Security focus for ICANN summit

Computer geeks and public-policy afficianados arriving in California to take part in the annual meeting of ICANN, the web's regulatory body, will find that, like everything else, September 11 has profoundly changed the online world.

In the wake of the devastating hijacking attacks in Washington and New York, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers decided to devote its annual meeting to a discussion of computer security.

The meeting, which starts today, will feature an array of panels, lectures and discussions intended to bolster online stability.

"It's very important, we feel, to sort of stand down, take a good, hard look and make sure there's not some things we're missing," said ICANN President M. Stuart Lynn.