Application Comment Details

The ICANN states in its motto: "One World. One Internet", and its Standards of Behavior include the following point:

> Promote ethical and responsible behavior. Ethics and integrity are essential, and ICANN expects all stakeholders to behave in a responsible and principled way.

One could be forgiven to think, then, that the ICANN would put the world's interests first. Alas, it seems not to be the case.

Under this view, the current state of affairs regarding the Amazon Inc and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation (ACTO) looks worrisome. The Amazon area, twice the size of India, spans 9 different countries, contains several World Heritage Centres, encompasses the single largest remaining tropical rainforest in the world, and houses at least 10% of the world’s known biodiversity (many of which are endemic and also endangered). Its value for the world is incalculable.

It seems obvious that the ICANN, however, is putting commercial and economic interests first. But even if we priced each tree in the Amazon at $1, reducing its entire worth to monetary terms (as it appears to be the only terms the ICANN is willing to consider), its value would be 1.7 times bigger than the entire revenue of the e-commerce company.

Speaking of money, Amazon Inc., being the world largest tech company, and owned by the richest man in modern history, decided to bribe the ACTO with $5 million in Amazon gift cards. Apparently they've read the history of the Amazon region—centuries of colonialist policies—and decided to continue the practice of paying the bare minimum to native populations in exchange for natural resources, or in this case, the rigths to use the name of the biggest region in South America, in perpetuity.

In the past, the ICANN has had no problem putting on hold the process of granting gTLDs to corporate entities, after governments around the world objected to their use. Of course, back then the TLDs in question were .islam and .halal, and the governments were India and United Arab Emirates, two countries with great power over U.S. policy. The ICANN might claim to be free from U.S. government oversight, but its actions show otherwise.

The ICANN has now another chance to show the world it is free from government and corporate influence by doing what's right and following its onw Standards of Behavior. It is time to cancel .amazon.