The Domain Name System, which helps users find their way across the Internet by substituting user-friendly names for numerical computer addresses, has performed well, but technical and political challenges must be met for the system to continue to operate effectively, says a new report from the National Academies' National Research Council. Security must be heightened and steps taken to counter attempts to use the system to control other aspects of the Internet, a task for which it was not designed and is not suitable, said the committee that wrote the report. It added that the Domain Name System should continue to be administered by a nongovernmental body -- not turned over to an intergovernmental organization, as has been suggested by some nations and international agencies. | 
