The Commerce Department announced late Friday afternoon - an information dump designed to get the least coverage possible - that it would relinquish control of the internet by not renewing its contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a non-profit group that makes sure the net runs smoothly. Washington Post: That contract is set to expire next year but could be extended if the transition plan is not complete. “We look forward to ICANN convening stakeholders across the global Internet community to craft an appropriate transition plan,” Lawrence E. Strickling, assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information, said in a statement. The announcement received a passionate response, with some groups quickly embracing the change and others blasting it. In a statement, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) called the move “consistent with other efforts the U.S. and our allies...(Read Full Post)