Internet Address System Defended ICANN Response
08 Dec 2003Geneva - The head of the organization that manages the Internet address system yesterday rejected criticisms of its operations by some developing countries that want them transferred to the United Nations. Paul Twomey, President and Chief Executive of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), a California-based not- for-profit organization, said many of the criticisms reflected misunderstanding of ICANN's role, which was strictly technical. "We are not the government of the Internet. We're responsible for the plumbing, that's all," he said. ICANN had no role in public policy issues such as control of unsolicited advertising (spam) or child pornography, where many countries want some form of international co-ordination. Mr. Twomey welcomed last weekend's decision by governments preparing for the World Information Summit, which opens tomorrow, to request establishment of a United Nations working group to look at all aspects of Internet governance. "It's a really good outcome that will allow ICANN to explain what we do," he said. Separately, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, a prominent Jordanian businessman who is Vice-Chairman of the UN's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Task Force, said yesterday he would use a high-level pre-summit meeting today to propose creation of an "Internet governance forum" under the Task Force umbrella.
Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh's proposal, which does not have official backing from the UN or elsewhere, would bring ICANN under the aegis of the UN Task Force, on which governments, the private sector, and civil society are represented. The UN working group on Internet governance is due to report by 2005, when the second stage of the summit will be held in Tunis. Human rights activists have called for another venue to be selected because of Tunisia's "systematic" violations of press freedom and freedom of expression, including the imprisonment and harassment of journalists. * The US leads the world in "networked readiness", a measure of how well economies are geared to exploiting the potential of Information and Communications Technologies, the World Economic Forum says today in its latest global information technology report. Singapore ranks second, with Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Australia and Iceland among the top 10, and Germany and Japan in 11th and 12th place. The networked readiness index compiled by Geneva-based WEF for over 100 countries combines indicators of the economic and regulatory environment, the ability of individuals, businesses, and governments to use and benefit from ICT, and current usage by the three groups.
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