EDITOR: During the next three to five years, the international Internet system will evolve to the new IPV6 protocol standard, which will provide a quantum leap in comprehensive Internet capabilities. This will affect defense, economic prosperity, communications and sharing of information within nations and internationally, as well as daily household integration of hi tech systems. The current IPV4 system was developed and funded entirely by the United States Government and US private companies Whoever leads the development and deployment of IPV6 will, in fact, have a dominant role in being the architect and "toll keeper" of the rapidly growing international information superhighway.
The national security and economic stability of the United States has been based on control of the first generation of Internet communication technologies. Today, Asian countries have surpassed the United States in development and use of the next generation of Internet Protocol. Although Japan, Korea and Europe have joined with the United States in International Summits to set new Internet standards, China is secretly and substantially developing its own IPV6 infrastructure and solutions.
Beijing is taking advantage of technologies and investment from America and its allies. The concern of international economists, human rights advocates and defense experts is that Beijing will use its political and economic leverage in many areas of the developing world to eventually dominate new Internet standards, imbued with the repressive nature of its own non-democratic regime. In addition, whoever controls the distribution of the technologies related to the IPV6 will have the ability to monitor and block information, disrupt communications and, in a time of conflict, shut down entire IT systems vital to a nation's economy and defense.
IPV6, THE NEW INTERNET: The dominant edge of America's economic, communications and military leadership is based on a national investment made 50 years ago to create what became today's global Internet communications systems. At a June 28, 2005 testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform, Alex Lightman, CEO of IPV6 Summit, stated, “...some $9 trillion out of America's $13 million economy is related to IT services, subscriptions and transactions... It is also responsible for the creation of millions of American jobs... And it is the backbone of thousands of products and services vital to the national defense and homeland security systems.”
Today, the US Government is investing a mere fraction of what Japan, Korea, China and Europe are investing into developing the New Internet IPV6 protocol. Each nation's IT standards reflect their own political and economic priorities. A repressive government's priorities are ultimately in contradiction with democratic openness necessary for international peace and prosperity. Thus far, the Defense Department is the only US federal agency showing incentive in New Internet competitiveness. But DOD, worn down by interventions in the Middle East and elsewhere, has a mere fraction of the funding needed to maintain an edge over America's competitors and adversaries.
CHINA's INTERNET LEAP FORWARD: Since 1994, China has emerged from practically no public Internet usage to become the world's second largest [after the United States] Internet population. Within two years, in 2007, China is expected to pass Japan as the world's largest IPV6 user. Meanwhile, the US Internet market is dominated by the rapidly out-of- date IPV4 standard model. IPV6 is increasingly dominant in Japan and Korea. Meanwhile, non- democratic China has refused to join a global coalition. Instead, Beijing is quietly and steady developing hardware and software in preparing to take the lead in providing IPV6, not only for its own economic and military modernization but also to protect the Communist Party's repressive dominance against its own citizens. Beijing can also use its political and economic leverage and advances in Internet censorship to protect dictators in developing countries across the world. More critically, as a component of “asymmetrical” electronic warfare, a country whose companies control and manage IPV6 technology can shut down entire IT systems.
THE CENSORSHIP "GOLDEN SHIELD" China has effectively "sanitized" its domestic Internet through extensive sophisticated on-line monitoring and censorship systems. This has been done with the willing assistance of high-profile US companies who seek greater play in the Chinese Government controlled market. Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society reports that China's Internet censorship regime is "the most sophisticated in the world." An Amnesty International investigation found that through early 2005, at least 54 persons were imprisoned for distributing "illegal" information through the Net.
A new Chinese Government high-tech surveillance project called "Golden Shield," has been under development for the past five years. US companies have flaunted the post-Tiananmen Square Massacre law that bans selling "crime control and detection" equipment to China, writes Anne Applebaum in the July 21, 2005 Washington Post. According to numerous press reports, American companies like Yahoo have signed a "public pledge of self-discipline" to abide by China Net censorship regime. Cisco Systems has reportedly sold technologies to Chinese internal security agencies that block admission to Web sites unfavorable to China's ruling minority, as well as certain material on sites otherwise accessible. And reportedly, Microsoft has altered the Chinese version of its blog tool, MSN Spaces, at the insistence of Communist information censors. The Orwellian collaboration between US companies and China's Internet censors can dramatically alter IPV6 standards and significantly degrade the free flow of information essential for international peace and prosperity.
