ICANN

Likewise, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, is an organization that has successfully promoted discussion and decision-making among diverse internet actors, especially by leveraging its multistakeholder governance model.

Unsurprisingly, many countries—especially those like Russia and China that were suspicious of the United States’ particularly close relationship with ICANN, a nonprofit headquartered in California—were not thrilled with that arrangement.

Up until 2016, for instance, the U.S. government held the power to veto some of ICANN’s decisions about the internet under the contracts it issued to the organization.

Russia, in particular, has long pushed for the ITU, where every member state gets one vote, to be the forum for internet governance instead of ICANN, where governments get no votes at all and instead offer input to the CEO and board through a “Government Advisory Committee.”

They’re worried that under Russian leadership, it might make a bid for some of ICANN’s authority.