‘Father of the Internet’ decries union as ‘Internet cop’

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‘Father of the Internet’ decries union as ‘Internet cop’

Speaking at a conference on Monday, computer scientist Vint Cerf warned of shrinking cyber freedoms and an emerging "global Internet cop."

Federal News Network Staff

May 22, 2012 10:35 am

< a min read

Legendary computer scientist Vint Cerf predicted the International Telecommunications Union will become a “global Internet cop.” Speaking at Freedom to Connect conference in Washington on Monday, the “Father of the Internet” said the ITU could push mandatory intellectual property laws as a way to strengthen web surveillance.

The ITU is the United Nations agency that coordinates shared global use of satellites, radio signals, broadband Internet and wireless technologies.

Cerf, who now holds the title of “Internet evangelist” at Google, came down against the Cybersecurity and Intelligence Protection Act (CISPA), saying it wasn’t specific enough on how shared information between government and corporations would be used.

But he also denounced “hacktivists” like the group Anonymous as “counterproductive.”

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.