Internet Governance: EU Commissioner Reding calls for full privatisation and full accountability of iCANN as of 1 October
4th May 2009
(4 May 2009) 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.
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