The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) recently announced it had vetoed Ukrainian officials’ proposal to cut Russia off the internet.
The corporation stated that the revocation of Russian domains and the shutting down of domain name system (DNS) root servers within the Russian federation are undoable in the first place, per Engadget.
Additionally, revoking Russia’s access to the Internet is not within the scope of ICANN’s mission – to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet’s unique identifier systems. This also includes the DNS root name server system and IP address allocations, per ICANN’s 2003-04 to 2006-07 strategic plan.
ICANN’s Reply to Ukrainian Officials
ICANN CEO Göran Marby said in his response to the petitioners that he is personally concerned about Ukrainians’ well-being as well as the effects of the ongoing situation in Ukraine. However, he also added that the ICANN’s mission does not extend to taking “punitive actions, issuing sanctions or restricting access against segments of the Internet – regardless of the provocations,” per a CNN Report.
Marby also added that the ICANN was established to ensure that the Internet works, not for its coordination role to be used to stop it from working.
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“As you know, the Internet is a decentralized system. No one actor has the ability to control it or shut it down,” Marby said in his reply letter.
The Wall Street Journal report also mentioned that Marby added that only through “broad and unimpeded access to the Internet” can citizens receive reliable information and a diversity of viewpoints and that ICANN does not control Internet access or content regardless of the source.
The Petition’s Origins
The petition in question was forwarded to ICANN for consideration by the Head of Fixed Broadband in the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Andrii Nabok. Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Olga Stefanishyna, also signed the letter, per a copy of the letter posted online on Pastebin.
Nabok argued in his letter that the measures would help users seek reliable information in alternative domain zones, which would prevent propaganda and disinformation.
As previously mentioned, the petition also calls on the ICANN to shut down DNS root servers within the Russian Federation, specifically the ones in St. Petersburg and Moscow. It also requested to “revoke, permanently or temporarily” the domains “.ru,” “.рф” and “.su”
It’s Not Over Yet
Nabok also added in his letter that he also sent a separate request to the Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Center (RIPE NCC).
The request to the RIPE NCC mentions asking them to withdraw the right to use all IPv4 and IPv6 addresses by all Russian members of the RIPE NCC. He also requested the RIPE NCC to block the DNS root servers the center is operating.
The RIPE NCC has yet to respond to Nabok’s request as of the writing of this article.
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