ICANN Monthly Policy Update
Robin Gross
robin at IPJUSTICE.ORG
Tue Sep 1 07:09:22 CEST 2009
Dear All,
ICANN Monthly Policy Update is below.
If anyone would like to participate on ANY of these working groups,
drafting teams, committees, or other GNSO groups, please let me know,
as you are more than welcome to participate and your input would be
much appreciated. We need volunteer participants for just about
every group in the GNSO.
Thank you!
Robin
Available at:
http://www.icann.org/en/topics/policy/update-aug09-en.htm
ICANN POLICY UPDATE
Volume 09, Issue 08 – August 2009
http://www.icann.org/en/topics/policy/
CONTENTS:
Across ICANN
Policy-Related Issues Currently Open for Public Comment
ccNSO
ccTLD Delegation / Redelegation Working Group Launches
Cocos Islands Arrive as Member 95
Last Call Issued for DNSSEC Survey
GNSO
Board Approves GNSO Stakeholder Group Charters, Looks toward Seating
New Council in Seoul
GNSO Council Charters New Working Group on Inter-Registrar Transfer
Policies
Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery Working Group Begins Deliberations
Registration Abuse Policies Group Defines the Problem
Fast Flux Group Publishes Final Report
ASO
RIRs Progress on Global Policy Proposal for Recovered IPv4 Addresses
Joint Efforts
Cross-Community Geographic Regions Review Publishes Initial Report
for Public Input
New GNSO/SSAC Group to Explore Feasibility of Internationalized Whois
Joint GNSO/ALAC Working Group to Draft Registrant Rights
SSAC
SSAC Recommends Measures to Protect Domain Registration Services from
Misuse
At-Large
At-Large Annual Elections Are Underway
At-Large Continues Analyzing, Advising on Record Number of Policy Issues
Read Policy Update in Your Preferred Language
ICANN Policy Update is available in all six official languages of the
United Nations: English (EN), Spanish (ES), French (FR), Arabic (AR),
Chinese (Simplified – siZH), and Russian (RU). Policy Update is
posted on ICANN’s website and available via online subscription. To
receive these updates in your Inbox each month, simply go to the
ICANN subscriptions page, enter your e-mail address, and select
“Policy Update” to subscribe. This service is free of charge.
ICANN Policy Update statement of purpose
Send questions, comments and suggestions to: policy-staff at icann.org.
What’s on the Calendar for Today?
Keep up-to-date on ICANN policy development by visiting the online
calendars of ICANN’s policy development and advisory bodies. Three of
the most active calendars include:
At-Large Calendar at http://www.atlarge.icann.org/
Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) Master Calendar,
including links to agendas and MP3 recordings of meetings at http://
ccnso.icann.org/calendar/
Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Master Calendar,
including links to agendas and MP3 recordings of meetings, at http://
gnso.icann.org/calendar/index.html
Across ICANN
1. Policy Issues Currently Open for Comment
Numerous public comment periods are open on issues of interest to the
ICANN community. Act now for the opportunity to share your views on
such items as:
Initial Report of Geographic Regions Review Working Group. The ICANN
Bylaws currently define five geographic regions. Are the criteria for
assigning geopolitical entities to an ICANN Geographic Region
resulting in fair, consistent, yet appropriately diverse
representation in ICANN? Comment period closes on 4 September 2009.
Proposed Bylaw Changes to Improve Accountability. The latest step in
the Improving Institutional Confidence process. Comment period closes
25 September 2009.
More Information
For the full list of issues open for public comment, as well as a
list of recently closed and archived public comment forums, refer to
the Public Comments page.
ccNSO
2. ccTLD Delegation / Redelegation Working Group Launches
At a Glance
The country code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) created a new
working group to advise them on launching a policy development
process on the delegation, re-delegation and retirement of ccTLDs.
Recent Developments
The ccNSO has officially chartered a working group to consider these
issues. The group is in its beginning stages, but you can read its
charter and see the names of members (and in the near future, find
updated material) on the working group’s wiki page.
Next Steps
The working group will begin their deliberations.
Background
Currently, the ICANN policy and practices for delegation and re-
delegation are reflected in established IANA processes. In carrying
out these processes, IANA follows the ISO 3166-1 list of country-
codes published by the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency. For more
information about establishing new ccTLDs, see the IANA's Procedures
for Establishing ccTLDs and IANA’s delegation reports.
Re-delegation of ccTLDs refers to the process of changing the
designated manager(s) of a ccTLD. This process is conducted according
to the principles described in ICP-1 and RFC 1591. The policy and
process are also reflected in IANA reports that illustrate many of
the considerations made in deciding whether or not to re-delegate.
In light of the changed environment and circumstances since RFC 1591
was last revised in 1999, the ccNSO considered it time to review the
current policies. The ccNSO wants a better understanding of any
issues relating to the current policies, before taking possible
further steps.
More Information
http://www.ccnso.icann.org/workinggroups/drdwg.htm
Staff Contact
Bart Boswinkel, Senior Policy Advisor, ccNSO
3. Cocos Islands Arrive as Member 95
At a Glance
The country code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) welcomes a new
member.
