[Infowarrior] - New ICANN head ex-cybersecurity official

[Richard Forno]

  June 26, 2009 10:41 AM PDT
ICANN names new CEO
by Lance Whitney

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10273668-38.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Former U.S. cybersecurity official Rod Beckstrom has been named the  
new CEO and president of ICANN.

His appointment was announced at the annual meeting Friday in  
Australia of ICANN, which stands for the Internet Corporation for  
Assigned Names and Numbers.

A global nonprofit, ICANN is responsible for assigning and managing  
Internet domain names and IP addresses, among other tasks.

"Rod Beckstrom has exactly the sort of strong personal and technical  
background that ICANN needs," ICANN Chairman Peter Dengate Thrush said  
in announcing the decision.

Beckstrom, who received his MBA from Stanford University, has served  
on the boards of several nonprofit groups and written four books. But  
it was his role as director of the U.S. National Cybersecurity Center  
(NCSC) where he made an impression. As head of the federal center, he  
oversaw a large, disparate agency spanning civilian, military and  
intelligence communities.

However, Beckstrom resigned his government role in March after  
complaining of interference from the National Security Agency.

In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet  
Napolitano, he said the NSA dominated most of his agency's efforts and  
that he was "unwilling to subjugate the NCSC underneath the NSA."  
Beckstrom defended the achievements of the NCSC and said he favored a  
decentralized approach so that security is not handled by any single  
organization.

Beckstrom's ICANN appointment triggered favorable statements from many  
sides.

"Rod Beckstrom is strikingly well-prepared to undertake a new role as  
CEO of ICANNs" Vint Cert, who is considered to be the "father" of the  
Internet, said in a statement. "His experience in industry and  
government equip him for this global and very challenging job."

"Rod Beckstrom is an outstanding choice to head ICANN. He understands  
people, institutions, and technology," Marc Rotenberg, Executive  
Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), said in  
a statement. "He recognizes both the potential and the challenges for  
ICANN. And has stood up for the civil liberties of Internet users with  
courage and foresight."

ICANN has been criticized over the years for a host of reasons,  
including internal squabbles, the fees it levies, and the perceived  
shroud of secrecy under which it operates.

Last year, ICANN proposed new rules for Internet names that would  
expand suffixes beyond the familiar .com, .net, and .org domains. The  
proposal worried many who thought it would lead to confusion on the  
Internet.

But Beckstrom's comments upon his appointment reflect faith in the  
organization.

"The Internet has changed the way the world communicates and conducts  
commerce," Beckstrom said at a press conference. "And in no small way,  
this multi-stakeholder, bottom-up organization has been and will  
continue to be at the core of the Internet's on-going evolution. Quite  
simply, the proof that ICANN works, is that the Internet works."



Lance Whitney wears a few different technology hats--journalist, Web  
developer, and software trainer. He's a contributing editor for  
Microsoft TechNet Magazine and writes for other computer publications  
and Web sites. You can follow Lance on Twitter at @lancewhit. Lance is  
a member of the CNET Blog Network, and he is not an employee of CNET.