China, Brazil, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia and others want the UN to control the internet. Some of the justifications for this demand are probably fair enough, but putting control of the internet in the hands of the UN will only insure that those who live in the countries where the internet is most useful (those countries where information is tightly controlled by the government) will not be able to use it as a soure for information and/or free expression.
However, other countries' concerns are mostly monetary. The costs of getting access to the internet are prohibitive in many poor countries. John O'Shea wants Ireland to offer {sub required} "technical ability as foreign aid to developing countries". I think his idea has merit and could also be a model for how a GM foods technology transfer to the third world can take place.
UPDATE: I should have added that I don't really have much faith in "foreign aid" if that term specifically refers to government money. All these Irish bureaucrats dispensing money to (often) corrupt bureaucrats in the third world with the type of accountability that spawns entrepreneurial ventures dedicated to helping others secure aid money is simply wasted money and effort. However, if what John O'Shea has in mind is soliciting volunteers and hardware from the tech industries to go out to the third world with GOAL to provide some infrastructural improvements, then I'm all for it.
