Commerce Sec Pritzker blames Internet transition critics for 'misinformation'

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said critics of the US government's plan to give up oversight of some technical functions of the internet are engaging in "politics and misinformation." Sec Pritzker downplayed the planned handoff of the United States' role over the Internet domain name system.

She described the US's current responsibility as "largely symbolic" and "clerical." "I think there is a lot of politics and misinformation at play," she said. "That is why I wanted to take you through the story, because it is important that we get the facts correct." Delaying the transition that is planned for later this year would harm the trust other countries have put in the United States, Sec Pritzker said. "If we don't take action now, the trust will be undermined," she said.