Judge rejects attempt to stop internet oversight transfer

A federal judge ruled Friday that the transfer of internet domain systems oversight to an international governing body can move forward, overruling opposition from several state attorneys general and lawmakers. 

{mosads}The transfer of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) from the U.S. to an international entity representing 162 countries will proceed on Saturday as planned.

A primary function of ICANN is done by its Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) department, which coordinates the internet’s domain name and IP address system.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt and Nevada Attorney General Paul Laxalt filed a lawsuit on Wednesday night to stop the White House’s proposed transition of ICANN functions.

The complaint cited constitutional concerns and security risks of potentially losing the .mil and .gov domains for the military and government, respectively.

Republican lawmakers Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), John Thune (S.D.) and others had previously pushed to include language delaying the transition in the continuing resolution to fund the government, but were unsuccessful.

Presidential nominee Donald Trump also backed the effort to keep control of the organization in U.S. hands.