Fergie's Tech Blog

Former Principal Scientist at VeriSign Blasts U.S. Control of DNSSEC Root Signing

Brenden Kuerbis writes on the Internet Governance Project Blog:

Phillip Hallam-Baker, an Internet security pioneer and most recently Principal Scientist at VeriSign, has criticized current DNSSEC root signing arrangements in his comments to the Dept of Commerce as a "profoundly destabilizing technology" for the Internet.

Recognizing that "ICANN represents the only viable mechanism for coordination and control of the Internet" and identifying the political tensions that could emerge surrounding USG oversight of the DNS root, Hallam-Baker explains how the current ability to, if necessary, reroute root servers to a different DNS provides an "opportunity of exit" for other governments. He argues this possibility is a "safety valve that keeps ICANN and US control of ICANN in check."

posted by Fergie @ 6/12/2009 05:53:00 PM