Key Internet system challenged.(Regulatory Update)(Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)(Brief Article)

R & D, June, 2005

While the Domain Name System, which assigns user-friendly names on the Internet with numerical computer addresses, has performed well, a new report from the National Academies' National Research Council says technical and political challenges must be met for the system to continue to operate effectively. Security must be heightened and steps taken to counter attempts to use the system to control other aspects of the Internet, says the authors of the report.

Currently, the Domain Name System is managed by both the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the U.S. Dept. of Commerce under an agreement that calls for the transfer of responsibility to ICANN in 2006.

ICANN currently has limited authority over critical elements of the...

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