[extropy-chat] Digital divide summit

[Giu1i0 Pri5c0]

>From the New Scientist: At the moment, key decisions about internet
standards, technology and regulation are made by an array of US private
sector organisations. The most visible of these is the ICANN, which has
operated the global domain name system since 1988, under an agreement with
the US government. But some nations have called for control of the internet
to be handed to an international body such as the UN's International
Telecommunications Union (ITU). They feel this would give them greater say
in such matters. However, in talks held at the weekend, member states agreed
only to create a working group of industry, government and public sector
experts to discuss the issue and make recommendations at the next WSIS
(WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY) meeting in 2005. This "decision
not to decide" was expected by those familiar with UN affairs.
As world leaders were considering the future of the internet, the man who
took it out of the lab and into the mainstream took centre-stage (BBC News).
At an event to mark the opening of the UN technology summit in Geneva, Tim
Berners-Lee was reunited with the machine he used to invent the web. With UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan at his side, he used the world's first web
server to send an e-mail to more than 80 schools worldwide. "I hope we can
all use the web to realise that other people are just like ourselves even if
they speak different languages or have different abilities," said the
message. In an event heavy with symbolism, the man responsible for an
information revolution used a piece of the internet's history to send an
inspirational message to schoolchildren across the world. "This event
reminds us how young and full of promise the web is," said Mr Annan as he
stood at Mr Berners-Lee's side. "It should serve as a challenge to us and to
encourage all of us to stay connected."
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