Author: Kieren McCarthy

Kieren McCarthy is an acknowledged authority on the Internet and Internet governance. He has written extensively about both for a wide range of national and international newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, The Sunday Times, New Scientist, The Register, PC Week, Techworld, and others.

An engineer by training, Kieren has spent more than 10 years as an IT journalist and has, at some point interviewed, just about everybody in the Internet industry. The official blogger for both the inaugural Internet Governance Forum and an OECD conference on the Participative Web, and author of the book Sex.com, he was also ICANN’s General Manager of Public Participation, tasked with coordinating communication between the organization and Internet users for three years.

He is CEO of .Nxt. Inc, and created both the company and the conference to provide a space for positive information-sharing about the future of the Internet's infrastructure.

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Story
10 May 2011
IGF improvements group asks UN for more time

The chair of the working group set up to review the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has formally asked for more time to make progress.
Story
19 April 2011
Beckstrom backtracks on accountability promise

ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom has backtracked on a promise to publish a crucial staff report for comment, raising more questions about his judgment and the organization’s willingness to be held accountable.

The staff report in question – produced by special advisor to the CEO, Denise Michel – was the focus of public criticism at the recent meeting in San Francisco and led directly to Beckstrom announcing it would be published.
Story
15 April 2011
GAC chair to ICANN Board: Less haste, more communication

If the ICANN Board isn't able to approve the rules for new Internet extensions by its self-imposed deadline of 2
Column
11 April 2011
Why ICANN's CEO abstained on dot-xxx vote

In a classic case of 'Beware of the Leopard' by ICANN, its CEO has explained why he abstained in the controversial vote to approve dot-xxx last month.

At the Board meeting itself on Friday 18 March, where a number of Board members gave long and eloquent explanations, Beckstrom said simply: "I just note that I will submit written remarks for the record on my abstention. Thank you."

Two weeks later, when no explanation had appeared, community member Mike Palage was pressed into writing a post on CircleID that asked for it, as well as the missing Annual Report and information about the Singapore meeting in June.
Column
11 April 2011
Beware of the leopard

The biggest criticism of domain oversight organization ICANN is that it is not sufficiently accountable or transparent.

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