Posted on Thursday, April 05 2007 @ 7:32 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
CNET writes ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) wants to get
the same kind of immunity from national laws that the International Red Cross and the International Olympic Committee have enjoyed for decades.
A recent report prepared for the board of ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) says the organization should "explore the private international organization model" and it should "operationalize whatever outcomes result."
Dejargonized, that means ICANN could become largely immune from civil lawsuits, police searches and taxes, and its employees would have quasi-diplomatic privileges (such as importing items into the U.S. without paying customs duties).
The only catch? The Bush administration doesn't appear to like the idea of ICANN becoming an independent international organization. In fact, instead of letting ICANN slip further out of its grasp, the administration seems to be tightening its grip on the Marina del Ray, Calif.-based group.
