The Internet Society works to promote the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world. We formed Public Interest Registry in 2002 to operate the .ORG registry as an exemplary top-level domain in a fashion intended to set the quality, efficiency and privacy standards for the Internet domain industry. We are proud of the work Public Interest Registry has done over the last 18 years in furtherance of that mission.
On November 10, 2019, Board members unanimously agreed that the mission of the Internet Society to support open access to the Internet for everyone would best be served by approving a transaction that will not only secure a stable source of funding for the Internet Society but will also place Public Interest Registry in a better position to facilitate the continued stability and growth of the .ORG registry for the benefit of all who have come to rely on it.
The Internet Society respects the work of ICANN and the important role it plays in the Internet’s technical coordination functions, and we encourage ICANN to respond swiftly and thoroughly to the California Attorney General’s request for information. The Internet Society has approved the proposed transaction in reliance on ICANN’s procedures for approving an indirect change of control—including relevant timelines—approved by its board and mandated in its agreements with top level domain registries. In addition to encouraging ICANN to comply fully with the California Attorney General’s request, we also, therefore, implore ICANN to approve the change of control of Public Interest Registry as expeditiously as possible.
Any failure of ICANN to function within its legal and regulatory mandate may operate either to the detriment of the public served by the Internet Society and its important charitable work, or to the detriment of .ORG users and Public Interest Registry’s continued operation of the .ORG registry in the exemplary manner in which it has operated since 2002, or both. All registry operators should be able to rely on ICANN to comply with its processes and procedures in a stable and predictable fashion.