back to article Cruz missile slams into DNS overlord ICANN over Chinese censorship

US Senator Ted Cruz has accused the head of domain name overseer ICANN of being complicit in Chinese online censorship. In a letter [PDF] sent from the Republican presidential frontrunner to Fadi Chehade, Cruz and two other senators demanded that Chehade explain his decision to co-chair a Chinese internet governance initiative …

  1. Ugotta B. Kiddingme

    sigh...

    Ignoring, for the moment, that Cruz is probably (accidentally?) correct on this: It has been said* "people get the government they deserve." Given the front runners in both main political parties, I wonder what horrific sins we as a nation** have done to deserve this group of... Oh, wait. Erm, never mind. Carry on.

    * variously attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville, Joseph de Maistre, H.L. Mencken, Thomas Jefferson, etc.

    ** as a nation. As a collective of individuals, we definitely do NOT deserve this shit.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Meh

      Re: sigh...

      "Ignoring, for the moment, that Cruz is probably (accidentally?) correct on this..."

      Why ignore it at all? Why not permanently inoculate yourself against any chance of respect for this man? It's easy! Just assume everything he says is either wrong and/or evil, or if correct, has an evil ulterior motive. Problem solved!

      And don't forget that Cruz may be President soon. "Do it now" is my advice.

    2. ecarlseen

      Re: sigh...

      I've always preferred: "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard." - H.L. Mencken

  2. graeme leggett Silver badge

    how

    How did China come last in internet freedom while there's North Korea? Is it because NK isn't even connected?

    1. MondoMan
      Joke

      Re: how

      NK struck a blow for goodness by hacking Sony :)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: how

      NK is connected, but only a few of the elites (and their hackers) have access. So they may enjoy more freedom than people in China.

      Or it may be that people on the outside really don't know how free the access from inside NK is so it was impossible to rate.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Where to draw the line?

    I'm pretty sure ICANN is also complicit in US internet censorship.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Where to draw the line?

      Yes, about all of those domain seizures.

    2. Christoph

      Re: Where to draw the line?

      Isn't it terrible how China is eroding freedom by censoring the Internet?

      The only way we can stop people eroding our freedom is by censoring the Internet!

  4. nilfs2
    WTF?

    China censors the internet...

    ...the US spies the hell out of it, which one is worst?

    1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

      It doesn't have to be a competition, both are just as bad.

    2. crayon

      Re: China censors the internet...

      Well it doesn't - it only censors the part within its own borders.

      Whereas the US doesn't respect borders.

  5. martinusher Silver badge

    If its censorship then its not working that well

    The Chinese I've worked with don't seem to have any problem getting into and out of the country. The firewall is there but its really more of a walled garden (a bit like the typical ISP would keep us in if they thought they could get away with it). Like most things, though, this posturing is all about inter-country rivalry -- we're obviously free so they're obviously not free, that sort of thing.

    What's more interesting to me is what China's going to be doing with IPv6. They still seem to be the only country that's adopted it on a large scale. Its nice to have a large address space, it could mean that we all get individual addresses.....a Godsend for a bureaucracy.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    All he needs...

    Is a little mustache under his nose. Then he would be the fearsome leader he believes he is.

    1. skeptical i
      Devil

      Re: All he needs...

      Actually, I was thinking that in this photo he looks like the bastard offspring of Robin Williams and Jim Belushi.

    2. mhenriday
      Holmes

      Re: All he needs...

      Actually, Mr Cruz looks just like what his career path hitherto and the policies he claims to support indicate that he is - Tail-Gunner Joe 2.0....

      Henri

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ICANN

    The Internet's FIFA.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Mushroom

    Fissile Missile Pissle

    The ONLY reason Ted Cruz would be concerned about "Internet Censorship" is if it in any way, shape or form interfered with the "Intel (Intel Inside WHAT, thank you very much...) Community" sneaking peaks into the Life, Liberty and pursuit of Happiness of every, single American Citizen. Otherwise, I'm sure he would be quite happy to impose Chinese style censorship in the U.S. as long as it pertained to Liberal Media outlets; Science Education; Sites of Gender, Racial and Sexual Equality and Freedom of Expression; News outlets and Sites critical of "Der Stadt" and just about anything else he disagrees with but can't shoot, burn or arrest.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ICANNot believe

    How hopeless the US Presidential candidates are.

    All of them.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  10. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    Trollface

    "accepting the role represents a conflict of interest"

    Of course not, it is totally in Chehade's interest.

  11. Harry the Bastard

    cruz...

    ...bears a striking resemblance to oswald danes

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_Danes

    that can't be a good sign

  12. Havin_it
    IT Angle

    Wow

    I realize this is kinda OT and late, but was Cruz REALLY the frontrunner as recently as the beginning of Feb? Crikey.

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