BEST OF THE WEB

ICANN strikes panel to examine Internet governance

 

The body that regulates the Internet’s numbering and naming system is making moves to make governing the Web more transparent in the hopes that will meet the demands by some governments.

According to IDG News, ICANN has set up a panel that includes government representatives to report on possible changes to Internet governance.

Until now Internet governance has been done through independent agencies like the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and ICANN run by IT specialists. However, ICANN itself has the authority to do its job under contract from the U.S. government.

The move comes after a number of organizations that oversee Internet technical standards, like ICANN and the Internet Society (ICSOC) issued a statement last month expressing concern that trust of Internet users has been undermined.

It didn’t say explicitly, but some of that comes from revelations that U.S., British and Canadian electronic spy agencies have been effective at using the Internet to break into government and commercial data centres.

It also comes after the failure of governments to reach unanimous agreement on new Internet rules in Dubai. A non-binding statement from the conference said all governments should have an equal role in Internet governance.

The ICANN panel will hold its first meeting next month and issue a report later next year.

Separately IDG News reported that China is increasing its grip on social media sites in the country.

Howard Solomon
Howard Solomon
Currently a freelance writer, I'm the former editor of ITWorldCanada.com and Computing Canada. An IT journalist since 1997, I've written for several of ITWC's sister publications including ITBusiness.ca and Computer Dealer News. Before that I was a staff reporter at the Calgary Herald and the Brampton (Ont.) Daily Times. I can be reached at hsolomon [@] soloreporter.com

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

ITW in your inbox

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

More Best of The Web