The group that oversees Internet addresses finalized changes Thursday that end direct elections to its board of directors -- a move critics complain could make the group indifferent to ordinary users and hurt innovation.
The steps are part of an organizational overhaul meant to improve the efficiency of the nonprofit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, said chief executive Stuart Lynn.
The changes were approved by a 15-3 vote on the final day of a conference on Internet addresses this week in Shanghai.
"This will make ICANN a much more efficient and effective organization that will get things done better and faster and be more plugged-in to the community than we are now," Lynn told reporters following a board meeting.
Lynn and others said the group"s former method of electing five of the 18 board members bogged ICANN down in debates that held up its main work -- making decisions that affect everything from how Web sites are named to how e-mail is sent.