Who Cann?

The Internet is a massive, distributed network comprising many smaller networks. Much of it is, however, ruled over by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) which, as its title suggests, is responsible for allocating top level domain names and IP addresses (those "dotted quads" like 66.249.87.104), which amounts to a phenomenal amount of power. ICANN happens to be a USian organisation. Whether they do a good job or not and if they should be doing it at all has been a matter of debate since they were first established (in 1998).

Recently an international debate has taken place and it has been decided to let sleeping Quangos lie and leave ICANN holding the bag of numbers, despite proposals from the EU and others to form an international regulatory body. There will be a toothless international talking shop to discuss Internet strategy, etc., but that's about it by the looks of it.

What is quite interesting is that a letter from US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has become publically available arguing why the US should be allowed to keep control of the Internet. Condy says, "The success of the Internet lies in its inherently decentralized nature, with the most significant growth taking place at the outer edges of the network through innovative new applications and services. Burdensome, bureaucratic oversight is out of place in an Internet structure that has worked so well for many around the globe." Now, I realise that what she is arguing is that there shouldn't be an intergovernmental bureaucracy to run the Internet as it would inevitably be slow and heavy, but it amuses me that she believes that to take advantage of the Internet's decentralised nature it should be run by a single, USian body. Go figure.