Resumen
The global internetworking simply would not work without formal and informal procedures to coordinate domain-name assignments, Internet Protocol addresses, and root-server management. Remarkably few Internet users are aware of the profound changes under way in this invisible infrastructure. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the official product of the U.S. government's white paper policy after the rancor over domain name policy. It is supposed to take over responsibility for IP address space allocation, protocol parameter assignment, domain-name system management, and root server system management. ICANN is mired in controversy because the functions it is supposed to perform have become thoroughly politicized. It is also controversial because the secretive way it was formed did lasting damage to its legitimacy. Parties involved cannot seem to decide whether it is an obscure technical coordinating body or an incipient world government. The surveillance potential of the root is probably the main reason the U.S. government dragged its feet so long in privatizing Internet administration. ICANN's tumultuous and fascinating evolution is the best place to watch how an increasingly globalized society balances the need for open communication with demands for centralized control