The new CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers may be in a strong position to make this entity truly global
The new CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers may be in a strong position to make this entity truly global
Every time there is a change of leadership in any organisation, certain standard questions get thrown up. For instance, if a new government takes over in India, we wonder if they will be effective in tackling issues like infrastructure.
In a global organisation like ICANN, a truly global question gets asked quite often will the ICANN move from being an 'international' entity solely under the US government, or will it turn into a truly global organisation?
High praise
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Is he the one? The international community is hoping that Rod Beckstrom will make ICANN a truly international organisation by moving it beyond the US |
This question is getting asked these days because of a change in the ICANN Rod Beckstrom has been named ICANN CEO. Beckstrom is an entrepreneur, analyst and author and on its site, ICANN has quotes from various people who have expressed their happiness at his selection.
Even Vint Cerf, considered the Father of the Internet, has said, "Rod Beckstrom is strikingly well-prepared to undertake a new role as CEO of ICANN. His experience in industry and government equip him for this global and very challenging job."
Change we need
Praise apart, one of the critical tasks in front of Beckstrom is to move the ICANN away from US dependence. This is a critical issue, especially for the EU, which feels that a truly international entity like ICANN should not be controlled solely by the US.
There is a lot of sense in what the EU says the US is the only government in the world that has any form of control over ICANN, and judicially speaking, if you want to file a case against the ICANN for any reason whatsoever, you have to approach only a US court.
Can he do it?
One reason why we could say that Beckstrom has a high chance of decentralising the ICANN and moving it away from US control is because he is the co-author of a book called The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organisations.
This book considers conflict between centralised and decentralised organisations and something like this is bound to come up in the future, when the Internet which is decentralised comes in conflict with governments, which are centralised. When that happens, we will see what he can really do!
QUICK TAKE>>Rod Beckstrom has been named ICANN CEO
>>People want US control on ICANN to end
>>The new CEO's focus on decentralisation may help
Spiders and starfishesThe title of the book co-authored by Beckstrom comes from the fact that centralised spiders die when they are cut in half, while a decentralised starfish can regenerate itself from a single amputated leg.
