“I’ll continue devoting my life to the security of the global internet”
Former ICANN Board member talks about cooperation and internet governance
Looking back at his time with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Maarten Botterman is grateful and content. “As an ICANN Board member, I’ve been able to have a hand in guiding a stable, secure and open global internet. An ecosystem that works because people from different countries have pulled together to make it work.” Maarten spent 9 years on the ICANN Board and was elected Chair 3 times, before stepping down at ICANN84 in Dublin, Ireland, in October. Here, he talks about the challenges and highlights of that period, and shares his vision of internet governance.
Unifying role
ICANN
ICANN is a Los Angeles-based organisation that coordinates the global system of domain names and IP addresses. Within ICANN, the internet community develops policy in line with ICANN's mission. The role of ICANN’s board is to ensure that that’s done responsibly, and always in the global public interest. The board is made up of 16 voting members and 4 non-voting representatives.
Maarten is an expert on the future internet with a worldwide reputation. For more than 25 years, he’s been advising governments and large organisations on the economic, commercial and social impacts of internet innovations and technologies. Including those making waves now, and those on the horizon.
With his typically Dutch collaborative mindset, Maarten balances disparate interests and keeps a steady hand on the tiller. “That was the most important feature of my role as Chair,” he says. “Because, at ICANN, things work from the bottom up. All stakeholders, including internet companies, governments, users and technical experts, have a say and help to shape policy. Governments are involved as advisors, not as decision-makers. That way, ICANN is able to look after the interests of the entire internet community. The global multistakeholder collaboration you see at ICANN is unique and has helped to make the internet what it is today.”
Decision-making in complex situations
During Maarten’s time as Chair, ICANN has had to make a number of crucial decisions. First there was the question of whether non-profit organisation PIR should be sold to an investment company. That proposal was rejected by the ICANN Board because of the public interests at stake. Then, in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, another issue raised its head. ICANN became one of the first internationally active organisations to decide against meeting in person at its upcoming gathering in Cancun, Mexico. At short notice, ICANN switched to a fully virtual format, enabling the organisation’s work to continue.
Later, in 2022, the Ukrainian government asked ICANN to delete the .ru, .рф and .su domains from the root. “ICANN’s job isn’t to get involved with politics, but to keep the internet working for everyone,” explains Maarten. “So we turned down the request, albeit while expressing respect for the situation. The decision was accepted by the global community, including Ukraine. The incident also underscored ICANN’s independent position.”
Highlights
Despite such challenges, Maarten takes pleasure in what ICANN and the internet community have achieved together. One example is development of the Strategic Plan to provide direction for ICANN’s mission and vision. “Because it was developed in dialogue with the internet community, it was widely supported,” he recalls. Another highlight of Maarten’s time was introduction of the ICANN Grant Program to fund innovative internet projects. The first of the projects supported by the scheme are now up and running. “The Grant Program promotes the positive side of the internet, much as SIDN does in the Netherlands through SIDN Fund,” Maarten explains.
A major milestone was also passed, with preparations made for the next application window for new generic top-level domains (gTLDs). The window is scheduled to open in April 2026. “Everything is proceeding according to plan, thanks to intensive collaboration within the internet community and with ICANN. I’ve been very impressed.”
Security, inclusion and international reach
In his time on the ICANN Board, Maarten has seen the internet’s global significance grow. Increasingly, the internet is now essential for governments, organisations and the general public. At the same time, it’s threatened by cybercrime, commercial interests and geopolitical tensions. “That’s why the multistakeholder model is so important,” says Maarten. “ICANN doesn’t dictate what approach governments take towards the internet. Rather, ICANN creates the conditions for a secure, inclusive and interoperable internet, which everyone in the world can use and wants to go on using.”
Maarten therefore believes there are a number of priorities for ICANN in the years ahead. “First, it’s important to increase the effectiveness of multistakeholder collaboration: a process that never ends,” he argues. “Reliable online connections based on general use of secure internet standards should also be promoted. And the internet needs to be made accessible and kept accessible for everyone, regardless of what language they read or write. In emerging internet economies, that also means investing in providing people with the knowledge and skills needed to participate safely. There’s work to be done on that score: two thirds of the world regularly uses the internet, but one third still doesn’t.”
Other topics Maarten sees as important are the need for sustainability and knowledge capacity development. “ICANN has started looking at internet-related greenhouse gas emissions. Its first report on the subject is expected this year. Where knowledge dissemination is concerned, ICANN pays a lot of attention to the education of new generations who want a say in internet governance and development. There’s also scope for doing even better in terms of collaborating with organisations such as the Internet Society and RIPE NCC.”
Ongoing commitment
Maarten intends to continue devoting his life to the security of the global internet and the reliability of e-mail traffic. No longer as an ICANN Board member, but in partnership with ICANN and the internet community. “Maintaining a balance between internet stability and constant innovation is a challenge. But the key thing is that we address that challenge together. It’s the only way to keep developing the internet for everyone.”
To learn more about ICANN’s work or participate in the ICANN internet community, visit https://www.icann.org/en/beginners.
