With the resignation of Ira Magaziner, the Clinton administration has lost its top internet and ecommerce policy advisor. Magaziner announced on Friday that he is planning to leave Washington as soon as his staff complete the follow-up to his June, 1997 Framework for Electronic Commerce. This will probably before the end of the year. It seems likely that he will leave at least one critical project unfinished; the reassignment of the internet naming and numbering function to a not-for-profit corporation, ICANN. Added to the untimely death of IANA czar Jon Postel (CI No 3,520), Magaziner’s resignation deprives this process of two of its prime movers. This state of affairs reveals the extent to which internet regulation remains an ad hoc process, largely determined by individual personalities and wills. It’s far from clear who will inherit Magaziner’s mantle. The NTIA’s Becky Burr has been mentioned as one plausible candidate. Unless a proposal is approved before his departure, Magaziner’s successor could well have the final say on the structure of ICANN. The process is so informal, however, that even this much is unclear. Magaziner’s resignation is neither wholly unexpected nor particularly premature. For the past year, his family has been based in Providence, Rhode Island, while he commuted to Washington. A member of his staff pointed out to Wired that where the average life expectancy of a top aide is 18 months, Magaziner has been working in the White House for almost six years. After being involved with the ill-fated national health plan, Magaziner was reassigned to internet affairs. A businessman before he became an advisor, he has tended to recommend industry self- regulation over legislation. This places the US at odds with the European Union, which favors a legislated approach to the protection of personal information. The Clinton administration is still wrangling with the EU over its strict directive on data privacy, which came into effect at the end of October and could harm international trade; another loose end Magaziner is likely to leave untied.
