- Paul Wilson led the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Registry for 25 years, overseeing the growth of the internet in the region since 1998.
- His resignation comes after accusations from the APNIC community of running the registry undemocratically.
Paul Wilson, director general of the Regional Internet Registry for the Asia-Pacific region, has resigned, bringing to an end an era that saw massive growth and distribution of internet services in the region.
Wilson made the announcement at APNIC’s Annual General Meeting at APNIC 57 in Bangkok, Thailand, which took place over the past few days. “I’ve known Paul for many years, and moving on from the DG role is something that he has been thinking about for some time,” said Kenny Huang, chair of the APNIC Executive Council. “I would like to thank Paul for his 25 years of dedication to APNIC, its Members, the EC and Secretariat, and the broader Internet community. … His unwavering support of, and commitment to, Internet development in the Asia Pacific region will leave a lasting legacy.”
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Wilson’s resignation comes after he was accused by one member of the APNIC community of running the registry “like a dictatorship.”
Lu Heng, CEO at LARUS Ltd, has lambasted Wilson in various videos, in which he says the registry has been managed badly, untransparently and in its recent Executive Council (EC) elections, displayed bias toward incumbent candidates. “I express my thanks to [Paul Wilson] for his service to the community for 30 years,” Lu said in one recent video. “He can be proud of many professional achievements, but leaving an institution that has less voter participation, less debate, less scrutiny and less democracy unfortunately is not one of them.”
When contacted by BTW Media for his response, Wilson declined, saying only “I see no value in entertaining this garbage.”
Wilson will help with the transition to a new director general until June 2024, with the search for his replacement already underway.
