Internet Governance Forum (IGF) stakeholders in Istanbul (CD...

Internet Governance Forum (IGF) stakeholders in Istanbul (CD Sept 8 p10; Sept 5 p9) made “clear” last week that NTIA’s transition of Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) should go “hand-in-hand” with ICANN’s accountability process, said Matthew Shears, Center for Democracy & Technology’s Global Internet Policy and Human Rights Project director, in a blog post Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1oxZbIB). Shears cited a statement by ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade at IGF that ICANN can’t be “'without the U.S. government [IANA] contract and without some activities to strengthen our accountability to the global interest and to all of you.'” IGF stakeholders said neither the transition, nor the accountability process, should be “rushed,” said Shears. Other stakeholders said the newly formed NETmundial Initiative (CD Aug 29 p4; Sept 2 p13) should be “more inclusive, transparent, and focused, and warned against duplicating or undermining existing efforts (such as the IGF),” he said. The CDT wants IGF to continue its work beyond 2015, as the UN considers its renewal, said Shears. “Across the world, others are also thoroughly dissatisfied with the current state of Internet governance -- yes, even with the IGF itself,” said Jeremy Malcolm, Electronic Frontier Foundation senior global policy analyst, in a blog post Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1AxgjDK). The “tangible results” of the IGF’s “knowledge exchange have been thin on the ground,” he said. “The result has been a recent flourishing of independent Internet governance initiatives, all presented with the earnest disclaimer that they do not intend to duplicate the IGF -- but which nevertheless address areas well within the scope of the IGF’s original mandate.”