Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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               Plan Approved to Shift Control of Internet From US

   by Doug Bernard

   Members of ICANN, the U.S.-based non-profit agency that has managed
   oversight of the international Internet since its creation, agreed upon
   a final framework agreement that would shift oversight to a global
   body.
   Meeting in Morocco this week, the Internet Corporation for Assigned
   Names and Numbers, or [1]ICANN, approved a plan to transfer technical
   oversight of the web to an international team of stakeholders. The plan
   now goes before the U.S. Department of Commerce for final approval.
   The controversial plan has been a priority for the Obama
   Administration, and has earned support from a number of high-tech
   firms, such as Google, Facebook, Verizon and others. Critics worry that
   ceding control of the Internet to an international group that could
   include nations such as China, Russia, Iran and others would lead to
   less freedom and more surveillance online.

   ''Non-profit
   Under the proposal, ICANN would remain a private, not-for-profit firm
   that would remain involved in Internet governance. Any proposed major
   changes would be voted on by an advisory group comprised of
   representatives from various nations, businesses, and researchers.
   "The global Internet community has validated the multi-stakeholder
   model, by coming together to build a comprehensive transition package
   that we believe meets the requirements set out by the NTIA (National
   Telecommunications and Information Administration), and we are
   confident that the United States Government will agree," said ICANN
   President and CEO Fadi Chehadé.
   ICANN was founded in 1998 as an independent agency to maintain the
   technical foundations and structure of the then-rapidly expanding
   Internet. It was founded in the U.S. largely because the web was first
   developed there, and still remains the global leader in Internet
   development.

   ''Snowden revelations
   However, the 2013 revelations by Edward Snowden of comprehensive U.S.
   surveillance of the web created friction in the international community
   and spurred a more global approach to the web's governance.
   The Commerce Department has until later this fall to either agree to
   the proposal, or submit another plan.

     __________________________________________________________________

   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/plan-approved-to-shift-control-of-int
   ernet-from-us/3232037.html

References

   1. https://www.icann.org/
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/plan-approved-to-shift-control-of-internet-from-us/3232037.html