The Government of United States has handed over the control of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (the internet’s address book) to ICANN, an independent international body made up of a number of governments, corporations and individual users.
What is Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)?
The IANA manages the allotment of IP addresses all over the globe. It also delegates five regional Internet registries (RIRs) to allocate IP address blocks to local Internet registries (Internet service providers) and other entities.
In simple terms, the IANA is a database that stores all the domain names on the internet. For example, if you type “propakistani.pk”, the IANA is responsible for directing you to our website.
Who owns the IANA now?
Initially, IANA was established as an informal way to reference to various technical functions for the ARPANET by Jon Postel and Joyce K. Reynolds. They alone were responsible for managing the IANA from 1988 to 1998.
In 1998, the Department of Commerce created ICANN, a nonprofit organization that is responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases. With participants from all over the globe, the organization’s purpose is to keep the Internet secure, stable and interoperable.
After Postel’s death in 1998, they granted ICANN a contract to manage the IANA. ICANN was to get the full ownership of IANA eventually, but the process was bogged down due to politics. Numerous political leaders from the Republican Party, including Ted Cruz, have opposed this move. However, ICANN finally approved a transition plan this year.
On the 1st of October, a judge ruled in favor of the plan, allowing it to move forward. As of this moment, the ICANN is now the official owner of the IANA.
