FYI - China To Launch Alternate Country Code Domains

Tue Feb 28 23:54:08 UTC 2006

william(at)elan.net wrote:
> 
> 
> ----
 > From: Michael Geist <mgeist at pobox.com>
 > Date: February 28, 2006 9:24:09 AM EST
 > To: dave at farber.net
 > Subject: China To Launch Alternate Country Code Domains
 >
 > Dave,
 >
 > China is preparing to launch what appears to be an alternate root.

China is creating an alternate root, which it can control while using 
the Chinese language.

I doubt I need to tell any of you about ICANN, VeriSign, Internet 
Governance, alternate roots or the history of these issues.
Everyone else will.

Unlike most of my colleagues, I hold a different opinion on the subject 
and have for some time.

China launches an alternate root? It's about time they do, too!

They have been answering their root server queries in-country for some 
time now on their own. This really doesn't come as any surprise or as 
news. The only surprise is that this is hitting the news only now as it 
has been going on for a while.

The United States wants to keep the so-called Internet Governance and 
control of IP allocation and Internet Naming all to itself. Why should 
I, or anyone else for that matter use their system, than? They haven't 
even been a benevolent dictator, for that matter.

If one kid in the kinder-garden keeps the only chair to himself, other 
kids are going to eventually get their own and sit down. Worse still, 
they will now be shunning that first kid. Can you blame them?

Did anyone honestly think the US Government can make people use their 
pool while it becomes intolerable or the entry fee is ridiculous? They 
will, until they build their own. This alternate root is of the making 
of the US Government and ICANN.

Alternate roots normally, equal evil. As in my opinion the negative 
aspects have been shown to out-shine the positive ones.

Alternate roots today, equal lesser evil. That is the corner we have 
been forced into.

Time to eat what we cooked.

Go China! Who is next?

No one likes bullies. My opinion may vary from that of most, but I stick 
to it.

Internet Governance when it comes to these issues is all the hype, and 
in my educated opinion is indeed important, but has very little, if even 
that, to do with actual "Internet Governance". In my opinion, this 
on-going debate and all the politics involved are ridiculous.

It is true that IP allocation and Naming are important issues on the 
Internet, but the traffic still flows and the users still use. More 
importantly, they also still abuse and get abused.

Governing the Internet? I don't think so. I honestly believe that the 
biggest stakeholders of the Internet today are Microsoft and the Russian 
Mob.
Why I believe that is the case? It is all about ROI in the billions on 
billions of USD, lost and gained.

Botnets, phishing and spam just start to show what's really going on.

The Internet today is all about getting things done and stay functional 
for the users on the one hand, and the operators and heroes who make it 
happen on the other.

To ensure continual operations, what most of it comes down to is 
cooperation and sharing across the Internet. What that in turn comes 
down to is establishing trust across the Internet, while;
1. Responding to global incidents,
2. Investigating, researching and preventing risks to the infrastructure.

Why should I trust a smiling guy from Korea who I never even met? He may 
be the one attacking me or at the very least untrustworthy. He may also 
be the one who can help me. How do I know? That is what some of us have 
been working on for some years now, operationally.

That infrastructure called the Internet is Global. "International 
Infrastructure" is an issue which must be introduced a lot more often. 
International Infrastructure is what the Internet is, rather than just 
"National Infrastructure".
If the Internet does go down in another country, it may very well effect 
your network, your day-to-day life and your economy to varying levels.

That, my friends, is a whole other subject that Governments can't handle 
on their own. If they try, we will suffer for it. They can however, 
help. We need their help.

This doesn't mark the end of "a Global Interoperable Internet". I 
strongly believe it's just the beginning.

All that being said, on the subject of alternate roots:

1. This particular alternate root has no immediate operational impact 
nor threatens the ICANN "world peace". It already hasn't for a while now.

2. China may have valid reasons for doing this and in fact, little 
choice on the matter, but it is also harmful and highlights the 
separatist choices China has made on the Internet thus far.

3. This should not be about China's separatist or questionable choices. 
We have more than enough of that, and rightly so. This should be about 
China for once acting as a leader and a hero on the Internet.

4. It signals of the eventual coming change if the United States 
Government doesn't wake up and climb off the slowly falling tree.

and

5. The world will just go on tomorrow with little real change, do we 
have to go through the usual end-of-the-Internet predictions yet again?

Naturally, this is only my opinion.

	Gadi.

-- 
http://blogs.securiteam.com/

"Out of the box is where I live".
	-- Cara "Starbuck" Thrace, Battlestar Galactica.