What could we be thinking? To abandon our role as sole overseer of the Internet domain name system is not only dumb, it’s dangerous. Can you imagine how the power of sharing this oversight would almost certainly be used by China or Russia, just to pick a couple of our great friends for example? And transferring this role to the United Nations or some other world body is at least as bad an idea.
The responsibility we currently have with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) is analogous to our role in enforcing freedom of the seas–we keep the sea lanes open for free trade just as we enforce an open Internet. It’s part of our responsibility as the world’s only superpower. No less an authority than Bill Clinton agrees. The abdication of our responsibilities here would seriously undermine the enormous capacity of this amazing technology, built under U. S. leadership, to enable and advance freedom of thought and markets throughout the world. Let many flowers keep blooming.
