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Washington Times

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Washington (AFP) – The US government on Saturday ended its formal oversight role over the internet, handing over management of the online address system to a global non-profit entity.

The US Commerce Department announced that its contract had expired with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which manages the internet’s so-called “root zone.”

That leaves ICANN as a self-regulating organization that will be operated by the internet’s “stakeholders” — engineers, academics, businesses, non-government and government groups.

The move is part of a decades-old plan by the US to “privatize” the internet, and backers have said it would help maintain its integrity around the world.

US and ICANN officials have said the contract had given Washington a symbolic role as overseer or the internet’s “root zone” where new online domains and addresses are created.

But critics, including some US lawmakers, argued that this was a “giveaway” by Washington that could allow authoritarian regimes to seize control.

A last-ditch effort by critics to block the plan — a lawsuit filed by four US states — failed when a Texas federal judge refused to issue an injunction to stop the transition.

Lawrence Strickling, who heads the Commerce Department unit which has managed these functions, issued a brief statement early Saturday confirming the transition of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

“As of October 1, 2016, the IANA functions contract has expired,” he said.

Stephen Crocker, ICANN’s board chairman and one of the engineers who developed the early internet protocols, welcomed the end of the contract.

“This transition was envisioned 18 years ago, yet it was the tireless work of the global Internet community, which drafted the final proposal, that made this a reality,” he said in a statement.

“This community validated the multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance. It has shown that a governance model defined by the inclusion of all voices, including business, academics, technical experts, civil society, governments and many others is the best way to assure that the Internet of tomorrow remains as free, open and accessible as the Internet of today.”

The Internet Society, a group formed by internet founders aimed at keeping the system open, said the transition was a positive step.

“The IANA transition is a powerful illustration of the multi-stakeholder model and an affirmation of the principle that the best approach to address challenges is through bottom-up, transparent, and consensus-driven processes,” the group said in a statement.

http://dennismichaellynch.com/internet-is-out-of-our-hands/

Yes, Some tried to stop it.

The Protecting Internet Freedom Act, “would prevent the Obama administration from giving the Internet away to a global organization that will allow over 160 foreign governments to have increased influence over the management and operation of the Internet,” according to a statement issued Wednesday by the office of the bill’s co-sponsor, Sen. Ted Cruz.

Last July Mr. Cruz’s efforts to sideline the transition through a legislative amendment failed by a 19-5 vote in the Senate Commerce Committee.

Full Article below:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/8/cruz-proposes-bill-keep-us-giving-internet-governa/

Welcome to Day 2 of the World Wide Web under new—foreign—management.

As quickly as you could say Barry Soetoro the Internet was all but officially stamped ‘Made in China’ at midnight last night.

No notice of the dramatic change was made by the New York Times, Washington Post or any of the other mainstream media power brokers.

But Andrea Zelinski of the Houston Chronicle did report at 7:20 p.m., Friday that a federal judge had rejected Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 11th-hour attempt to keep the internet address book under U.S. control:

“A federal judge on Friday rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to block an Obama administration plan to allow a contract with a nonprofit that manages the internet’s address book to expire.

“U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. turned down the request by Paxton and attorneys general from Arizona, Oklahoma and Nevada, saying they had relied on “hearsay” about possible repercussions of the contract’s expiration. The case, he ruled, lacked enough evidence to convince the court that harm would come from giving up oversight of the nonprofit.”

To the judge Obama turning ‘the peoples Internet’ over to the Peoples Republic of China-controlled United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is a matter of “hearsay”.

“The issue, which has garnered attention from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Attorney General Ken Paxton, concerns fears that the federal government’s decision to let a contract with the non-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers expire could jeopardize government websites. ICANN manages the internet domain naming system, which is what allows users to locate websites. (Houston Chronicle).

“The contract expires at midnight Friday. 

“The court heard oral arguments Friday afternoon on the eleventh-hour lawsuit filed by late Wednesday. 

“During the hearing, Hanks said he was concerned whether his court has jurisdiction over the matter, and whether there was enough evidence of negative consequences that would result from the ending contract. 

“Attorneys representing Texas argued there is no getting control and oversight on the internet address book once the contract ends.
Lawyers representing the federal government contend the plaintiffs have “not one scintilla of evidence” something adverse would happen to the governments’ websites.

“Earlier this year, the Obama administration decided to allow the contract to expire and let ICANN become fully independent. Cruz attempted to include language blocking the move in the stopgap funding bill Congress approved Wednesday, but that language was stripped out before the measure was passed.

“Cruz and Paxton had argued that removing federal oversight of ICANN would give authoritarian regimes like Russia, China, and Iran the ability to interfere with “what should be a free and open internet.”

“We’re disappointed with the ruling,” Paxton spokesman Marc Rylander said. “It’s a dire day in our country when the president is allowed to unilaterally give away America’s pioneering role in ensuring that the internet remains a place where free expression can flourish. We will continue to weigh our options as the suit moves forward.”

Why Cruz and Paxton waited until two days before the ICANN contract was to expire remains unknown.

They may feel “disappointed” but patriots the world over who get their news online feel owned.

The message now must be: “Let’s roll”.

http://canadafreepress.com/article/obamas-handing-off-internet-to-c...

The video is long.. However if you wish for a full understanding of the issue:

Who was the Judge who made the decision to release our control of the internet?

"US District Judge George C. Hanks Jr., appointed by Hussein Obama last year, fully supported his usurping dictator in stealing the property of the American people and giving it away to his crony friends. Sure, it’s illegal, but honest judges are an extreme rarity at every level, including at least fifty percent of the Supreme Court.  Hanks was administered his Oath of Office on April 23rd, 2015. He might want to go back and re-read the portions about upholding and fidelity to the Constitution. Nowhere in there did it say he was pledging to fulfill the desires of a man named Hussein Obama.

Four States had done the work of the feckless and totally bought off Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan in attempting to prevent the theft through the court system. It was a long shot, looking for objectivity and a fair representation of the American people from a federal judge. Not many held out much hope it would be effective. There was always a chance justice would prevail, that somehow there was another Andrew Hanen somewhere in the court system, but it was an extremely slim one.

On Friday, Judge Hanks made it clear he is not in the same league as Judge Hanen, that he serves the globalist masters and his dictatorial ruler, Obama.  We lost the Internet that the American people bought and paid for with our tax dollars and redistributed it to his anti-American globalist government comrades within the United Nations. He will allow our constitutionally protected free speech to fall under the control of those who despise both free speech and our nation.

So now our Internet is no longer ours. The booty is much more consequential in his case. He’s taking large chunks of our Constitution with him. This time it’s an attack on our free speech. Who knows what it will be next time. The Second Amendment seems like an obvious target for this corrupt foreigner engaged in an active war against America.

The equally corrupt and despicable Congress has allowed this to happen. There were riders to the continuing resolution to prevent this assault on our nation. The only explanation for their failure to act in our interest is one familiar to McConnell and Ryan."

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."

George Washington