Commerce official will hit critics of domain name transition

A top official at the Department of Commerce is expected to criticize on Wednesday those who tried to stop the transfer of the internet domain name system away from the United States’s control.

“In the final months of the [Internet Assigned Number Authority] transition, there were those who tried to delay or block the transition at the eleventh hour,” National Telecommunications and Information Administration chief Lawrence Strickling is expected to say in remarks, according to Politico.

{mosads}“You do not show respect for the multi-stakeholder process when you do not participate for two years and then afterward say you object to the outcome.”

His comments come after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) launched a last-ditch effort to stop the transition that reflected years of opposition to the plan. That push was ultimately backed by the campaign of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump but nonetheless was unsuccessful.

Critics argue that this move would allow hostile international actors to gain control, and perhaps censor, parts of the internet.

The transition allows a group of stakeholders to take over oversight of the domain name functions, which are crucial to the operation of the internet. They connect individuals with the websites they are trying to access.

Previously, they were managed by a nonprofit called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers through a contract with the Department of Commerce. That contract lapsed at the beginning of this month.

—This post was updated at 3:15 p.m.