The 50th public meeting of ICANN – the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers – is being held this week in London. Over the course of 60 events, key figures from business, government and the general public will meet to discuss managing the growth and the future of the internet.
First on the agenda is continued promotion of the new gTLD domain naming system. The recent changes to Top Level Domain naming has made millions of new website addresses available, ready to continue boosting uptake of the web.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, is the future of the governance of the Internet. The US government is currently heavily involved with running ICANN, but has pledged to cede control to another party. Delegates at ICANN50 will debate what this change of management means, as well sharing their views as to what would be best for the continued growth and freedom of the World Wide Web.
ICANN are encouraging as many people as possible to get involved with the consultation, either by attending the conference at the Hilton Metropole hotel in Edgeware, or by participating remotely. Many of the sessions are being live streamed via the ICANN website, and there are also opportunities to take part in question and answer sessions via dedicated chat rooms.
These free sessions will be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about what ICANN does, or who wants to have their say about creating a free, open and stable Internet.
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