Reuters - U.S. plan to relinquish Internet domain control

[OldAirmail]

This is a good thing.
U.S. plan to relinquish Internet domain control moves forward


The San Diego Union-Tribune -

“The U.S. government’s willingness to allow the internet to be a more truly global asset will improve the stature … as a global citizen,” says Greg Shatan, a partner at New York City law firm McCarter & English who’s assisting ICANN with its transition.

Some Republicans in the U.S. Congress have expressed skepticism about the transition, arguing that allowing countries with authoritarian regimes like Russia or China to have some say on Internet governance could threaten free speech online.

This is absurd! Such governments already restrict full access to the internet within their borders, so what could possibly change?

[ftldave]

... so what could possibly change?

Remember how Russia and China have acted in the past at the United Nations. And their cyber-war capabilities are proven and extensive. Though I doubt this change would enable them to disrupt the Internet inside and outside their domains any worse than they can now, they could certainly disrupt its governance and, yes, that could well lead to problems for everyone else.