The ICANN Example

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The ICANN Example

• Herbert Burkert
• Competence Center Net Policies (CC-NP)
  IMK-St.Augustin, Germany Research Centre for
  Information Law, University of St.Gallen,
  Switzerland

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CONTENTS

• What is ICANN?
• Why ICANN in this context?
• Some selected current conclusions from the ICANN
  example?

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What is ICANN? (I)

• The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
  Numbers www.icann.org
• A non-profit corporation under Californian
  Law www.icann.org/general/articles.htm
• to assume responsibility for the IP address space
  allocation,
• protocol parameter assignment,
• domain name system management
• and root server system management functions

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What is ICANN (II)

• ICANN has
• a President (1)
• a Board of Directors (18)
• Supporting Organizations
• Advisory Organizations
• At Large Membership

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What is ICANN (III)

• ICANN is controversial e.g.
• Relationship to US government /
  Representativeness
• Board of Directors (The Missing Four)
• Election of At-Large-Directors
• Who are At-Large-Members
• New gTLD (How? How many? When how many more?)
• Dispute Resolution Process
• Finances
• Too many tasks to few tasks

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Why ICANN is relevant here (I)

• Context E-Democracy/E-GovernmentFirst world-wide
  nomination/election process via the (though not
  exclusively) the Internet revealing the problems
  of
• Procedure
• identity
• complexity
• Liberty
• Viability

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Why ICANN is relevant here(II)

• Context E-Democracy/E-Government() revealing
  the problems of
• Context
• representation (purpose, geographical)
• voting/deliberation
• exclusion/inclusion

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Conclusion

• The adequate functioning of the net as a common
  global ressource
• The acceptance of a basic net right
• The acceptance of net presence as a universal
  service
• The importance of democratic representation
• The primary task of identifying the substance and
  reach of participation
• The secondary task of organizing electronic
  participation

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ICANN under observation

• www.atlargestudy.org/
• www.naisproject.org/
• www.cpsr.org/internetdemocracy/