[ncdnhc-discuss] No new LA agenda

[Dave Crocker]

At 02:43 PM 9/27/2001, Milton Mueller wrote:
>ICANN itself has very little to do with the "robustness" or "security"
>of Internet infrastructure. Secure protocols are developed by the
>IETF and adopted by industry. The physical security required to
>protect infrastructure from violent attack is the responsibility of
>law enforcement and private sector operators.


One of the major difficulties in ICANN-related discussions is the 
deep-seated desire some participants have to discount operational aspects 
of ICANN's responsibilities, and to view those aspects far too simplistically.

These issues have been explained many time, so the real problem is that 
some ICANN participants obviously do not want to deal with matters that are 
outside their personal interest (and expertise.)


The announcement by ICANN was simple and clear:

>ICANN is not responsible for the overall security of the Internet. 
>However, given ICANN's global responsibilities for the stability of the 
>Internet's naming and addressing systems and under the new circumstances 
>facing the international community, it would be irresponsible for ICANN 
>not to conduct an in depth assessment of the robustness and security of 
>these systems, and to take steps, if necessary, to strengthen the Internet 
>in these regards.

So, the scope of the security focus is, in fact, strictly limited to 
matters that pertain directly to ICANN's responsibilities.

Security is more than a matter of some protocols.

Security is more than a matter of a few root servers.

Operations is multi-faceted.

It is fine that some people do not understand the complexity of operations 
and administration activities.

However it is NOT fine that they discount these matters, simply so that 
they can focus on the matters they personally find more fun.

The problem is not that ICANN has shifted the focus of the next meeting to 
operations-related issues.

The problem is that it has not been allowed to pursue that focus previously.

d/

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Dave Crocker  <mailto:dcrocker at brandenburg.com>
Brandenburg InternetWorking  <http://www.brandenburg.com>
tel +1.408.246.8253;  fax +1.408.273.6464