ICANN is the organisation responsible for managing the system of internet addresses, meaning the infrastructure that ensures that typing a web address into a browser connects you to the right place online. Once a year, its policy forum brings together governments, companies, civil society organisations, and individual users to jointly shape the rules governing how the internet functions. It is one of the few examples of global technology governance in which the voice of ordinary internet users carries formal weight alongside that of states and corporations.
The University of Lodz participates in this process through the Lodz Cyber Hub, which is an officially accredited structure within the At-Large community of ICANN, affiliated with the European Regional At-Large Organisation. This means that the University holds a formal role in shaping internet policy at the global level, representing the interests of academic internet users.
Participation in ICANN86 reflects the long-term commitment of the Centre to research on internet governance. The team examines the relationship between the technical architecture of the internet and public international law, including the role of states in multistakeholder decision-making processes and the legal foundations of institutions such as ICANN. This perspective remains relatively rare in European legal scholarship and is one of the distinguishing features of research conducted at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Lodz.
Lodz Cyber Hub is the only accredited local ICANN unit (At-Large Structure) that enables students and members of the local community to actively participate in the development of internet standards and regulation. Contact us if you would like to know more.
