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Wilson's Tenure at ICANN Criticized

A University of Miami computer expert is calling on former Radcliffe College President Linda S. Wilson to resign from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

A. Michael Froomkin, who teaches Internet law at the University of Miami School of Law, is protesting Friday's announcement that the terms of four of ICANN's original nine directors have been extended.

Wilson will now serve as an at-large director until at least November 2002--and if a replacement is not selected, Wilson could remain a director indefinitely.

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A non-profit private organization that was formed in 1998, ICANN was created with a nine-member initial board that included Wilson. ICANN is a global body that oversees the technical management of World Wide Web domain names, IP address space, root server management and other administrative Internet tasks.

ICANN now operates with a 19-member board. Nine of the directors are part of the at-large membership, which was intended to replace the initial board.

The elections for five of the at-large positions have just concluded, with one member selected from each of five regions (defined as Africa, Asia/Australia/Pacific, Europe, Latin America/Caribbean and North America). Any Internet user with an e-mail address and a physical address was eligible to register to vote.

In addition to his other complaints, Froomkin claimed that the selection process was not public.

"It's not a legal issue, it's a question of what's right," he added.

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