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In pushing for tighter rules government Internet security, Go Daddy recently testified before a Congressional subcommittee recommending that the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet renew the Joint Partnership Agreement (JPA) between the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

 

One of the JPA’s main functions is to have the NTIA and ICANN operate and share information with each other, as well as and select public committees. It also is charged with jointly monitoring, reviewing and notifying concerned authorities regarding possible breaches and compromises that may threaten the U.S. Internet security systems.

 

Go Daddy’s main concern, company officials said, is that the JPA’s current term officially ends on Sept. 30, and thereafter the U.S. government proposes to allow ICANN to operate independently.

 

Company officials claim that even though ICANN has made notable progress in some of its original goals that were established at the time of its inception on Sept. 18, 1998, it has considerable distance to go in other areas. They added it is premature for ICANN to be allowed to function on its own.

 

Christine N. Jones, general counsel and corporate secretary for Go Daddy, reiterated the importance of ICANN at a hearing on “Internet Governance: The Future of ICANN.”

 

“We are thankful for your attention to this important issue and for recognizing that the Internet is a resource significant enough to deserve the attention of the United States Senate,” she testified. “We agree that its secure future is paramount to the overall success of our economy, and that of the global community, as well. The future of ICANN rests with the public that it was formed to benefit. That community’s confidence in ICANN has been shaken by the lack of openness and transparency; by the apparent unwillingness of the ICANN board of directors to be accountable to anyone but itself.”

 

At the recent hearing, most of the members appeared to share Go Daddy’s concerns about ICANN’s continued lack of transparency and the fact that the current JPA between ICANN and the NTIA may end in September, said Go Daddy officials.

 

“ICANN is responsible for an important public trust,” Jones said. “The company believes strongly that, without NTIA oversight, ICANN may be vulnerable to capture by another government, international organization, or business that does not have a secure and stable Internet as its top priority. It is essential for both international commerce and the security and stability of the Internet that the relationship between the NTIA and ICANN continue.”

 

Another major point of concern company officials cited was security of the Internet. Officials said that “President Obama was aware of the extraordinary dangers a compromised Internet would cause to national defense and the world’s economy. Those concerns led to his announcement last week of a “cyber-security czar” to help protect the nation’s crucial telecom infrastructure and information systems.

 

 

 

Company sources say that it has done its share to push for improved Internet protection, and will continue to do so. It cites a few examples to support its claims: worked with agencies to help pass two new federal laws – one protecting children from online sexual predators – and a second, providing Web companies with much-needed tools to take illegitimate Internet pharmacies offline; and, donated $ 1.7 million dollars to charities in 2008 to help the less fortunate.