Viviane Reding, the European commissioner for Internet-related issues, called Monday for a new multilateral approach to Internet governance once the current system expires at the end of September, reports IDG.”I trust that President Obama will have the courage, the wisdom and the respect for the global nature of the internet to pave the way in September for a new, more accountable, more transparent, more democratic and more multilateral form of Internet Governance,” said EU Commissioner Viviane Reding in her weekly internet video message. “The time to act is now. And Europe will be ready to support President Obama in his efforts.”Reding stressed that “a moment of truth will come on 30 September this year, when the current agreement between ICANN and the US Government expires. This opens the door for the full privatisation of ICANN; and it also raises the question of to whom ICANN should be accountable, as from 1 October.””Accountability of ICANN is a must,” said Reding. “The Clinton administration’s decision to progressively privatise the internet’s domain name and addressing system is the right one. In the long run, it is not defendable that the government department of only one country has oversight of an internet function which is used by hundreds of millions of people in countries all over the world.”EU Commissioner Reding also outlined how a new model of Internet Governance could be shaped after 30 September. It could include in particular the following:
- a fully privatised and independent ICANN complying with the best standards of corporate governance, in particular with those on financial transparency and internal accountability, and subject to effective judicial review.
- a multilateral forum where governments can discuss general internet governance policy issues, such as a “G12 for Internet Governance” – an informal group of government representatives that meets at least twice a year and can make, by majority, recommendations to ICANN where appropriate. This group would provide swift reaction in case of threats to the stability, security and openness of the internet. To be geographically balanced, this “G-12 for Internet Governance” 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. International Organisations with competences in this field could be given observer status.
For more media coverage and the the EU news release, see below:Europe looks to wrest control of the web away from the US
European officials are lobbying to prise control of the internet away from the United States, in what one senior official has called a “moment of truth” for the online world.The job of overseeing the internet’s day-to-day operations currently falls to ICANN, a non-profit organisation founded in 1998 that works under the auspices of the US government.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/05/europe-control-web-usA multilateral forum proposed to ensure Internet governance is more transparent and democratic [IDG]
Viviane Reding, the European commissioner for Internet-related issues, called Monday for a new multilateral approach to Internet governance once the current system expires at the end of September.
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Earlier attempts to internationalize ICANN failed. Reding said the change of administration in Washington, D.C., offered renewed hope in this direction.”I trust that President Obama will have the courage, the wisdom and the respect for the global nature of the Internet to pave the way in September for a new, more accountable, more transparent, more democratic and more multilateral form of Internet governance,” she said in a video blog posted Monday on her Web site.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/164281/.html
http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/301870/
http://computerworld.com.au/article/301870/
http://techworld.com.au/article/301870/
http://www.itworld.com/internet/67400/eu-urges-us-share-control-icann-other-countries
http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/301870/
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9132516Internet Governance: EU Commissioner Reding calls for full privatisation and full accountability of ICANN as of 1 October [news release]
In a video posted on her website this morning, Viviane Reding, EU- Commissioner for Information Society and Media, called for greater transparency and accountability in Internet Governance as of October 2009. Key decisions related to Internet Governance, like top level domains and managing the internet’s core directory, are currently made by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a private not-for profit corporation established in California. So far, ICANN has been operating under an agreement with the US Department of Commerce. However, this agreement expires on 30 September this year. For the time after, Commissioner Reding today outlined a new governance model for the internet. This would include a fully private and accountable ICANN, accompanied by an independent judicial body, as well as a “G12 for Internet Governance” – a multilateral forum for governments to discuss general internet governance policy and security issues.”I trust that President Obama will have the courage, the wisdom and the respect for the global nature of the internet to pave the way in September for a new, more accountable, more transparent, more democratic and more multilateral form of Internet Governance,” said EU Commissioner Viviane Reding in her Internet video message this morning. “The time to act is now. And Europe will be ready to support President Obama in his efforts.”Reding stressed that “a moment of truth will come on 30 September this year, when the current agreement between ICANN and the US Government expires. This opens the door for the full privatisation of ICANN; and it also raises the question of to whom ICANN should be accountable, as from 1 October.”ICANN deals with some of most sensitive issues related to Internet Governance, such as top level domains or management of the internet address system that ensures that millions of computers can connect to each other. ICANN was established in 1998 in California, under an agreement with the US government.”Accountability of ICANN is a must,” said Reding. “The Clinton administration’s decision to progressively privatize the internet’s domain name and addressing system is the right one. In the long run, it is not defendable that the government department of only one country has oversight of an internet function which is used by hundreds of millions of people in countries all over the world.”EU Commissioner Reding also outlined how a new model of Internet Governance could be shaped after 30 September. It could include in particular the following:
- a fully privatised and independent ICANN complying with the best standards of corporate governance, in particular with those on financial transparency and internal accountability, and subject to effective judicial review.
- a multilateral forum where governments can discuss general internet governance policy issues, such as a “G12 for Internet Governance” – an informal group of government representatives that meets at least twice a year and can make, by majority, recommendations to ICANN where appropriate. This group would provide swift reaction in case of threats to the stability, security and openness of the internet. To be geographically balanced, this “G-12 for Internet Governance” 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. International Organisations with competences in this field could be given observer status.
On 6 May, the European Commission will host a first public hearing in Brussels to give Europe’s Internet Community a chance to voice their expectations for the future of Internet Governance.BackgroundFor many years, the European Union has played a major role in international discussions on Internet Governance. The European Commission has repeatedly called for a system of internet governance fully entrusted to the private sector without government interference in the internet’s day-to-day management (see IP/06/1297) and has been supporting an open multi-stakeholder policy dialogue on internet governance and development (IP/06/1491). The European Commission also participates in the Governmental Advisory Committee of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), whose main purpose is to advise ICANN on public policy aspects of its coordination activities.Commissioner Reding’s video message is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/reding/video/index_en.htmFurther information on the public hearing on Internet Governance, organised by the European Commission on 6 May in Brussels will be available at the following link:
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/internet_gov/index_en.htmhttp://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/696EU wants ICANN to sever ties with US Government
The European Union (EU) wants the global organisation responsible for the designation of .com and .net domains, as well as national domains, to sever its ties with the US Government and instead take on the form of a ‘G12 for internet governance’.The Internet Corporation for Assigned names and Numbers (ICANN) is a private not-for-profit corporation established in California. So far, ICANN has been operating under an agreement with the US Department of Commerce. However, this agreement expires on 30 September this year.
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/12876/Eurocrat Wants U.S. Out Of ICANN
EU Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding wants the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to run independently of the U.S. Department of Commerce.Reding said in her weekly address Sunday that the not-for-profit organization should be run democratically. Currently ICANN operates under an agreement with the Commerce Department, and the United States is the only government with oversight of ICANN, which assigns Internet addresses used by more than 1.5 billion Internet users around the world.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/policy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217201379EU Wants ICANN Severed from U.S. Control [Reuters]
The body in charge of assigning Internet addresses such as .com and .net should be shorn of its U.S. government links from October and made fully independent, the European Union’s information society chief said on Monday.The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a not-for-profit organization set up in 1998 but operates under the aegis of the U.S. Department of Commerce, a set-up that raises concerns for some as the Internet is seen as belonging to a wider constituency.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE5431Z420090504
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-39400820090504