Domains of Convenience: Open Country Code Top-Level Domains And
DOMAINS OF CONVENIENCE: OPEN COUNTRY CODE TOP-LEVEL DOMAINS AND THE GEOPOLITICS OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE By Kenneth A. Merrill Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Communication of American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Communication Chair: Laura DeNardis, Ph.D. Patricia Aufderheide, Ph.D. Kathryn Montgomery, Ph.D. Derrick Cogburn, Ph.D. Dean of the School of Communication Date 2018 American University Washington, D.C. 20016 © COPYRIGHT by Kenneth A. Merrill 2018 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DOMAINS OF CONVENIENCE: OPEN COUNTRY CODE TOP-LEVEL DOMAINS AND THE GEOPOLITICS OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE BY Kenneth A. Merrill ABSTRACT This project draws on multiple case studies to investigate the ways in which so-called “open” country code top-level domain names (ccTLDs) (ccTLDs with no local presence requirements) mediate global debates over Internet governance. Specifically, it focuses on three cases in which open ccTLDs became implicated in cross-border controversies over (1) political censorship (wikileaks.ch), (2) intellectual property rights enforcement (rojadirecta.me), and (3) cybercrime (the redelegation of .TK). Using an interpretive comparative approach, the project draws on interviews with ccTLD technical operators, regulators, civil society groups, and users, as well as analysis of relevant documents (e.g. registry and registrar policies, court documents, media reports, and minutes from various governance fora) to examine the outsized role that open ccTLDs play in the networked information economy. Identifying the “commodification of sovereignty” as a key component in the co-production of open ccTLDs, the project draws on a sociotechnical approach to examine the ways in which these country-specific identifiers simultaneously reinforce and undermine notions of sovereignty in cyberspace and the consequences this poses for Internet governance.
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