The national security and economic stability of the United States has been based on control of the first generation of Internet communication technologies. Today, Asian countries have surpassed the United States in development and use of the next generation of Internet Protocol. Although Japan, Korea and Europe have joined with the United States in International Summits to set new Internet standards, China is secretly and substantially developing its own IPV6 infrastructure and solutions.
Beijing is taking advantage of technologies and investment from America and its allies. The concern of international economists, human rights advocates and defense experts is that Beijing will use its political and economic leverage in many areas of the developing world to eventually dominate new Internet standards, imbued with the repressive nature of its own non-democratic regime. In addition, whoever controls the distribution of the technologies related to the IPV6 will have the ability to monitor and block information, disrupt communications and, in a time of conflict, shut down entire IT systems vital to a nation's economy and defense.
IPV6, THE NEW INTERNET: The dominant edge of America's economic, communications and military leadership is based on a national investment made 50 years ago to create what became today's global Internet communications systems. At a June 28, 2005 testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform, Alex Lightman, CEO of IPV6 Summit, stated, “...some $9 trillion out of America's $13 million economy is related to IT services, subscriptions and transactions... It is also responsible for the creation of millions of American jobs... And it is the backbone of thousands of products and services vital to the national defense and homeland security systems.”
Today, the US Government is investing a mere fraction of what Japan, Korea, China and Europe are investing into developing the New Internet IPV6 protocol. Each nation's IT standards reflect their own political and economic priorities. A repressive government's priorities are ultimately in contradiction with democratic openness necessary for international peace and prosperity. Thus far, the Defense Department is the only US federal agency showing incentive in New Internet competitiveness. But DOD, worn down by interventions in the Middle East and elsewhere, has a mere fraction of the funding needed to maintain an edge over America's competitors and adversaries.
CHINA's INTERNET LEAP FORWARD: Since 1994, China has emerged from practically no public Internet usage to become the world's second largest [after the United States] Internet population. Within two years, in 2007, China is expected to pass Japan as the world's largest IPV6 user. Meanwhile, the US Internet market is dominated by the rapidly out-of- date IPV4 standard model. IPV6 is increasingly dominant in Japan and Korea. Meanwhile, non- democratic China has refused to join a global coalition. Instead, Beijing is quietly and steady developing hardware and software in preparing to take the lead in providing IPV6, not only for its own economic and military modernization but also to protect the Communist Party's repressive dominance against its own citizens. Beijing can also use its political and economic leverage and advances in Internet censorship to protect dictators in developing countries across the world. More critically, as a component of “asymmetrical” electronic warfare, a country whose companies control and manage IPV6 technology can shut down entire IT systems.
THE CENSORSHIP "GOLDEN SHIELD" China has effectively "sanitized" its domestic Internet through extensive sophisticated on-line monitoring and censorship systems. This has been done with the willing assistance of high-profile US companies who seek greater play in the Chinese Government controlled market. Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society reports that China's Internet censorship regime is "the most sophisticated in the world." An Amnesty International investigation found that through early 2005, at least 54 persons were imprisoned for distributing "illegal" information through the Net.
A new Chinese Government high-tech surveillance project called "Golden Shield," has been under development for the past five years. US companies have flaunted the post-Tiananmen Square Massacre law that bans selling "crime control and detection" equipment to China, writes Anne Applebaum in the July 21, 2005 Washington Post. According to numerous press reports, American companies like Yahoo have signed a "public pledge of self-discipline" to abide by China Net censorship regime. Cisco Systems has reportedly sold technologies to Chinese internal security agencies that block admission to Web sites unfavorable to China's ruling minority, as well as certain material on sites otherwise accessible. And reportedly, Microsoft has altered the Chinese version of its blog tool, MSN Spaces, at the insistence of Communist information censors. The Orwellian collaboration between US companies and China's Internet censors can dramatically alter IPV6 standards and significantly degrade the free flow of information essential for international peace and prosperity.
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