This is not a good thing, better get the info while you can.
Swedish telecom chief to steer web body ICANN to independence
San Francisco (AFP) - Sweden's Goran Marby was Monday named head of the body that manages Internet addresses, pledging to uphold checks and balances as it steps out from under US government oversight.
Marby, director-general of the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority, will take charge in May of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) as the nonprofit transitions to become an independent non-governmental body.
In an exclusive interview with AFP, Marby described ICANN as evolving and vowed to keep it on course under what is known as "multistakeholder" governance, bringing in business and academia as well as government users of the Internet.
"The stakeholder model has proven its strength," said Marby, who will succeed Fadi Chehade as president and chief executive at ICANN.
"It is important for me to continue that evolution. That is the way of going forward right now."
While the transition will not change how the Internet works, it will help reassure users, businesses and governments about its integrity, according to supporters who see it as a symbolic move towards asserting the web's independence.
The multistakeholder model is intended to allow virtually all users, in the public and private sector, to participate in Internet governance -- as opposed to a "multilateral" system controlled by governments.
A transition plan being prepared since early 2014 is undergoing final touches before being delivered to the US government, and is on track for completion this year, ICANN says.
"The beauty of the stakeholder model is that it is like the Internet," Marby said. "The Internet is very distributed, so there are many checks and balances in the system to make sure it works. It is an unusual model but it is a working model and it is proven."
- Steep learning curve -
Marby's experience working with telecoms and technology stretches back more than 20 years, but he considers himself more business manager than geek.
"All my career I have been working with networks and the Internet and information security," Marby told AFP. "When this opportunity came around to continue to contribute to something that is so important, that was an opportunity I could not pass."
Sweden's PTS is a government agency that oversees communications industries including telephone Internet, and radio.
Before becoming its director-general in 2010, Marby spent about seven years as the chief of security software company AppGate, which he co-founded.
His background includes a stints with computer networks firms Cygate Group and Cisco. Marby holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Gothenburg.
The 53-year-old Swedish citizen will move with his family from Stockholm to Los Angeles, where ICANN has offices.
"I am going to be on a really steep learning curve, but that is going to be part of the fun," he said.
- Symbolic shift -
If the US government approves the plan, the contract between ICANN and the US government will expire September 30.
Outgoing ICANN chief Chehade said in an interview last month in Washington the change is symbolic.
"People have aggrandized the role of the US government in what we do; but the change is actually minimal," Chehade said.
"It's important symbolically because the US was really a steward for the Internet, but for day-to-day accountability, it is minimal."
The US government has said it would seek to avoid any model that gives government authorities too much power in Internet management.
Chehade said that without US oversight, ICANN would be managing the technical functions of the Internet under the supervision of a 16-member board which is designed to maintain diverse representation.
"We have a very solid process that ensures this is not a capturable board," which can be hijacked by governments or other institutions, he said.
January Gun Sales Set Yet Another Record
The FBI conducted more gun-related background checks this January than in any other January since the system was created.
With 2,545,802 checks processed through the National Instant Background Check System, January 2016 beat the previous record, set in January 2013, by 50,326 checks. Though January’s number represents a drop from the all-time single month record set in December 2015, it is also marks the ninth month in a row that has set a record. It is also the third month in a row with more than two million background checks.
The number of background checks conducted by the FBI is widely considered the most reliable estimate for gun sales in the country since all sales conducted through federally licensed gun dealers and some sales conducted by private parties are required by law to obtain a check.
However, the number is not a one-to-one representation of gun sales. Many private sales are not included in the system. Also, in some cases a single background check can apply to the sale of multiple guns. Some states use background checks for their gun carry permitting process, which does not involve the sale of a gun.
The new record comes in the wake of President Obama’s executive action targeting gun sales. The White House had signaled that those selling even one firearm in their lifetime could be subject to federal licensing requirements, though it was later revealed that the written guidance issued by the ATF was at odds with the administration’s public comments.
A steady stream of comments supportive of gun control by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton may also have contributed to record sales.
A move by Virginia Democrats to unilaterally eliminate gun carry reciprocity agreements with 25 states also received national attention in January. The policy was instituted by the state’s attorney general after the party failed to recapture the state Senate despite millions from gun control advocates. The backlash to the plan was strong enough that the state’s Democratic governor reversed it in a deal with Republicans.
The Second Amendment Foundation said the continued spike in gun sales was in line with other indicators from around the country.
“The Boston Globe reported last week that tens of thousands of new gun licenses were issued in Massachusetts last year,” Alan Gottlieb, the group’s founder, said in a statement. “In New Jersey, with tough gun laws, applications for gun purchases last year nearly tripled over what they were in 2005. One Missouri county reported a three-month back-up in processing permit applications. A county sheriff in North Carolina is so overwhelmed, he’s asking that citizens make appointments.”
“Add to this the fact that scores of sheriffs and police chiefs have encouraged citizens to arm themselves. Suddenly, gun ownership sounds like a very good idea to people concerned about personal safety,” Gottlieb said.
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