The Internet Now a “Citizen of the World”

The United States has relinquished some of its control over the Internet, allowing foreign governments (not people?) more say about the Internet.

Icann – the official body that ultimately controls the development of the internet thanks to its oversight of web addresses such as .com, .net and .org – said today that it was ending its agreement with the US government.

The deal, part of a contract negotiated with the US department of commerce, effectively pushes California-based Icann towards a new status as an international body with greater representation from companies and governments around the globe.

Icann had previously been operating under the auspices of the American government, which had control of the net thanks to its initial role in developing the underlying technologies used for connecting computers together.

But the fresh focus will give other countries a more prominent role in determining what takes place online, and even the way in which it happens – opening the door for a virtual United Nations, where many officials gather to discuss potential changes to the internet.

Icann chief Rod Beckstrom, a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Washington insider who took over running the organisation in July, said… “We’re more global, period. The chances of the internet holding together just went up, the cohesion just went up,” he said. “We expect more active involvement from governments, a higher level of participation from many governments and we’re already hearing about more governments joining the team… This was, ironically, a power move from the US.”

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