US government relax control over Internet use

The US government has relaxed its control over how the internet is run. It has signed a four-page “affirmation of commitments” with the net regulator Icann, giving the body autonomy for the first time.

Previous agreements gave the US close oversight of Icann,-drawing criticism from other countries and groups.

The new agreement comes into effect on Thursday, exactly 40 years since the first two computers were connected on the prototype of the net.

The European Commission, which has long been critical of Icann's alliance with the US government, has welcomed the new deal.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) is a not-for-profit private sector corporation, set up by the US government, to among other things, oversee critical parts of the internet.

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