Issue of US Government and ICANN Control of Internet on Agenda for Information Summit
The agenda for the World Summit on Information Society meeting in Geneva remains murky. However, one issue likely to be considered at the UN meeting is the question of whether ICANN and the US government should retain control over the internet?s core functions. A number of countries have indicated that they would prefer the internet-related decisions be managed by an international treaty organization. Although the meeting, which will be attended by at least 50 heads of state, will debate a number of weighty issues, a former ICANN official dismissed it as a "blabberfest that is not likely to produce results." Even though the Geneva summit is not likely to produce any tangible decisions, the debate over the control of the internet is likely to continue.