If you’re thinking “WTF, United Nations?”… don’t.

The one time I participated in an IGF, it was in Istanbul and I had to sit through the audience clapping enthusiastically as some Turkish minister from Erdoğan’s regime spoke of how there has to be “limits to freedom on the Internet” at the opening keynote.

I was (at the time; this was many years ago) tweeting critically about what I was hearing. I’d just given up my Turkish citizenship before flying over due to security concerns. A Turkish citizen at the event who was also tweeting critically came up to me later to ask if I was OK. “Yeah, why?” “Oh, because I just had two court cases opened against me.”

@aral The UN in theory sounds great, but in practice it so often disappoints and disgusts.

Especially the joke that is the UNSC where the majority of complaints are against the countries that can each single-handedly veto.

@aral I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Silicon Valley tech bros solving problems.

@xinit Oh, needless to say my jaw hit the floor when I heard his response.

“Eric Schmidt? I love him!”

“Really, he scares the shit of out me.”