The worldwide clout of domain name authority Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will come under the spotlight in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, next week.

ICANN is based in California and has developed a reputation for authoritarian implementation of Internet domain name standards. This, and concern about too much US influence over the Internet, will be highlighted at the series of meetings.

The conference will take place from 18 to 23 July and is a prelude to another conference to be held in Cape Town from 1 to 5 December.

According to ICANN, the meetings will include the Government Advisory Council, which is a forum to bring together the divergent views of governments concerning the use and administration of the domain names.

Internet service providers, regional domain name registers, commercial and non-commercial organisations and civil society will give their input on topics ranging from the allocation of domain names to ICANN's budget.

Other issues to be discussed will include the use of the .org address and the requirements for using .net in an address.