Ukraine have asked to speak with the CEO of the internet, in an attempt to have Russian domains removed from the global web.
The internet doesn’t really have a CEO, but it does have a nonprofit organisation that runs the web’s global domains.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is an American organisation who have grouped together to maintain and coordinate the internet. Some of their main responsibilities include managing IP addresses and governing domain names.
ICANN have confirmed that the Ukrainian government have approached them, asking for the organisation to remove Russian-based websites from the internet so they can no longer share pro-war propaganda.
According to Rolling Stone, the letter from the Ukrainian Government requested that ICANN “revoke domains issued in Russia and shut down primary Domain Name System servers in the country, a move that would effectively bar access to Russian internet sites, with the potential for knocking the entire country offline.”
ICANN spokesperson Angelina Lopez has addressed the request, confirming the organisation has received the letter, but “have no further comment at this time.”
It’s unlikely that the request will be accepted, but if ICANN follow through, it could change the internet forever.
The removal of Russian domains could prompt other countries to remove their own domains from ICANN as well, potentially leading to the ‘balkanization’ of the internet.
If you’ve got no clue what that means – we hear you. Put simply, it means the internet could branch off into smaller divisions, only accessible from within that region.
It would be a huge backwards step for the world wide web, undoing the revolutionary global access it currently offers.
On the other hand, ICANN could singlehandedly cripple Russia’s economy, and Vladimir Putin would be forever be known as the man who destroyed Russia.
