wants to create a separate DNS system, they can do so.  However,
if "their" DNS system and "our" DNS system point to two different IP
addressed servers, who do you follow?

If such collisions happen often enough, accurate communication between
computers on the two systems is compromised.  Suddenly the bank in Germany
can't talke to the bank in the US because the two DNS systems don't match.
 How often do you think corporations and users will allow that situation
to last?  How much would it cost to bridge the two systems?

Both sides benefit from having one DNS system.  That system is already in
place.  The pain to "them" trying to create their own will be larger than
any benefit from having control.  However, I assume some sort of control
sharing arrangement will eventually be made because it is also in "our"
best interest for "them" to stay with us.

So, it will all either blow over or be resolved without disrupting the
status quo.  Any actual disruption would be too costly.

IMO.

Alan