Global Control of the Internet

This past Wednesday, September 30, 2015, was the day on which the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions contract between the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was supposed to come to an end.

Leading the discussion during the September 14 class last week on the NTIA-ICANN contract was an experience that got me more familiar with the technical nature of how the Internet works. While I had heard of IP addresses, and knew a little about domain, this presentation helped me put all the puzzle pieces together. Those puzzle pieces together helped me understand the implications of the announcement that the NTIA would let its contract with ICANN expire, thereby giving up control of maintaining the DNS of the Internet.

Honestly, I feel torn on this issue. If no one entity has strong enough control of the DNS system, then certain entities could move to take control of it for less than noble purposes, like corporations trying to dominate the Internet for their own profit-seeking purposes. Or governments in countries that have tended to restrict people’s access to, and sharing of, information could tamper with the Internet.

In some ways, it seems comforting that an entity like the United States government, a guardian of democratic government, would have this kind of control over the DNS, to prevent abuses. But as the situation with Edward Snowden’s whistle-blowing demonstrates, the US government doesn’t always act with the most noble of intentions regarding the Internet.

An article I read in The New Republic talked about a governance system in an organizational structure similar to the United Nations, whereby parties from various parts of the globe share the task of overseeing the stability of the Internet, with the US government being one party. Companies could be involved, too, even those that are more focused on the plumbing of the Internet, rather than the content, like Google. Such a set-up could allow the US to step in when something troublesome enough happens, because when someone tampers with the Internet, the ramifications could reverberate throughout the world, given the nature of the Internet, as Troy alluded to when he mentioned Nepal seeking to stop the flow of activity on the Internet. In some ways, ICANN as an organization is already like this, as people from all over the world participate in the master key ceremony, that helps keep “the whole domain name system secure” (Bell 2014).

Going forward, as NTIA and the stakeholders prepare for the contract to expire, having this model of representatives from throughout the world involved is the best model to keep all parties in check and prevent abuse.

Bell, J. (2014.) Meet the seven people who hold the keys to worldwide internet security. “The Guardian.” Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/feb/28/seven-people-keys-worldwide-internet-security-web

Zittrain, J. (2015). U.S. Withdraws from ICANN: Why It’s No Big Deal. “The New Republic.” Retrieved from http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117093/us-withdraws-icann-why-its-no-big-deal

P.S. If you haven’t already, check out this blog post with video on the ICANN website that discusses what’s happening with the contract extension: Swinehart, T. (2015.) An Update on NTIA’s Announcement to Extend IANA Functions Contract. “ICANN.” Retrieved from https://www.icann.org/news/blog/an-update-on-ntia-s-announcement-to-extend-iana-functions-contract