US controls threaten Internet freedom
In May 2009, Microsoft announced on its website that they would turn off the Windows Live Messenger service for Cuba, Syria, Iran, Sudan and North Korea, in accordance with US legislation.
In January 2010, Google, the company which owns the largest Internet information resources, declared that in order to establish a more open Internet environment, they had to abandon the Chinese market.
What is even more worrying is that Senator Joseph Lieberman, chairman of US Homeland Security Committee, recently presented to the US Senate a bill titled “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset.”
To control the world by controlling the Internet has been a dominant strategy of the US.
From the network infrastructure protection of the Clinton era to the network anti-terrorism of the Bush era and to the “network deterrence” of the Obama era, the national information security strategy of the US has evolved from a preventative strategy to a preemptive one.
Meanwhile, the methodology has moved from trying to control Internet hardware to control of Internet content.
The ultimate goal is for the US to hold the ability to open and shut parts of the Internet at will.
In 1993, the Clinton administration proposed to build up “the national information infrastructure” and listed six possible enemies who might attack US key network infrastructure, including sovereign states, economic competitors, as well as all kinds of criminals, hackers, terrorists and insiders. It was a defensive strategy.
After the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration officially upgraded Internet security to the strategic height of national security.
Anti-terrorism was the theme of Internet security during the Bush era.
In 2004, the US cut off the “.ly” domain name by using the root server, resulting in Libya’s disappearance in Internet for three days. It generated worldwide criticism of the US hegemony on the Internet and concerns over Internet security.
In 2009, according to the network security assessment announced by Obama, the threat to the Internet had become one of the most serious economic and military threats that the US was confronted with.
Obama made two important decisions.
The first was to cut conventional weapons, including the F22 fighters, while the second was to build up network commands and substantially increase investment in network offensive weapons.
So far the network security strategy of the Obama administration has been “focusing on attack and assisting with deterrence.”
At present, the five core areas of Internet infrastructure are monopolized by US IT giants, including high-performance computers, operating systems, database technologies, network switching technologies and information resource libraries.
Across the world, around 92.3 percent of personal computers and 80.4 percent of super computers use Intel chips, while 91.8 percent of personal computers use Microsoft operating systems, and 98 percent of core server technology lies in the hands of IBM and Hewlett-Packard.
Meanwhile, 89.7 percent of database software is controlled by Oracle and Microsoft, and 93.5 percent of core patented network switching technology is held by US companies.
After the control of Internet infrastructure and hardware and software systems, the US is now turning to Internet content.
The US government has adopted macro-control and focus-funding to actively use IT giants to create a global Internet infrastructure which could be manipulated by the US.
The US actively promotes the participation of IT giants in Internet content control work.
In May 2009, Microsoft announced on its website that they would turn off the Windows Live Messenger service for Cuba, Syria, Iran, Sudan and North Korea, in accordance with US legislation.
In January 2010, Google, the company which owns the largest Internet information resources, declared that in order to establish a more open Internet environment, they had to abandon the Chinese market.
What is even more worrying is that Senator Joseph Lieberman, chairman of US Homeland Security Committee, recently presented to the US Senate a bill titled “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset.”
Under this proposal, whenever an emergency occurs in the US, the president could order Google, Yahoo and other search engine operators to suspend Internet services.
And other US-based Internet service providers could also be under the control of the president when “Internet security emergencies” occur.
If so, the US president would officially have the power to open or close the Internet.
Although there is no international law to regulate Internet sovereignty, the Internet is founded to benefit all mankind across the globe.
If the US, which invented and controls the Internet, cut off or shut down the Internet in the name of national security, it would certainly neglect and violate the interests and benefits of international netizens.
The author is a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council of China.
