Fergie's Tech Blog

New ICANN Director Snubs EU Calls for Changes

Via the Sofia Echo.

Newly appointed ICANN director Rod Beckstrom did not waste any time in replying to European Union pressure to cut ties between ICANN and the US government.

Technology news broadcaster OSnews.com summed up the message of Besckstrom's first media conference as "the internet works fine, so there's little need for change."

Only weeks before, the European Commission (EC) had called for "an open, independent and accountable governance of the internet," lending support to suggestions from EU commissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding, who, in a video blog on her site, had called for a "globally responsible, privatised ICANN."

Both the EC and Redding called for "multilateral accountability," including the set up of what Redding called "G-12 for Internet Governance." This organisation was to be "a small, independent international tribunal" that would oversee the working of ICANN and that would include two representatives from each North America, South America, Europe and Africa, three representatives from Asia and Australia, as well as the Chairman of ICANN as a non-voting member.

Beckstrom, who is a former director of the US National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC), said that 80 countries were already represented in the Governmental Advisory Committee, an ICANN advisory body.

"Clearly, everyone at ICANN hopes that all the nations in the world will come and participate in that, and it is a vital group that feeds directly into the board, which is the policy decision-making body of ICANN," OSnews.com quoted Beckstrom as saying.

"So there is already a mechanism there for international participation," he said.

posted by Fergie @ 6/27/2009 09:03:00 PM