* Group urges splinter Internet for Turkey

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: AMBOLLC () aol com
Date: July 7, 2005 4:26:43 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: * Group urges splinter Internet for Turkey


Jul 6, 2005

* Group urges splinter Internet for Turkey

By Selcan Hacaoglu, Associated Press Writer

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - A Turkish group seeking to improve communications
technology is pushing the use of a splinter Internet network that
might avoid control by the United States.

The Turkish Informatics Association's recommendation comes as the
U.S.  Commerce Department has announced it would indefinitely retain
oversight of the Internet's main traffic-directing computers, known
as root servers.

A federation of independent root operators, The Public-Root, is
trying to become an alternative network with 13 root servers in 10
countries, including Turkey.

The Turkish Informatics Association and Amsterdam-based Unified
Identity Technology want to use that alternative network to offer
Internet addresses that end in a company or individual name - such
as "www.yourname" - without ".com" or a country code like ".tr" for
Turkey.

Although the primary selling point is an easy-to-remember address,
"the system could also lead the way to an independent network for
countries concerned about increasing interference of the United
States," said Turhan Mentes, the Turkish group's chairman.

Other alternative root systems exist but most computers are configured
to use the official system, which the U.S. Commerce Department
oversees through the California-based Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN.

Alternatives offer more flexibility in creating new suffixes but
run the risk of fracturing the Internet such that two users typing
the same domain name could reach entirely different Web sites,
depending on where they are.

"All the benefits of a global interoperable Internet could be brought
into question," ICANN spokesman Kieran Baker said.

Turkey's Telecommunications Authority said any decision is unlikely
for several weeks. Mustafa Alkan, a senior official of the
Telecommunications Authority, stressed that Turkey was not seeking
to avoid U.S. scrutiny but rather ways to expand the use of the
Internet in Turkey.

He said an alternative system, for example, could support addresses
entirely in Turkish; currently, all names must end in an English
string.


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