Now, ICANN has replied: No.
The letter from Göran Marby, ICANN’s CEO and president, tried to melt the blow, “ICANN stands ready to continue to support Ukrainian and global Internet security, stability, and resiliency.” However, a no is a no.
Fedorov had additionally requested that RIPE NCC, the regional Web registry for Europe, the Center East, and components of Central Asia, withdraw Russia and its Local Internet Registries (LIR) rights to make use of their assigned IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and to dam their DNS root servers.
RIPE had turned down this request earlier. The RIPE NCC Government Board acknowledged that “the means to communicate should not be affected by domestic political disputes, international conflicts or war. This consists of the availability of accurately registered Web numbering sources.”
These strikes come as no shock. Earlier, individuals with each web organizations and associated teams had made it clear they didn’t wish to ask.
Andrew Sullivan, president and CEO of the Internet Society, warned that if ICANN has granted Ukraine’s request it would trigger “‘Splinternet‘ – the splintering of the Web alongside geographical, political, business, and/or technological boundaries.” This fragmenting would have large damaging results, whereas additionally setting harmful precedents. Sullivan stated: “The calls to chop Russia off from the Web are a slippery slope, because the ‘Splinternet’ is the antithesis of how the Web was designed and meant to perform. We should resist these calls, irrespective of how tempting they might be.”
Marby agreed: “Inside our mission, we keep neutrality and act in assist of the worldwide Web. Our mission doesn’t prolong to taking punitive actions, issuing sanctions, or limiting entry in opposition to segments of the Web – whatever the provocations.”
Whereas the web’s official governors are staying out of the warfare, unofficial teams equivalent to Anonymous have taken up their cyber arms against Russia. Nameless has claimed to have taken down numerous web sites, together with Russian oil energy Gazprom; Russian state information company RT; and Russian and Belarusian authorities businesses, together with the Kremlin.
Quite a few firms have additionally joined the proper in opposition to Russia. For instance, Microsoft President Brad Smith introduced that the Home windows large would assist Ukraine in opposition to Russian cyber assaults. Smith wrote that whereas “We’re an organization and never a authorities or a rustic,” Microsoft would protect Ukraine from cyberattacks.
This isn’t a Twentieth-century warfare. Regardless of the place you might be on the planet, you’re solely an web connection away from the cyber-frontlines.