The gathering of the board that oversees the administration of domain names -- always a cantankerous event -- promises to be heated this time around, too, as critics of the private organization continue their efforts to ensure that ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) doesn't abuse its power or stack its ranks with corporate interests.
This week's event corresponds with the fifth annual C@inet conference, the largest Internet show in the Middle East and Africa.
It's the first meeting in the Middle East or Africa for ICANN, which has pledged to convene in various locations around the world in an attempt to make the Internet less United States-centric. Previous meetings have taken place in Santiago, Chile, and Los Angeles.
Board members have their work cut out for them when it comes to raising international awareness. During a C@inet session on Internet governance, ICANN Chair Esther Dyson polled the audience of 500 -- most of whom said they were Egyptians -- asking people to raise their hands if they knew what ICANN was. Only about a dozen people responded.
Several audience members were concerned with preserving traditional Islamic values through the Internet, which, right now, comprises mainly Western content. Also, some wanted to know whether the Web would bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots, or widen it.
Fewer than 200,000 Egyptians are connected to the Internet, a relatively high number compared with other countries in the region. During the conference, Egyptian government officials said they hoped to have 1 million Web subscribers within two years. They said this is a realistic goal, given the fact that many Egyptians have embraced new technology such as the cell phone -- a fact amply demonstrated by the incessant ringing of the devices throughout the day's speeches.
International board, new domains
Still, the low rate of Internet use in Egypt and other developing countries poses a problem for ICANN, which is trying to determine a fair way to elect international board members who will have a vital role in shaping the naming process on the Internet. The board already has nine members representing specific technology and business interests, but it needs nine more at-large members, according to its bylaws.
Last week, ICANN posted a Web site allowing anyone with an e-mail address to sign up to vote for an 18-member council, which would then elect nine at-large members. At this week's conference, ICANN will try to decide how the council that selects the members will be elected -- a process that's sure to be controversial.
The Center for Democracy and Technology and Common Cause -- which has been studying the issue for several months -- released a study late last week saying the proposed election process is ripe for abuse, in part because special interest groups could capture a large portion of the votes needed to choose a council member.
ICANN also will consider adding more generic top-level domains, or the word that comes after the dot. Right now, those are limited to words such as "com" and "org." But several companies hope ICANN will expand the choices. And consumer advocate Ralph Nader has asked the board to consider domains such as .isnotfair and .sucks, which would be reserved for critics of a certain group or organization.
The third major issue facing ICANN -- and one that's sure to garner more interest in the future if ICANN achieves its purported goal of becoming a more diverse, international organization -- is a plan to create more country-specific domain names.
Critics, gadflies and cyber advocates will get a chance to have their say during a public hearing on Thursday. The board will cast votes on the issues on Friday.
