Who Runs the Internet? ICANN’s Role in a Connected World

This presentation provides an examination of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and its unique role in the global technical Internet governance landscape. Beginning with a historical overview of ICANN’s formation in 1998, the talk by Naela Sarres, Vice President of ICANN, traces its development as a response to the growing need for coordination of the Internet’s unique identifiers — including domain names, IP addresses, and protocol parameters.

Central to this discussion is the multistakeholder governance model — a distinctive framework in which ICANN operates. The session will explore how this model balances the interests of diverse stakeholders, including governments, private sector actors, civil society, academia, and the technical community, in a non-hierarchical and consensus-driven process.

We will conclude by analyzing ICANN’s specific technical functions — including its stewardship of the Domain Name System (DNS), Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation, and root zone management — and discussing how these technical responsibilities intersect with broader political, economic, and social issues in Internet governance.

Hosted by the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society.

For disability-related accommodations, please contact the access coordinator in advance of the event: [email protected].

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Host or Publisher UC Berkeley Tech Policy Week