[ga] article

[Sotiris Sotiropoulos <sotiris@hermesnetwork.com>]

http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=internetnews&StoryID=206015

Rocky Start to Debate Over Public Role in Internet
Last Updated: September 07, 2001 07:21 PM ET

By Andy Sullivan

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (Reuters) - An African activist who suggested that
proposed reforms to the Internet's top standards-setting body would not
increase public participation as much as hoped drew an angry response from an
official on Friday.

"There are limits to the amount of rubbish I can take," reform committee chair
Carl Bildt told South African activist Alan Levin as the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) began a quarterly meeting here.

The nonprofit group charged with maintaining the Internet's address system
hopes to find ways to get the planet's 500 million Internet users more
involved in decisions like creating new domains to provide alternatives to
".com."

The angry exchange between Bildt and Levin illustrated the heated emotions
surrounding the debate, which in many ways questions the very nature of ICANN
itself.

Part technical body, part United Nations, ICANN has faced charges since it was
founded in 1998 that it makes decisions in an arbitrary, secretive and
undemocratic fashion. But at least the critics are paying attention.
Participants here conceded that the issue of public involvement has failed to
capture the public's attention.

ICANN had set up a conference-call line so those not in Montevideo could
participate, but an operator reported that no one had dialed in.

While ICANN's mission is primarily technical, many of its decisions do have a
profound impact on how Internet users navigate online.

The organization contains policy-making committees of Internet businesses,
engineers and other groups, but until recently, the general public has not had
a role.

ICANN held open, Internet-based elections last fall to determine five of its
19 board seats, but the process was marred by low turnout, logistical
headaches and allegations of ballot-stuffing.

The nonprofit appointed a committee in March to examine how future elections
should be conducted, who should be allowed to vote, and what role they should
have within the organization.

In a report released last week, the committee recommended giving six board
seats to "at large" users, with one each coming from North America, Latin
America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India and the Asian Pacific
region.

Voters would be required to hold not just an e-mail address, such as
johndoe@earthlink.com, but a domain name, such as www.johndoe.com, and would
be charged an undetermined membership fee to fund the process.

At-large users would also be encouraged to participate in a policymaking
committee of their own.

Committee members emphasized Friday that the report was a practical
compromise, not a perfect solution, in the face of logistical hurdles and
widespread public indifference.

"We are not necessarily saying this going to be the solution for the next 500
years," said committee chairman Carl Bildt.



LEGISLATING THE 'DIGITAL DIVIDE'?

Activists said the domain-name and fee requirements would freeze out too many
Internet users, especially those from developing countries.

Several complained that business interests, which control 80 percent of all
".com," ".org" and ".net" domain names, could potentially dominate a forum
intended for individual users.

Alan Levin, a South African activist who ran unsuccessfully for a board seat
last year, pointed out that of the roughly 40 million registered domain names,
only one-fifth of one percent were held in Africa, and the vast majority of
those were held in just one country -- South Africa.

"It smacks of potentially legislating the digital divide," Levin said.

Bildt took offense at the charge. "There are limits to the amount of rubbish I
can take," he said. "Close to half the world has never made a telephone call.
I would not tear down the telephone system of the U.S. because of that."

After the meeting, Levin and Izumi Aizu of the Asia Network Research described
Bildt's attitude as "paternalistic" and said they were not sure if his
committee would take their concerns into account.

"I would be more comfortable if he took a different attitude," Aizu said.

Levin and Aizu, along with several others at the meeting, had developed a
competing plan that recommends allowing anyone interested to vote for nine of
ICANN's 19 board seats without charge.

Their report, due to be presented for discussion on Saturday, also recommends
placing limits on the power of the board and setting up a bill of rights for
individual users.

The group would also welcome more interest in its activities.

At ICANN meetings around the globe, Bildt said, "we're seeing the same people
from the same countries turning up at different places. That's not quite
global involvement. That's global presence, perhaps."


Sincerely,

Sotiris Sotiropoulos

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