Internet Domain Names

    Internet domain names such as www.westfieldinsurance.com are managed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) on behalf of the U.S. Commerce Department. The US government therefore has the ultimate authority to review or revoke any decision as it pertains to domain names.

    This authority has European allies and Third World countries placing pressure on the current administration to surrender this control as the central manager of key aspects of the Internet. Other countries are pushing for more control. It would be a mistake to change America’s role of managing the Internet.

    There are persistent proposals to break IANA and the U.S.government in favor of an international body like the United Nations or International Telecommunication Union to direct IANA. There have been no serious complaints about American administration of the Internet. If this role was relinquished this could present difficulties.

    One serious difficulty in relinquishing control of Internet domain names could be the ability to restrict content on the Internet. Many governments already attempt to control speech on the Internet. If control is given to an international organization, we can expect attempts of censorship of Internet content.

    Most countries lack our First Amendment right, and if we wish to protect free speech, we should not let Internet domain names be subjected to foreign standards. Many other countries already have government-imposed restrictions on Internet speech.

    American supervision of Internet naming is no accident. Much of the world’s telecommunications infrastructure was developed by national post offices. Our development of private infrastructure, including railroad and telephone networks, made America fertile ground for Internet development. The extent to which the Internet is de-centralized and self-governing is because Americans expect society to work that way.

    It is only natural for other countries to resent the United States for controlling Internet administration of domain names and demand more control themselves. But if we believe in freedom of speech, we need to keep control of the Internet away from foreign countries that do not value it as we do.