[Expression] [governance] ICANN Board Vote Signals Era of Censorship in Domain Na

[Carlos Afonso]

I go further -- I would suggest ICANN prepares a PDP on how to establish 
a bridge with governments and communities (regional, idiomatic, 
indigenous etc), and how to define criteria, for building a full 
database of internationalized names (regularly updated by a guidance 
board) which would not be acceptable as g/sTLDs. This would be part of 
the effort of distancing itself from having to decide in the last 
instance if a name is "good" or "bad".

In addition, ICANN would launch another PDP on expanding thematic 
criteria (geographic, historical, idiomatic etc) for new TLDs to be able 
to decide in a clear and timely process on .berlin, .gal, .rio, 
.katakana, .syracuse, .bio, .social :) etc etc.

frt rgds

--c.a.

Horacio T. Cadiz wrote:
> Milton Mueller wrote:
> 
>>> I also think it has become crystal clear that TLDs which ombination 
>>> of letters might confront resistance (of cultural, legal or similar 
>>> nature) in one or more countries or communities, should in principle 
>>> be discarded
>>
>> Completely wrong, imho. I understand that you are trying to show 
>> respect for different
>> cultures, etc. But the true effect of trying to do so is simply to
>> immobilize everyone. If everyone has a veto on what is published,
>> nothing is published. 
> 
>   How then is it to be balanced in the gTLD? In the end, even if only 
> the most meaningless groups of letters and numbers will ever get 
> registered in a gTLD,
> the fact is that censorship won't stop there.
> 
>   For example, if a pro-Nazi group in Germany registers its 
> "hitlerisgod" domain
> under the .PH domain, do you think the controversy would end because it 
> is not
> in a gTLD?
> 
>   Should we not forget the precept that the answer to "bad speech" is 
> not the curtailment of "free speech" but in the propagation of "good 
> speech." Both "good speech" and "bad speech" die when there is no "free 
> speech."
> 

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Carlos A. Afonso
diretor de planejamento
Rede de Informações para o Terceiro Setor - Rits
http://www.rits.org.br
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