[Air-l] participating in internet governance

[jeremy hunsinger]

yes, i can see that some engineering knowledge is important to some 
discussions, but for isoc and some parts of ietf, it isn't necessary at 
all, and if you are interested, the more you participate the more you 
learn.

but take for instance the Intellectual Property Rights working group of 
the ietf
  http://news.com.com/2100-1013-996351.html?tag=fd_top

lets just wonder what might happen if various internet standards were 
to be privatized... what would this mean for the digital divide?  what 
would it mean for internationalization of the internet?  I have my 
theories, but what if members of air-l were able to join the ietf-ipr 
and provide good evidence that this line is highly problematic, which 
several people have, including myself, but were summarily voted 
against.  What would happen if enough people took the evidence and said 
'if the internet is to be for everyone, as isoc says, then given what 
we know, you should not allow for the privatization of standards'?  and 
if they voted then, maybe it would go the other way....  maybe....

but there are always a few committees where the social scientist, 
legal, and humanities and everyone else have an interest if nothing 
else than as a member of the public.
On Thursday, April 10, 2003, at 12:22 PM, Sandra Braman wrote:

> Jeremy's question regarding global governance
> is a good one, a lot has been written about
> it, and a number of public interest advocacy groups
> are actively pursuing the problem.
>
> But it should be noted that several of the key
> groups require an ability to cope with engineering,
> and social scientists and those in the humanities
> often choose to exclude themselves from such
> conversations as if the technical matters aren't
> also political.  Robin Mansell, of the London
> School of Economics, has provided a role model
> in her acquisition of an engineering degree on
> top of all she knows about the social sciences,
> in order to sit on pertinent committees, etc.
>
> Sandra Braman
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Air-l mailing list
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>
>
Jeremy Hunsinger
Center for Digital Discourse and Culture