Myths and reality of Internet governance

In his intervention, which is transcribed below, Amadeu Abril addressed the issue of Internet governance by exposing, one by one, what he referred to as the myths surrounding this subject. They include the idea that ICANN governs the Net, when it is actually no more than the visible point of control, or the idea that ICANN can perform endless functions that are different from those it currently undertakes. He also refuted the cliched idea that it is desirable for users to participate directly in the governance of the Internet in order to ensure its democratic nature, whereas what the majority of users really want is simply for the Internet to work and, when things do not work correctly, someone should be held responsible. He also referred to the difficulty of modifying the role of the USA while the companies that have a presence on the Net continue to be mostly North American. Although he also ventured that an entity may one day be constituted within the United Nations that would manage the technical aspects of the Internet, he dismissed the possibility that the International Communications Union could take charge of this task at the present time.