Re: [ga] Transfers Assistance Group

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Paul Twomey: "the DNS, over which no single government can claim
sovereignty" (last paragraph of his testimony to the Senate Hearing)

So how come ICANN is only accountable to a "single government"?

Why is it only the USG (via DoC) who can hire or fire ICANN?

USG does not want to fire ICANN, because then it might endanger its
sovereignty over the DNS and the central technical control of the Internet.

Of course, both USG and ICANN "pay lipservice" to involving other
constituencies and other countries (the GAC is the sop to the international
community but has no hire-and-fire powers).

The malaise at the heart of ICANN lies in ICANN's lack of accountability to
anyone other than a single government which needs to keep ICANN in place for
its own self-interest. As a result, providing both parties can put together
an "appearance" of legitimacy at a once-a-year hearing, then ICANN is more
or less free of detailed accountability.

"No single government can claim sovereignty"...

Why are you grovelling to DoC then, Paul?


yrs,

Richard H