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Lu Heng, LARUS CEO, on AFRINIC elections: Clique control must end, decentralisation will ensure democracy
Lu Heng, founder and CEO of IP address management and leasing companies Cloud Innovation and LARUS Ltd, has written an open letter calling for more transparency and community engagement in the run-up to the AFRINIC elections. The elections, set for June 23, 2025, hope to bring to end years of chaos …
Headline
Lu Heng, founder and CEO of IP address management and leasing companies Cloud Innovation and LARUS Ltd, has written an open letter calling for more transparency and community engagement in the run-up to the AFRINIC elections. The elections, set for June 23, 2025, hope to bring…
Context
Lu Heng, founder and CEO of IP address management and leasing companies Cloud Innovation and LARUS Ltd, has written an open letter calling for more transparency and community engagement in the run-up to the AFRINIC elections. The elections, set for June 23, 2025, hope to bring to end years of chaos and uncertainty at the registry, which manages the allocation and registration of IP addresses for the African region.
Evidence
Pending intelligence enrichment.
Analysis
You can read Heng’s full letter below. Read more: AFRINIC elections set, voters urged to ‘Reclaim Your Power’ Read more: Cloud Innovation welcomes AFRINIC Receiver, urges continued allocation of IP addresses to ensure African business growth Read more: What is AFRINIC? The role and challenges of the African Regional Internet Registry I am writing in my capacity as the founder of Cloud Innovation and CEO of LARUS, and I appreciate the opportunity to share my perspective on the governance issues at AFRINIC (and at Regional Internet Registries in general). First and foremost, we have observed a troubling pattern in AFRINIC’s governance structure: the policies and procedures have become extraordinarily complex and opaque. This complexity tends to serve a small circle of insiders who have mastered the system. In fact, an entire niche industry of “RIR consultants” has sprung up to help businesses manage IP address allocations and navigate RIR account bureaucracy . These insiders often offer their services to others, effectively profiting from a convoluted policy environment that only they fully understand. The result is a self-serving cycle – they help write and interpret the intricate policies, and then they get paid to guide others through the maze those policies create.
Key Points
- Heng has condemned the historical concentration of power and lack of transparency at AFRINIC, claiming its governance is dominated by a small group of insiders who create and exploit complex policies for personal gain, undermining democratic processes and marginalizing…
- Heng has called for decentralized, member-led governance, advocating for a reformed model where IP address holders have stronger ownership rights and play an active, informed role in governance, reducing reliance on centralized authority and increasing transparency and…
Actions
Pending intelligence enrichment.
