Mike Lawrie, administrator of the ZA domain on the internet, on Thursday said he had moved a major control mechanism abroad until stability returned to the issue of who controlled the domain.
The primary zonefile, which links the names that humans remember, like joesoap.co.za, to the so-called IP address, a sort of code, was no longer on his computer, but on that of someone abroad, he told Sapa.
”The operation of the ZA domain is not affected whatsoever by this move… This is fully within all technical specifications of the Internet’s domain name system,” Lawrie said in a statement.
He said this would ensure the utmost stability in the technical operation of the ZA domain name. He had taken the step in the light of concerns of a major disruption in the domain name.
”In the present circumstances, it would be irresponsible of me not to take appropriate steps in order to avoid the possibility of a disruption.”
The internet was designed to be an ”unbombable” network, and he had used some of its design features that ensured this, Lawrie said.
”In due course, when the dust has settled on what has become a political football over a technical function of the Internet, the file will no doubt be moved back to South Africa by whoever will and must succeed me as administrator of this domain.”
Lawrie and Namespace ZA, an organisation of prominent Internet users formed to take over the domain name’s administration from him, are opposed to the Electronic Communications and Transactions Bill approved by the National Assembly on Friday.
They claim the bill, which still has to pass through the National Council of Provinces and be signed by the president, gives the government too much control over the administration.
”I agree totally with the government that one person shouldn’t control it,” Lawrie said.
The problem lay with the degree of government control for which the Bill provided, he said.
Lawrie said he might be accused of being a disloyal South African for taking the latest step, but he feared the consequences of the takeover by the authority stipulated in the Bill.
He said those who passed the Bill clearly did not have the necessary understanding and if someone without the necessary knowledge was allowed to take over his computer, that might jeopardise the internet in South Africa.
”If they tell me to do wrong things that they don’t understand, there might be a serious problem.”
Lawrie, who insists that he would not do anything himself to collapse the internet, nevertheless said he would not hand over the administration to an entity with which he was not happy.
This, however, he could only do as long as he had the support of the internet community. He believed he had widespread support.
”The domain administrator operates with the trust of the community. He doesn’t own the domain.”
Lawrie said that if it was believed he did not serve the interests of the community, those concerned could notify the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann).
He would not be able to block any steps taken by Icann. – Sapa