ICANN's role in controlling information on the internet

Abstract

Controlling information within a society is an essential part of the process of social control, as it serves to prevent the proliferation of thoughts and expressions that can undermine a society's overall goals. In the online environment the phenomenon of controlling information takes on new dimensions. Since the Internet is a zone that knows no national boundaries, no government can reign autonomously over it, yet governments have managed to come together to exert some control. A prime example of this control lies in the management of the domain name system (DNS) by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). In particular, the mandatory character of the Uniform Dispute Resolution Procedure (UDRP), the decisions taken in cases heard under the UDRP regarding freedom of speech, and the operation of the WHOIS database all serve to exemplify the control ICANN has over information on the Internet. Indeed, despite a lack of autonomy from the US Government in the interim, ICANN has a lot of power. Whilst ICANN does not directly implement the controls itself, the systems are operated on behalf of ICANN and as such it exerts a substantial amount of control over the ‘inhabitants’ of cyberspace.