ICANN certifies 6 community groups

The Linux Journal is carrying this story by John Blau of the IDG News Service today: "In a first step toward giving individual users a voice in how the Internet is run, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has approved six community user groups in three regions. The 'At-Large' groups aim to engage individual Internet users in ICANN activities at the local or issue level... Certification of the At-Large organizations comes after ICANN's board approved a framework in June for establishing local, regional and global user groups... In Europe, ICANN's At-Large Advisory Committee certified four groups: Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft eV, Internet Society Bulgaria, Internet Society Luxembourg A.S.B.L. and Societa' Internet. Elsewhere, the committee approved the Arab Knowledge Management Society in the Asian-Pacific and Australian region, and Alfa-Redi in the Latin America and Caribbean Island region. The committee has been encouraging interested, qualified groups in all geographic regions to become certified At-Large members. Information about At-Large applications is available on the Web at: www.alac.icann.org/applications/."