Who controls the information posted on the Internet? Government regulators or the group that oversees the web registrars?
“Internet Gatekeeper Clashes With Regulators on Drug Sales,” Wall Street Journal, October 28, 2014 A1. Regulators want ICANN to investigate websites selling drugs online more vigorously, but ICANN says it doesn’t have the power. ICANN, which has 22 employees to enforce against websites, says all it can do is terminate the contract with the registrar.
What does oversight mean? If you don’t have the power to enforce, can you really oversee something? If you have the power, but don’t use it, is that the same thing as “no oversight”? What happens if no one has the power to oversee? Do the regulators need to just take direct action against the alleged wrongdoers? Or enact and enforce new regulations? Or sue Google or FedEx for allowing this to happen? What about the Commerce of Department, which is in charge (for now) of “oversight” of ICANN?
