• BBC News, Tuesday, July 3, 2007 10:45 AM

Open Internet, open source, open everything types believe the FCC"s recent recommendation against Net neutrality is bad, but Icann, the California-based organization that registers Internet domain names, is a much bigger fish for open source advocates to fry. Should a U.S.-based organization be in charge of assigning domain names and Internet Protocol addresses?

Icann, which stands for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, has had a troubled past. It demonstrated a closed-door attitude with respect to its practices--which has been ill-received in international circles, particularly the UN-run Internet Governance Forum. A recent example of its controversial U.S. ties is the way Icann handled the proposal to create a mandatory .xxx domain for sex sites, which was intended to make them easier to identify and avoid. U.S. politicians shut that proposal down.

At a recent Icann conference in San Juan, it was reassuring to hear talk of greater transparency and accountability, but it's still troublesome to see that the interests of domestic lobbyists will continue to hold great sway over important decisions made by the American organization. Also worrisome, an Icann report that says new domains should be carefully regulated in accordance with "morality" and "public order," which would place Icann at the subjective center of censorship for "rude, abusive or culturally sensitive" material.

Read the whole story at BBC News »