Over the past ten years, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), to solve many issues of Internet governance, particularly the issue of assigning domain names. But on Wednesday, September 30, the deadline for an agreement between ICANN and the U.S. government and many stakeholders are concerned about this event. The agreement, which was concluded in 1998, gave the U.S. government can control ICANN and even to some extent, manage the organization. This control is supposed to withdraw in 2000, but the agreement was first extended to September 2006, and then ─ before September 30, 2009, that is, until tomorrow.

Now the U.S. government is essential, and in the opinion of many experts, too much influence on the organization of ICANN, which theoretically should be an independent international nonprofit organization subordinate to the Council with representatives from different countries. It is assumed that after the expiry of the agreement with ICANN by the U.S. government will set up an oversight board that will examine the effectiveness of ICANN in the distribution and support of global domains, data protection, security, transparency, accountability and public interest. Currently, such groups exist, but do not have practically no influence on ICANN, for example, they may be asked ICANN to reconsider the decision, but can somehow influence the decision reviewed.

"The question is how to transform ICANN or any organization that manages Internet resources into something that will take part to all of whom are her decisions", ─ commented Karen Banks (Karen Banks), APC, who are invited to discuss ICANN . ─ "In general, the government felt, to some extent rightly, that they have the right to participate in the development of the Internet." The committee, which ultimately is likely to control the actions of ICANN, will be presented and Russia as a country with a developed network structure and expanded the network of servers supporting domain names. Ru and. Su, which soon plans to join the domain. RF.

Despite the fact that most discussions about the future of ICANN has focused on the question of whether to continue to leave the U.S. more control over ICANN than other governments, many experts showed their concern about the growing commercialization of the organization. "One serious problem is that ICANN is under the formal supervision of the U.S. government. I think the bigger problem is that it is dominated by private commercial interests", ─ says Banks.

Over the next year should be created and sold many domain names, in particular, for this winter is planned introduction of the domain. Russia, as well as a number of other domains that are written not in Latin script, as well, such as Chinese, Arabic and other languages. ICANN has no plans to limit the top number of possible top-level domain, but assigns to each domain value of about $ 100000.

Banks believes that ICANN has given too much attention to such methods of obtaining money. "The absolutely interested in selling the new domain. This is largely industrial lobbying. There are no non-governmental, non-commercial interests. They have become the trade organization that so far from the origins of the Internet", ─ "she says. ─ "The problem is, what is better: to leave the control of the U.S. government and work on a commercial basis, under the control of power, money and lobbying?"

Currently, one of the strongest opponents of ICANN is CADNA (Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse), the Coalition against the registration of domain names, set up to combat cybersquatting, a popular option for online scams. "ICANN had outlived its usefulness", ─ says President CADNA Josh Bourne (Josh Bourne), listed ten major flaws organization ICANN. ─ "ICANN . According to CADNA, expansion of the gTLD (common top-level domains), one of the latest initiatives of ICANN, make life easier for all sorts of bad guys. In addition, this means that companies that want to retain control over their brands will be forced to buy many, many domains.

CADNA calls for a full-scale audit of ICANN. This CADNA believes that the U.S. government should continue to monitor ICANN. She states that after the expiry of the current ICANN agreements should be allowed to continue working on the same basis as before, but before doing so allow time for a federal commission to examine its management structure and policies, which, according to CADNA, will from six to twelve months. "The commission should include representatives of business, government, scientists and other professionals. The Commission may be established by a simple bill passed by U.S. Congress", ─ believes CADNA.

"We need some kind of managed transition process, or in the internationalized structure similar to the Red Cross in Switzerland, or in an independent state company with a much more transparent accountability".