- From 21 to 26 October, important decisions regarding the development of the Internet will be made in Hamburg
- Agenda of the 78th meeting of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has been published
- Hosted by the eco Association, DENIC eG and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the event expects approximately 2,500 international visitors from research, the tech community, politics, business and civil society
In a few days’ time – from 21 to 26 October – the international Internet community will meet in Hamburg. eco – Association of the Internet Industry and DENIC eG, in cooperation with the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, are organising the 78th meeting of the international domain name administration ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) from 21 to 26 October. The declared goal of the approximately 2,500 international participants from the fields of technology, business, politics, research and civil society is to ensure that the Internet continues to be securely operable for everyone according to clear rules.
“In Hamburg this October, the governance of the Internet will be in the hands of the people who freely and democratically drive critical decision-making processes to ensure an independent Internet today and in the future,” states eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme. “I am very pleased that, after Berlin in 1999, we have been able to bring an ICANN conference to Germany and to my home town Hamburg for the first time in over 20 years.”
Opening ceremony with Federal Minister of Transport Volker Wissing
All interested parties can attend the ICANN78 Annual General Meeting 2023, virtually or on-site, after registering (deadline: 20 October). The complete agenda is now online and can be viewed after registration: Discussions will include application procedures for new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs), the further development of the open, free and secure Internet or the privacy-compliant handling of registration data. Representatives of civil society, associations, governments and the business sector will engage in discussions in individual committees. Decisions will be made in a grassroots democratic manner according to a defined self-governing mechanism.
On Monday, 23 October, the Welcome & Opening Ceremony will take place in the morning at the CCH – Congress Center Hamburg, during which Dr Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, will welcome the international guests. Afterwards, ICANN will celebrate its birthday with a 25th Anniversary Session. ICANN was founded in 1998 by the US Department of Commerce and, as an independent non-profit organisation, still has the responsibility of ensuring the allocation of domain names and IP addresses worldwide – and thus the secure and stable operation of the Domain Name System (DNS) for the Internet.
ICANN community to shape free Internet in Hamburg – free registration until 20 October
Many participants will travel to Hamburg a few days prior to the official opening ceremony, with the official agenda starting on Saturday 21 October. On Friday, 20 October 2023, the eco Association will offer an ICANN78 Day Zero Workshop. In this regard, the focus will be on regulatory topics, in particular the impact of Article 28 of the NIS2 Directive on the DNS industry. On Saturday and Sunday, government representatives will meet in various GAC (Governmental Advisory Committees) workshops.
The decisions that ICANN will make in Hamburg will affect all Internet users worldwide. For the Internet to function, domain names and IP addresses must be unique worldwide. The core task of ICANN, founded in 1998, is to ensure this in cooperation with the worldwide Internet community. The meetings of ICANN take place three times a year, each time in a different city around the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were only virtual meetings. Hamburg was already planned as the venue for the ICANN Annual General Meeting in 2020. However, the conference was hosted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All info on the eco accompanying programme
Register now as a journalist to participate in ICANN78
Register now as a journalist or interested party to participate in ICANN78.
