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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN, www.

icann.org)

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the  non-  profit 

body formed for domain name and IP address allocation and management. These were pre-

viously controlled through US government contract by IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers 

Authority) and other entities.

According to the ICANN Fact Sheet (http://archive.icann.org/en/cctlds/

icann-and-the-global-internet-25feb03.pdf):

In the past, many of the essential technical coordination functions of the Internet were 

handled on an ad hoc basis by US government contractors and grantees, and a wide 

network of volunteers. This informal structure represented the spirit and culture of the 

research community in which the Internet was developed. However, the growing interna‑

tional and commercial importance of the Internet has necessitated the creation of a tech‑

nical management and policy development body that is more formalized in structure, more 

transparent, more accountable, and more fully reflective of the diversity of the world’s 

Internet communities.

The independence of such bodies raises several questions, such as who funds them and 

who they answer to – are they regulated? Incredibly, in 2002 ICANN had just 14 staff and a 

19-member volunteer board of directors chaired by Dr Vinton Cerf, who many consider as 

‘father of the Internet’. Funding is through the fees charged for domain registration by com-

mercial companies. The policy statements on the sites suggest that ICANN policy is influ-

enced by various stakeholders, but the main control is an independent review body of ten.

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