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EU calls on the U.S. to give up Internet oversight

Updated Mon. May. 4 2009 8:51 AM ET

The Associated Press

BRUSSELS -- A senior European Union official called on President Barack Obama to give up United States' oversight of the Internet.Major decisions on how the Internet is run are made solely by the California-based non-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN.It is overseen by the U.S. Commerce Department under an agreement that expires Sept. 30.

EU Commissioner Viviane Reding, the EU's Internet chief, called for the severing of links between ICANN and the U.S. government.

Instead, he wants monitoring by an independent legal authority and a group of 12 countries that would meet regularly to discuss Internet governance and security.The previous U.S. administration resisted efforts to hand ICANN oversight to a United Nations agency.