Understanding ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) - Testbook

The Structure of

ICANN

ICANN is governed by a board consisting of 16 members, which includes:

• Eight members nominated by a committee that represents all ICANN constituencies
• Six representatives from ICANN's Supporting Organizations
• Sub-groups that work on specific aspects of ICANN policies
• One At Large representative from global internet users, selected with assistance from various technical and regulatory advisory committees affiliated with ICANN
• The President of the Board, who is appointed by ICANN and also serves as the CEO

ICANN is supported by three organizations:

• Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO): This body creates policy on generic top-level domains (gTLDs)
• Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO): This organization develops policy on country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs)
• Address Supporting Organization (ASO): This body formulates policy on IP addresses

Advisory Bodies of ICANN

The advisory bodies associated with ICANN include:

• Governmental Advisory Committee: This committee comprises representatives from 111 states, territories, and groupings, which include:
  • 108 UN member nations
  • The Holy See (Vatican City)
  • Cook Islands
  • Niue
  • Taiwan
  • Hong Kong
  • Bermuda
  • Montserrat
  • The European Commission
  • The African Union Commission
• At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC): This committee includes internet users from around the world, nominated through Regional At-Large Organizations (RALO) and the Nominating Committee
• Root Server System Advisory Committee: This committee provides advice on the operations of the DNS root server system
• Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC): This committee studies security issues related to ICANN’s mandate
• Technical Liaison Group (TLG): This group includes representatives of various technical and scientific organizations that focus on the internet

ICANN, in conjunction with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), also oversees the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), which deals with Domain Name registration

ICANN Whois is a utility that allows users to obtain details of the entity registering generic domain names. This utility is currently under review due to privacy concerns

ICANN is a relevant topic for the UPSC exam due to the ever-evolving landscape of Cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is a subtopic of the Security Topic in General Studies Paper 3 for UPSC Mains. The basics of cyber security for UPSC syllabus is an area where aspirants can score well when a question is asked. Questions related to ICANN have also appeared under current affairs in Science and Technology for IAS Prelims

Aspirants studying the topic for GS-II can also refer to the linked articles given below:

United Nations Organization (UNO)	UNESCO	World Health Organization (WHO)
World Trade Organisation (WTO)	OECD	BRICS

UPSC Preparation:

UPSC 2021	UPSC 2021 Calendar
UPSC FAQ	IAS Topper
UPSC Admit Card	UPSC General Studies