ICANN won’t revoke Russian Internet domains, says effect would be “devastating”

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Yuichiro Chino)

Ukraine’s request to cut Russia off from core parts of the Internet has been rejected by the nonprofit group that oversees the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS). CEO Göran Marby of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) said the group must “maintain neutrality and act in support of the global Internet. ”

“Our mission does not extend to taking punitive actions, issuing sanctions, or restricting access against segments of the Internet—regardless of the provocations, ” Marby wrote in his response to Ukraine Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov . “ICANN applies its policies consistently and in alignment with documented processes. To make unilateral changes would erode trust in the particular multi-stakeholder model and the policies designed to sustain global Internet interoperability. ”

Ukraine on Monday asked ICANN in order to revoke Russian top-level domains such as. ru,. рф, and. su; to “contribute to the revoking for SSL certificates” of those domains; and to shut down DNS root servers in Russia. Fedorov argued that the requested “measures will help users seek with regard to reliable information in alternative domain zones, preventing propaganda and disinformation. ”