ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is an international
ID: 3737689 • Letter: I
Question
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is an international non-profit organization with full control over the Domain Name Service (DNS). Since its inception, ICANN operated under the oversight of the US. This has caused contention between the international members, specifically Russia and China, afraid that the U.S. will manipulate DNS for its benefit ahead of the needs of the international community. On October 1, 2016, the US ceded oversight of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) to an international governing body made up of representatives from 160 countries. Do internet research on this transfer and analyze and explain the transfer, the new oversight committee and how, or if, it will affect how we access the internet. Ensure you address each of the following items in your paper: Explain ICANN and its role in internet architecture. Examine the points of view surrounding the decision to transfer ICANN control to the international community. Analyze how this transfer will affect internet use in the US.
Explanation / Answer
I will first explain the ICANN and then will move to the US's decision to loose coontroo of ICANN.
ICANN or International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers , was founded in 1998 to coordinate the namepsaces on the internet.It mainly works on Internet's global Domain Name System (DNS), that involves the policy development for internationalization of the DNS system, introduction of new generic top-level domains (TLDs), and the operation of root name servers.ICANN manages the Internet Protocol address spaces for IPv4 and IPv6, and assignment of address blocks to regional Internet registries and also maintains registries of Internet Protocol identifiers.
Identifiers are nothing but the unique addresses of a particular computer that can be used to find the another particular computer with a specified identifier.
ICANN does not controls the following:
1.Bad Actors on Internet.
2.Content
3.Internet Access : As it is provided by the ISP's not the ICANN.
On October 1 , 2016 U.S. government ceded its control over the technical management of the internet, which was called the most significant change in the governing of the internet.
ICANN was orginally controlled by US's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and was solely responsible for it's functioning.But after this step ICANN became an organisation that will answer to stakeholdes (like other countries ,businesses and other groups offering technical expertise) who want a say over the internet.
However there are some concerns for this steps.US politicinas said that this will open the doors for authoritarian regimes like those within Russia and China and would have greater ability to censor speech under the new model than with ICANN under US control.Also UN's International Telecommunications Unit (“ITU”) has llegedly passed a treaty that would grant governments the authority to restrict the citizen's to access the Internet.
Also new higer fees will be levied on the users who register for new domains.
Even after the release of ICANN by the US goverment , it will remain under the control/bounded by California Laws.
Obama administration emphasised that this is not handlinig of the power in the hands of Russia and China, it is basically the respect of the fact of the international sentiment against Internet censorship.
So we can say that even after the release of ICANN the US is concerned that it may be used in a negative manner in places where there are more authoritarian rule and more citizen censorships.ICANN will still be under Californinan laws and will however be able to respond to the group of countries or stakeholders.
Note : In the above explanation I have tried my best to resolve all of your queries.I hope this helps you.