Ukraine's request targeting Russia's access to the internet was dismissed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in its response issued on March 2. The California-based non-profit emphasised its support of a neutral and global internet. "As you know, the Internet is a decentralized system. No one actor has the ability to control it or shut it down," — Göran Marby, President and CEO of ICANN Unlike other major wars in Europe, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has crossed over to the internet. As a result, tech companies and organisations are being pressed to pick a side. The vast number of platforms exiting Russia has also led to concerns that the country might be heading towards a "splinter net". Why has ICANN refused? "It is only through broad and unimpeded access to the Internet that citizens can receive reliable information and a diversity of viewpoints. Regardless of the source, ICANN does not control internet access or content." — Göran Marby Elaborating on the technical and policy reasons behind the organisation's decision, Marby wrote: Cannot take unilateral action: The organisation refused to disconnect country-code top-level domains because "globally agreed policies do not provide for ICANN to take unilateral action". Cannot heed requests from one nation about another: Marby said that ICANN predominantly validates requests that come from authorised parties within the respective country or territory. Thus, requests from one territory or country concerning internal operations within another territory or country appear to be off limits for the organisation. "Such…
