Internet governance must be open and innovative. Under global governance, only those who have sincerity and use reality as a base for innovation can become the trendsetters of the era.

The U.S. government announced its intention on March 14 to relinquish its oversight of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). But a deadline for implementing the decision has not yet been determined.

ICANN's influence over domain names distribution and related policies has an impact on every country's strategic, economic, social and cultural interests. The U.S. plan to transfer its oversight of ICANN to the international community will help the Internet become more open. But how to handle ICANN’s duties, and who should take on the task, are not simple questions.

A new concern presents itself: how will American interests be addressed? An internationally-focused ICANN might perhaps have different priorities, and more countries' interests will be covered; as a result, American interests may no longer find themselves always at the top of the agenda. As the oversight involves regulatory and other issues, U.S. Internet governance may not be effective in other countries.

International opinion is still skeptical about America's sincerity—wondering whether the U.S. will ask an internationally-focused ICANN to persist with American-led management. A smooth transfer of ICAAN’s supervisory role will largely depend on how the U.S. can restrain its impulse to impose its norms on the world.

Internet security issues are becoming more important to every country, and there is a general determination to play an active role in Internet development. For all that developing countries lack strength in management, technology, and investment; they should take a greater role in ICANN supervision.

After all, human society is entering a new era of global governance in many areas. With the growing power of developing countries, international rules and orders should be adjusted to cater for their interests. So the transfer of ICANN's supervisory role should be broad in extent.

ICANN is under the stewardship of the U.S. and a number of western countries, and its policies tally with these countries’ situation and interests. Therefore developing countries need to be more actively involved and participate in policy making, giving them the opportunity to expand their influence and take the lead in ICANN's stewardship and guidance.

Internet governance must be open and innovative. Global governance is always likely to trigger differences of opinion and conflicts of interest between the parties involved, so it is essential to find a balance. From this perspective, only those who have sincerity and use reality as a base for innovation can become the trendsetters of the era.

The article is edited and translated from 《互联网管理要顺势而为》, source: People's Daily Online