ICANN still hasn’t decided whether to approve .org sale with just 11 days left to go

Despite two previous postponements, four months’ notice, dozens of letters, and a protest outside its headquarters, on Monday this week ICANN refused to say whether it will consider the broader public interest in its decision, or apply the same criteria it used last time the registry changed ownership.

It’s no coincidence that the primary criticism leveled at ICANN since its inception in 1998 is that it is – and remains – largely unaccountable. It makes decisions of global import and holds itself up as a model of modern “multistakeholder” decision-making, where everyone impacted has a say, but in reality the organization never reveals internal deliberations and it goes to great lengths to shield its decisions from scrutiny.