Incidentally Matthias Hudobnik (SSAC) has just managed to
arm-wrestle me and Jaap Akkerhuis (also SSAC) to get together
and reminisce of the early days of UUCP and the first Internet
connections in Europe, as well as bringing the net to the (rapidly
disintegrating) Soviet Union - and of course the good old
"kremvax" April fools' hoax... :)
Julf
On 12/04/2024 22:15, Sam Lanfranco wrote:
> NCSG Colleagues,
>
> Forgive me if I reminisce a bit here. In November of 1992, a year and a
> half before China connected to the global Internet I was in Beijing
> delivering a 2400 baud Telebit Teleblazer to a scientific institute in
> that city.
>
> We used [expensive] dialup to connect to a similar modem at PeaceNet in
> the San Francisco Bay Area.
>
> Earlier, in the 1980s, China was purchasing communications equipment
> from my research colleagues in Yugoslavia, in the part that is now
> Slovenia. Here I have a Canadian neighbor who was in charge of bringing
> the Digital Equipment Corporation’s (DEC’s) PDP-10 to China in those years.
>
> In the early '80s people from the San Francisco Bay Area, including the
> non-profits: ARC Foundation; Center for Innovative Diplomacy; Community
> Data Processing; and Foundation for the Arts of Peace came together
> around a vision of a computer network to support the work of individuals
> and organizations working to reduce the risks of war and to promote
> peace. PeaceNet was launched. EcoNet, joined with PeaceNet to became
> the Institute for Global Communications (IGC), which became a project of
> the Tides Foundation.
>
> Much of that early history is almost lost, especially as the private
> sector “Internet whales” push to shape the Internet in commercial
> directions and write its history in their favor. In June of 1997, in
> Toronto, with help from the World Bank and numerous international
> organizations we secured global funding for “Global Knowledge 97:
> Knowledge for Development in the Information Age”, an early global
> conference focused on peace and development via the Internet. We also
> secured multilateral funding for Bellanet, at Canada’s International
> Development Research Centre (IDRC). Bellanet was charged with promoting
> multilateral government use of the Internet. That early vision saw the
> Internet as a platform for global understanding, peace and shared
> prosperity.
>
> Closing on a humorous note, I worked with the woman who convinced
> Canada’s public Canadian Broadcasting System to have its first web page.
> The only argument that worked was when she explained that they could
> sell coffee mugs and tee shirts online.
>
> Sam Lanfranco, NCSG
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telebit
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telebit>
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Baran
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Baran>
>
> https://www.igc.org/ <https://www.igc.org/>
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDP-10 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDP-10>
>
> *From:*NCSG-Discuss <[log in to unmask]> *On Behalf Of
> *Marilia Maciel
> *Sent:* Friday, April 12, 2024 5:12 AM
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
> *Subject:* Event: 30 years of internet in China: Between past growth and
> future challenges
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> The event below might be of interest. The 30th anniversary of China's
> connection to the global Internet will take place next week. Diplo and
> the Fuxi Institution jointly put together a very knowleageble panel, to
> look back at this period of technological growth in China and in the
> West, and the challenges foreseen in the future. We hope you can join us
> on April 19th.
>
> All the best,
>
> Marilia
>
> View this email in your browser
> <https://mailchi.mp/diplomacy/30-years-of-internet-in-china?e=db990db001>
>
> <https://diplomacy.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89e7299f9fe54eed66d45cf3d&id=e5ff33ca7c&e=db990db001>
>
> *Online Anniversary Symposium*
> <https://diplomacy.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89e7299f9fe54eed66d45cf3d&id=c2ade5e238&e=db990db001>
>
> *12:00–13:00 UTC | 14:00–15:00 CEST | 20:00–21:00 Beijing*
>
> On 20 April 1994, China connected to the internet. It was one of the
> most important developments in the digital history of the 20th century.
> Digitalisation has been the engine behind the rise of the *Chinese
> economy*, lifting millions out of poverty. China displays a vibrant
> digital economy and is home to many leading digital companies.
>
> In the 1990s, US technology was primarily employed to build the ‘eight
> vertical and eight horizontal’ fibre-optic backbone, a nationwide
> grid-shaped fibre-optic network representing the core of the Chinese
> internet. As globalisation boomed, China and the West became
> increasingly intertwined through growing flows of trade, finance, and by
> the decentralisation of production. The use of Chinese platforms has
> grown. China has also enacted a wide range of *digital legislation *on
> data security, personal information protection, and digital governance.
>
> In less than two decades, however, telecommunications and mobile
> technology have become the first well-established fields of
> *geopolitical rivalry* between the USA and China. This dispute for
> leadership is spreading through a vast array of so-called ‘critical and
> emerging technologies’, including *artificial intelligence* (AI).
> Tension is rising between the two digital powers, and measures have been
> put in place to restrict access to each other’s digital markets.
>
> *On the occasion of the 30th anniversary, Diplo will host a discussion
> focusing on the past growth and future challenges of Chinese
> digitalisation. *
>
> The discussion will address, among others, the following questions:
>
> * What is the significance of the last 30 years of internet deployment
> in China for developing the global internet?
> * What are the expectations for the future of China’s internet?
> * What are the main trends in AI and digital regulation in China?
> * What is China’s current and potential future role internationally in
> AI and digital governance?
>
> *Panellists*
>
> * Jovan Kurbalija, Director, Diplo; Head, Geneva Internet Platform
> * Lee Xiaodong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Fuxi Institution;
> Professor, Tsinghua University
> * Liu Hao, Executive Chair, School of Global Governance, Beijing
> Institute of Technology
> * Rogier Creemers, Assistant Professor and Lecturer, Modern Chinese
> Studies, University of Leiden
> * Sorina Teleanu, Director of Knowledge, Diplo
>
> *Moderator*
>
> * Marilia Maciel, Head of Digital Commerce and Internet Policy, Diplo
>
> *REGISTER NOW!*
> <https://diplomacy.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89e7299f9fe54eed66d45cf3d&id=5479489b93&e=db990db001>
>
> /To my understanding, all this happened because of two significant
> events. The internet, an epoch-making innovation, sprang up from the
> West, while in China, we had been in the Reform and Open-Door Age.//
>
> /Because of these two significant events, with the impact of the
> internet, China started to embrace the world market, and China's booming
> economy became world-shaking. At the same time, because of China's
> joining, the world also changed profoundly./
>
> ///
> *Hu Qiheng*
> China’s Internet Pioneer and Global Connector
>
> *Organised in partnership with the Fuxi Institution**
>
> *<https://diplomacy.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89e7299f9fe54eed66d45cf3d&id=12aa747c18&e=db990db001>
>
>
>
> /Copyright © 2024 DiploFoundation, All rights reserved./
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>
> --
>
> *______________________________*
>
> *Marília Maciel, PhD*
>
> Head Digital Commerce and Internet Policy | Diplo
>
> [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> | @MariliaM
> www.diplomacy.edu <http://www.diplomacy.edu/>
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