Litigation before the Supreme Court - Lu Heng: "AFRINIC is just an address book. You can't control the Internet with that"

In an interview with Défi Media Group, Lu Heng, the Chief Executive Officer of Cloud Innovation Ltd, advocates for a decentralized vision of the Internet. He believes that the tensions surrounding AFRINIC stem from a fundamental misunderstanding that controlling the African IP address registry equates to mastering the continent's Internet.

For Lu Heng, AFRINIC is nothing more than "an Internet number librarian. Nothing more." He compares its role to "a simple and neutral address book" that merely indicates which IP addresses are in use and by whom. "The person holding the address book does not own the houses. They do not control the streets. They simply record numbers." Any attempt to transform this administrative function into a tool of power would, in his view, be a mistake.

Digital Sovereignty

When asked about continental initiatives advocating for "African digital sovereignty," Lu Heng is blunt: "Believing that one can control the African Internet via AFRINIC is like saying: If I steal the address book, I own the whole city. That's false."

He cites the deep divisions between various African countries, such as Rwanda and the DRC, or Morocco and Algeria, to illustrate that centralized control of the network would be unrealistic: "You don't command the Internet," he emphasizes.

According to Lu Heng, if political actors imposed a single continental direction, "they would only break the Internet." Networks would cease to cooperate, leading to fragmentation akin to "visas for data packets."

The Conflict with AFRINIC

Reflecting on the origins of the dispute between Cloud Innovation Ltd and AFRINIC, Lu Heng explains that his company acted "for two reasons: to protect end-users and to uphold the rule of law."

He claims that when AFRINIC's former management attempted to withdraw Cloud Innovation's IP addresses "without legal grounds," millions of users risked losing their connection. "It was neither political nor strategic. It was simply about protecting users," he states.

He notes that the Supreme Court has been called to intervene multiple times, particularly to appoint a Receiver to organize "transparent and fair" internal elections. When this Receiver reported receiving political directives, Cloud Innovation returned to court to defend "the Mauritian Constitution and the separation of powers."

A Neutral Hub

For Lu Heng, Mauritius retains a vital role: that of a stable space where AFRINIC can operate without political interference. He believes that supporting certain continental initiatives, especially those from Smart Africa, "makes Mauritius ridiculous and harms its reputation."

In his view, the country must continue to uphold "neutrality, the rule of law, open Internet, and decentralization," adding that "The Internet grows through connection, not through control."

His Profile

Lu Heng is a technology entrepreneur and founder of the LARUS Group, specializing in global Internet infrastructure and IP address management. He created one of the largest independent IPv4 leasing platforms, used by networks serving hundreds of millions of users. A long-time member of the PTC Advisory Council, he advocates for open, stable, and apolitical Internet governance. Through the LARUS Foundation, he is involved in business operations, public policy, and education, aiming to maintain an Internet that is accessible, lawful, and free from political manipulation.