- May 1, 2001
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The CNET article
ICANN may be looking for immunity from U.S. law
April 3, 2007 12:11 AM PDT
The closest thing the Internet has to a governing body seems to want the same kind of immunity from national laws that the International Red Cross and the International Olympic Committee have enjoyed for decades.
....
Dejargonized, that means ICANN could become largely immune from civil lawsuits, police searches and taxes, and its employees would have quasi-diplomatic privileges (such as importing items into the U.S. without paying customs duties).
The only catch? The Bush administration doesn't appear to like the idea of ICANN becoming an independent international organization. In fact, instead of letting ICANN slip further out of its grasp, the administration seems to be tightening its grip on the Marina del Ray, Calif.-based group.
.....
This time, it's not just speculation. An August 2006 analysis from ICANN makes it clear that the Swiss framework for such international groups would be an especially attractive one. Another telling sentence in the new report says that "ICANN's headquarters may remain in the U.S.," as opposed to a flat statement saying it will remain here.
...
If all this sounds kind of familiar, it is. A few years ago the question was whether the United Nations would take over ICANN. Today, though, it looks more like ICANN will try to mimic the United Nations.
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(left some stuff out, it's a lot of text)
While I'm all for the fact that goverments (in this the USA) should not "mess" with the Net, I'm wondering who will step in when ICANN steps out of line.
ICANN may be looking for immunity from U.S. law
April 3, 2007 12:11 AM PDT
The closest thing the Internet has to a governing body seems to want the same kind of immunity from national laws that the International Red Cross and the International Olympic Committee have enjoyed for decades.
....
Dejargonized, that means ICANN could become largely immune from civil lawsuits, police searches and taxes, and its employees would have quasi-diplomatic privileges (such as importing items into the U.S. without paying customs duties).
The only catch? The Bush administration doesn't appear to like the idea of ICANN becoming an independent international organization. In fact, instead of letting ICANN slip further out of its grasp, the administration seems to be tightening its grip on the Marina del Ray, Calif.-based group.
.....
This time, it's not just speculation. An August 2006 analysis from ICANN makes it clear that the Swiss framework for such international groups would be an especially attractive one. Another telling sentence in the new report says that "ICANN's headquarters may remain in the U.S.," as opposed to a flat statement saying it will remain here.
...
If all this sounds kind of familiar, it is. A few years ago the question was whether the United Nations would take over ICANN. Today, though, it looks more like ICANN will try to mimic the United Nations.
------------------------------------------------------------------
(left some stuff out, it's a lot of text)
While I'm all for the fact that goverments (in this the USA) should not "mess" with the Net, I'm wondering who will step in when ICANN steps out of line.
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