Why You Should Protect Internet Freedom

We life insurance brokers take pride in helping American businesses grow. Many of our clients are men and women who take the plunge into entrepreneurship and try to “build a better mousetrap.” Our products help them secure debt, indemnify key people, compensate executives, and plan for ownership succession.

The internet has become an essential tool in both the operation of our own sales practices, as well as in the functioning of the vast majority of the businesses we serve. Who can imagine starting a business these days without the use of the internet?

Well, it may get a bit harder to do so going forward. Officials in Russia, China, or Saudi Arabia may be able to block access to the internet by not just business people, but all Americans.

On March 14, the Commerce Department announced plans to give up control over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann. This body manages Internet names and addresses. The collection of proposed successor governments and international groups is still to be determined.

US government officials cite distrust of the US from the NSA spy scandal as a motivating factor. They insist that the new governance model can ensure that Icann will be free from any government influence.

Really? Didn’t they know that Saudi Arabia recently tried to block new internet domains ending in .gay, .bible, .islam, and .wine as offensive? Do they think China will tolerate freetibet.org? How much criticism of Crimea will Putin take on twitter by Ukrainian Americans? Or will Assad take by Syrian Americans?

The US has many flaws, but we have the freedom to fix these problems. Do you really believe that these regimes will all of a sudden embrace freedom once they gain control over the internet? Post your answer here and be sure to tell your Congressman to stand up for freedom.