<nettime> Internet Ghetto

["Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>]

Despite the publicized fears of cyber-terrorists that somehow subvert 
US defense, it is sometimes worth to remember that Internet started 
as a US defense project. And that the US still holds the keys to it. 
US trade people created a list of countries where Internet is likely 
to be abused (in a non-terrorist manner, more with credit card fraud, 
off-shore gambling, banking, lotteries, money laundering, or 
immigration fraud [to US, I suppose]). The list includes Nigeria, 
Columbia, Bulgaria, Rumunia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Pakistan, and 
Macedonia. Following the advisory of US government, several companies 
blocked access to their sites to any e-mail address ending in the top 
level domain assigned to those "rogue" states. In essence, if we look 
at the Web as a vast real estate development, we just got the first 
Internet trailer park, and 3 Balkan states are in it.

ivo

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