NEW DELHI 10-15 February 2008 ICANN's 31st International Public Meeting opens. US control of Internet still at issue

The domain name system for the Internet is controlled by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a California-based nonprofit organization over which the United States government retains veto power. The New Delhi public meeting can be expected to pick up the dispute over control of the Internet from where it was left off at the Rio de Janeiro forum on Nov 15.

Resentment about American influence and control over the way much of the world uses the Internet is growing. The United-Nations sponsored Internet conference ended on Nov 15 in Rio de Janeiro with the dispute unresolved about United States control over how people around the world access e-mail and websites.

As more users from the developing world come online, changing the face of the global network, resolution of the issue is seen as paramount. The question is whether developing nations, collectively, can change the status quo. Russia and Brazil are among the most vociferous advocates of changing the control structure.

Other issues likely to be discussed at the New Delhi meeting include how to provide greater Internet access to the 5 billion people around the world still offline and how to combat cybercrime like child pornography, identity theft, credit card fraud and terrorism.

RELATED READING:

UN Internet forum ends with U.S. control still at issue (AP/Globe & Mail 16 Nov 2007)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071115.wgtinternet1116/BNStory/Technology/?cid=al_gam_nletter_newsUp

ICANN New Delhi 2008
http://del.icann.org/

Net body issues plea for liberty (BBC 24 Jan 2008)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7205609.stm