The new head of the United Nation’s International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) does not intend to side with those
advocating less control of the internet by the US.
Hamadoun Toure said that the internet should continue to be
overseen by Icann and the ITU, rather than any new
"superstructure", said a report by news agency Reuters.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(Icann) is a US
non-profit company that manages the top-level domain name
addressing system.
Opponents of this control point out that Icann reports to the US
Commerce Department, a government agency, which has extended
ICANN’s control for at least three more years.
Opposition to this arrangement comes from the likes of Brazil,
Iran, Cuba and a number of other poor or developing countries.
In the Reuters report Toure said, "We all must work together.
Each agency has its role to play. We must come to a better
cooperation... and avoid setting up a superstructure which would be
very controversial and very difficult to put into effect."
Toure said that the ITU would instead focus on tackling cyber
security, and in narrowing the "digital divide" between rich and
poor countries, which is an ongoing project by the ITU.
Past articles:
Icann under threat as consultation closes
Past articles:
The end of the web as we know it?
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