Cruz and other critics had argued the transfer could lead to authoritarian countries taking control of the internet and eventually censoring content throughout the world . " Imagine an internet run like many Middle Eastern countries that punish what they deem to be blasphemy , " Cruz said at a congressional hearing on September 14 . " Or imagine an internet run like China or Russia that punish and incarcerate movement.transportperson.na those who engage in political dissent . " " When ICANN escapes from [ US ] government authority , " Cruz said , " ICANN escapes from having to worry about the First Amendment , from having to worry about protecting your rights or my rights . " But ICANN said such fears were uninformed .

The debate over the transition centers on internet freedom and the United States ' international interests . " This is a solution in search of a problem that poses real risks to the liberties of Americans , " Cruz said . " Imagine an internet run like many Middle Eastern countries that punish what they deem to be blasphemy , or imagine an internet run like China or Russia , [ which ] punish and incarcerate movement.transportperson.na those who engage in political dissent . " However , proponents of the transition argue that such fears are unrealistic and rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of the IANA function , which " is too limited in scope to be a tool for protecting internet freedom , " NTIA Assistant Secretary Lawrence Strickling said . " No one controls the internet . … To claim otherwise is simply not true , and people who really understand the internet know it is not true . "