Who should..umm.. control the Internet?

I picked up this discussion on Slashdot about a BBC article by Bill Thompson which discusses the idea that the 'control' of the Internet should be transferred from bodies like the ICANN to the various governments of the world. The argument put forward is that the present Internet is too free - so much freedom of speech and the ability to publish content that can cross national borders and be viewed without restraint by much of the world is 'bad' for society. He gives examples of porn/spam/bestiality on the Interent to make his argument more palatable but IMHO it doesn't lend an iota more credence to his argument.

Sample this: "One part of the problem is that the net's standards are controlled by bodies like Icann and the Web Consortium whose primary interest is technical stability and corporate interests. "

Yes, I'd rather have the Internet run by corporate bodies whose interest is 'technical stability' rather than governments whose primary aim is to control people. People like Thompson (and these are the kind of people who run most governments) cannot accept anything in society that cannot be directly controlled by the government. The very reason that the Internet exists as such an important medium is that it allows unfettered exchange of ideas which cannot be effectively silenced in any way. Yes, it scares governments which cannot control what's read and seen by the populace the way television/radio/newspapers can be censored. The sole purpose of having an organization like the ICANN is to ensure that the Internet runs as smoothly as it is supposed to be. It is not a regulator of content or access on the Internet.
As an aside, Thompson mentions that "Of course, one consequence of giving control of the net to governments is that some governments are bad, prying on their citizens, denying human rights and reneging on international obligations." as if it is a minor irritant that we can live with!

It is a sorry state of affairs that people, even while espousing democratic principles, assume that people in power somehow have a better sense of morality and judgement than the people who elected them in the first place and that people must be saved from themselves by censorship. Let's keep the freedom that we have. More power to the free Internet!