Quietly, Symbolically, US Control of the Internet Just Ended

Governments and Icann, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, reached an agreement to shift control over the internet from the US government to a global group of stakeholders, explains Maria Farrell, former Icann employee, for the Guardian. The organizers will downplay the shift. “When Icann was founded in 1998, the plan was to keep its anchoring contract with the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for a year or two, and for Icann to become independent in 2000,” Farrell writes. As the internet’s users and role in commerce expanded, the United States balked about the United Nations taking control – until summer of 2013 when a temporary contract worker exposed widespread surveillance by the United States. Farrell summarizes the plan including accountability measures, which goes to NTIA in April and requires US approval before September and the presidential election. – YaleGlobal

Quietly, Symbolically, US Control of the Internet Just Ended

At a luxury hideaway in Morocco, two years of talks on Icann’s running of the internet finished with a deal to put multiple global stakeholders in charge
Maria Farrell
Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Maria Farrell worked for Icann from 2005 to 2010 and represented European civil society organizations on its Generic Names Supporting Organisation from 2012 to 2014

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