The Internet's key oversight agency has selected former U.S. cybersecurity chief Rod Beckstrom as its next chief executive.

The appointment, effective next Wednesday, comes as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN (EYE-can), caps weeklong meetings in Sydney, Australia.

Friday's approval by a voice vote (Thursday evening in the United States) puts Beckstrom, 48, at the helm of an international organization with oversight of the monikers behind every Web site and e-mail address.

ICANN is in the midst of revamping procedures for adding domain name suffixes and allowing entire Internet addresses to be in languages other than English for the first time.

Beckstrom served as the first director of the Department of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity Center. He resigned in March amid persistent turf battles.

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