[governance] Thoughts for Rio - pdf

[Karl Auerbach]

Jeremy Malcolm wrote:

> What is our ultimate objective here, as civil society and/or Internet 
> technical people?

My own concern is that the authority that is granted, no matter what is 
the nature and kind of that authority, is well defined, subject to 
constraints that make the abuse of that authority difficult, and 
ultimately subject to recall should that authority be abused to the 
degree that our collective sense of proper governance is offended.

I take a different point of view regarding the authority of 
"governments" in this process.  To my mind the existing things we call 
"national governments" are facing an historical erosion of the 
authority; that it is only because of this erosion that they participate 
in these matters at all.

I would suggest that governments have much to lose if they try to act 
with excessive hubris.  It is not that civil society or individual 
people like myself will cause this loss.  Rather, I believe it will come 
due to the rise of structures, structures not unlike ICANN, that absent 
a decent and real role for people and absent real constraints on their 
authority, will become simply captive arms of industrial interests who 
will be able, within limits, to thumb their noses at governments.

		--karl--
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