Ira Magaziner, President Clinton’s senior advisor on
Internet issues, has announced he will leave his post by the
year’s end.
Magaziner,who has been a senior Clinton administration official for more
than five years, announced his pending resignation late Friday. The news
comes as the government is preparing to hand over control of the Internet’s
domain name system to a private consortium, The Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
Magaziner has also wrestled with privacy issues, has advised the Clinton
administration to adapt a hands-off Internet policy and encouraged
self-regulation in the Internet industry. He first stressed those
principles in 1997 when he formulated the Framework for Global Electronic
Commerce.
The white paper outlined goals for governments throughout the world in
approaching the Internet as a venue for commerce. The paper included
policies set forth by the United States and the European Union in dealing
with issues such as encryption, regulation and electronic payments.
Magaziner did not specifically say when he would leave, although he has
reportedly said he hopes to finish up within the next month. Magaziner has
not commented on future plans, but is expected to move to Rhode Island, where
his family relocated earlier this year.