ICANN ASSISTED A MEMBER WHO GAVE US TECHNOLOGY TO IRAN

The Washington Free Beacon reveals that ICANN has been plagued by corruption already, even before the Obama administration set out to transfer oversight to foreign sources who could prove to be a bad lot:

The international organization the Obama administration is pushing to hand control over the internet to has provided official accreditation to people who have transferred technology to Iran, worked with North Korea, and ordered “murders-for-hire,” according to congressional testimony that raises questions about the organization’s practices.

Obama administration efforts to hand over control of America’s Internet to The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, an international coalition of 162 countries and entities, have sparked outrage on Capitol Hill, where critics allege the move would stifle the free flow of information.

Experts familiar with ICANN’s structure testified before Congress on Wednesday that the organization has failed to act in a transparent and accountable fashion, raising questions about how it would operate free from U.S. government oversight.

On multiple occasions, ICANN has provided official accreditation to people operating as an “arm of a criminal network,” including one person who pled guilty to transferring U.S. technology to Iran, according to testimony by John Horton, president and CEO of LegitScript, which works with international governments.

ICANN continues to provide legitimacy to these organizations despite mounting evidence they have engaged in illegal activity, according to Horton, who explained that these criminal sites “remain online because ICANN green-lighted the registrar’s refusal to investigate or take action.”

One of these outfits is ABSystems, a “rogue internet pharmacy network” that provided cover to its founder, Paul Le Roux, who has been dubbed the “most successful criminal mastermind you’ve never heard of.”

“In December 2013, Paul Le Roux pleaded guilty to crimes involving North Korean methamphetamine trafficking, the transfer of US technology to Iran, and several murders-for-hire,” according to Horton’s testimony, which was offered to the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Mr. Le Roux, a Zimbabwean national … remains in US custody, pending sentencing.”

Le Roux financed his illegal endeavors “by operating as an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar, creating a rogue internet pharmacy network through his ability to register domain names unimpeded,” according to Horton.

Gee whiz. It's already clear ICANN's plagued by some of the worst people around if they allowed men like that to ply their trade without opposition. And it's just one more reason why I think separate internet management agencies should be established even if ICANN doesn't go under bad foreign controls. These separate companies might have to charge more money for services but that could ensure better trustworthiness.

This is proof beyond a doubt that ICANN cannot be entrusted to foreigners who could serve shady interests. And who knows what Iran's been doing with that technology Le Roux gave them?