[governance] IGP Alert - Will the "UN Take Over the Internet" Through ICANN?

[Milton Mueller]

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Internet Governance Project Alert
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22 February, 2007

WILL THE "UN TAKE OVER THE INTERNET" THROUGH ICANN?

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Will the "UN Take over the Internet" Through ICANN?
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Eight years after its creation, ICANN is finally closing 
in on defining a process for adding new top level domains 
to the root. But the procedure it is putting into place 
threatens to give any individual government complete veto 
power over the words, concepts or symbols ICANN permits to 
be used as a top level domain. ICANN's policy development 
task force has put forward as an overriding principle the 
notion that "[proposed TLD] strings should not be contrary 
to public policy as set out in advice from the 
Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC)."

What does "contrary to public policy" mean? ICANN's 
government committee has developed an answer. Its draft 
contains a long list of free expression-unfriendly 
criteria. And if there is any doubt about how to interpret 
those provisions, GAC claims the right to stop any 
application:

Section 2.13 "...If the GAC or individual GAC members 
express formal concerns about a specific new gTLD 
application, ICANN should defer from proceeding with the 
said application until GAC concerns have been addressed to 
the GAC's or the respective government's satisfaction."

This provision gives any individual government in GAC 
effective veto power over any TLD application. Anti-free 
expression governments would have the right to target any 
proposal they wished. Thus, for example, a new top level 
domain devoted to human rights in China could be vetoed 
using this provision, if China joined the GAC.

Robin Gross, a dissenting member of the task force 
developing the policy from the Noncommercial Users 
Constituency, said that the draft "essentially proposes 
that ICANN be deputized the 'word police' for the 
Internet."

Isn't it ironic? During the World Summit on the 
Information Society, US oversight of the Internet was 
sold to us as an alternative to a "UN Takeover of the 
Internet." We were told that any loosening of or 
internationalization of US control would put the Internet 
at the mercy of authoritarian countries who allegedly 
dominate the UN General Assembly. But now ICANN is 
bringing about those threatened results far more 
effectively than the UN, whose power is limited by the 
principle of national sovereignty, ever could. ICANN's 
complete and exclusive control over the root of Internet 
identifiers allows its decisions to be comprehensive and 
globally enforced.

IGP asks you to help us defend the principle of free 
expression on the Internet. Write to ICANN Board members 
and your own government GAC representative and tell them 
to oppose Section 2.13 of the proposed GAC principles. The 
policy is still being developed and has not yet been 
approved by GAC or the Board. There is still time to 
change it.

If you are in the United States, express your opposition 
to the US Commerce Department, representative on ICANN's 
GAC, Ms. Suzanne Sene, SSene at ntia.doc.gov 

GAC members from other countries are listed here:
http://gac.icann.org/web/contact/reps/index.shtml 

You are also encouraged to communicate with ICANN's Board, 
which is listed here:
http://www.icann.org/general/board.html 

Board chair Vinton G. Cerf can be reached at this email 
address: vint at google.com 

ICANN's Draft Policy on new gTLDs so far:
http://gnso.icann.org/drafts/GNSO-PDP-Dec05-FR13-FEB07.htm 

The GAC Draft Public Policy Principles
http://gac.icann.org/web/meetings/mtg26/gTLDs_principles_on_public_policy_draft_17_oct_2006.doc


NCUC Statement
http://www.ipjustice.org/ICANN/NCUC_Comments_on_New_gTLDs.pdf 

Internet Governance Project
http://internetgovernance.org
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