ICANN Appoints New Zealander to Replace Cerf

Will be first non- American to head the Internet regulatory body
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 3, 2007 3:01 PM CDT
ICANN Appoints New Zealander to Replace Cerf
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers board member Peter Dengate Thrush is seen during the 30th International Public ICANN meeting in Los Angeles in this Oct. 29, 2007 file photo. The New Zealand lawyer, was elected unanimously on Nov. 2, 2007 as the new Chairman of the Board of the Internet...   (Associated Press)

ICANN, the independent organization managing the Internet, filled its leadership void today by appointing New Zealand’s Peter Dengate Thrush as chairman. He will be the first non-American to head the group, which took over regulation from the US government, and has often come under international fire. Dengate Thrush downplayed his nationality, according to PC World, focusing instead on the organization’s maturity.

Outgoing chairman Vint Cerf also hit this theme. “The point is, this is a highly resilient organization,” he said. Many, including CEO Paul Twomey, had worried about replacing Cerf, a respected internet pioneer who kept ICANN together when international pressure threatened to destroy it. Dengate Thrush has been with the organization since its inception, and has an impressive Internet resume. (More ICANN stories.)

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