On 27 January 2004, the International Chamber of Commerce released an 'Issues Paper on Internet Governance' (Paper), aimed at clearing up confusion on the issue. The Paper defines internet governance as technical engineering, technical co-ordination and handling of public policy matters.
It notes that a number of different private-sector organisations play a critical role in the technical coordination of the internet, including the Internet Corporation for Assignment Names and Numbers (ICANN), and outlines ICANN's role in coordinating and managing the domain names system.
The Paper goes on to identify several examples of public policy matters related to internet governance, which are generally the responsibility of governments. These include tax, education, security and technological innovation.
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