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Vint Cerf Leaves Post At ICANN
Vint Cerf’s term as Chairman of the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers expires this Friday, and he will step down following the ICANN board meeting. Cerf joined ICANN in 1999 and was elected chairman in 2000. Cerf told the AP (which has double coverage of his departure) that he intends to leave the organization’s work behind entirely in order complete the five books that he is working on and to focus on his duties as Chief Internet Evangelist for Google. “I want them [ICANN] to feel the pressure to organize themselves and not imagine they can turn back and look for guidance from me,” he said.
ICANN has proven to be a controversial but ultimately important organization since its formation in 1998. Developing nations and the EU have expressed concern that ICANN gave the U.S. too much control over the Internet and that it was unfair that all domain names had to be constructed with English characters. But at this week’s meeting, ICANN will be laying out the policies and technical specifications for international domain names.
These international domain names will be possible with the introduction of the new networking technology IP version 6. IPv6 is a major upgrade from the current 32-bit IPv4 protocol, which can encode only 2.4 billion domain names. The new 128-bit protocol will expand the possibilities to 4 quintillion (or 4 trillion, trillion, trillion) domains names. Some predict that this will eventually result in every consumer product having an IP address, even if only for inventory purposes.
ICANN will also take up the issue of the WhoIs database which provides the public with the name and address of the owner(s) of any given domain name. Proponents of the system call it a tool for law enforcement and the protection of intellectual property, while detractors call it an infringement of privacy.
For more coverage:
In an interview with Britain’s IT magazine, The Register, Cerf reflects on the recent developments he has overseen with ICANN and speculates on the future of the Internet.
CBC News, Digital Trends, and Australian IT all cover Cerf’s departure from ICANN.
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