Recent Developments
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands, using the country code .cc, applied to
join the ccNSO. The ccNSO Council approved the application at their
meeting on 24 August, making Cocos Islands the 95th member of the ccNSO.
More information
List of all ccNSO members: http://ccnso.icann.org/about/members.htm
Application Archives: http://ccnso.icann.org/applications/summary-
date.shtml
Application Form: http://ccnso.icann.org/applications/form.htm
Staff Contact
Gabriella Schittek, ccNSO Secretariat
4. Last Call Issued for DNSSEC Survey
At a Glance
DNSSEC could make a major difference to the security and stability of
the Internet. But does the Internet community understand and embrace
what DNSSEC offers? To answer this question, the ccNSO Council re-
launched a ccNSO DNSSEC Survey first conducted in 2007.
Recent Developments
This survey of country code registries will close just days from now
(in early September), so appropriate parties are encouraged to take
the survey.
Results will be compared to the survey findings from 2007, which
indicated that merely 7% of country code registries had implemented
DNSSEC at that time. In the same survey, 85% of participants said
that they planned to implement DNSSEC. The new survey will reveal how
many have done so in the intervening two years.
Background
The Swedish Registry (IIS.SE) and the European Network and
Information Security Agency (ENISA) jointly requested that the DNSSEC
survey be repeated. During its teleconference on 12 May 2009, the
ccNSO Council agreed. Results will be compared to those of the 2007
survey.
More Information
DNSSEC 2007 Survey Results
http://ccnso.icann.org/surveys/dnssec-survey-report-2007.pdf
DNSSEC 2007 Survey Questions
http://ccnso.icann.org/surveys/ccnso-survey-on-dnssec.pdf
Staff Contact
Gabriella Schittek, ccNSO Secretariat
GNSO
5. Board Approves GNSO Stakeholder Group Charters
Looks toward Seating New Council in Seoul
At a Glance
The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) community is working
to implement a comprehensive series of organizational and structural
changes designed to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and
accessibility of the organization. To become familiar with the GNSO's
new structure and organization, please see the discussion and
diagrams on the GNSO Improvements webpage.
Recent Developments
New Stakeholder Groups Approved. At its 30 July meeting, the ICANN
Board passed an important milestone toward seating a new GNSO
Council. The Board approved four new Stakeholder Group charters for
the Registries Stakeholder Group, the Registrars Stakeholder Group,
the Commercial Stakeholders Group (CSG) and the Non Commercial
Stakeholders Group (NCSG). The charters for the CSG and the NCSG are
transitional and will be subject to further community review and
discussion over the coming year as those groups transition to
permanent structures.
New GNSO Constituencies Discussed. All four of the proposed new GNSO
Constituency charters (CyberSafety, Consumers, City TLDs and IDNgTLD)
have now been subject to full 30-day public comment forums. The Board
discussed the proposals at it 30 July meeting and has asked Staff to
conduct follow-up discussions with the various Constituency
proponents to learn more about the various proposals.
ICANN Bylaw Amendments Reviewed. A 30-day Public Comment Forum on the
recommended Bylaws Amendments necessary to implement the GNSO
Restructuring concluded shortly before the 30 July Board meeting. A
second 21-day Public Comment Forum on a revised package of amendments
was initiated shortly after the Board meeting. Community comments on
this second comprehensive package concluded on 24 August.
New Process for Electing GNSO Board Seats #13 and #14 Approved. At
its 30 July meeting, the Board approved the original recommendation
of the Working Group on GNSO Council Restructuring with respect to
the election of Board seats #13 and #14. The Contracted Party House
of the GNSO Council will nominate candidates for Board Seat #13 and
select a Board member candidate by a 60% majority of that voting
house. The Non-Contracted Party House will nominate candidates for
Board Seat #14 and select a Board member candidate by a 60% majority
of that voting house.
Council and Work Team Implementation Efforts. The Operations Steering
Committee (OSC) and Policy Process Steering Committee (PPSC), which
were created by the GNSO Council, established five Work Teams that
are staffed by volunteers from the GNSO and ALAC communities to
develop specific proposals, processes and mechanisms for implementing
the GNSO Improvement Recommendations endorsed and adopted by the
Board. These Recommendations include improving the Policy Development
Process (PDP); standardizing the Working Group model for GNSO Policy
development; revising GNSO Council, Stakeholder Group, and
Constituency processes and operations; and improving the various
communications functions in the GNSO community to increase
participation in policy development activities. Since March 2009
these five Work Teams have made significant progress on the following
activities:
Policy Process Efforts:
PDP Team
The GNSO’s PDP Work Team is developing a new policy development
process (PDP) (including a report of proposed new bylaws, rules and
procedures) that is better aligned with the contractual requirements
of ICANN’s consensus policies, expands early issue scoping and fact-
finding prior to launch of a PDP, is more flexible and effective, and
includes a post-PDP assessment process to measure the effectiveness
of policy recommendations. The team is meeting weekly and currently
is discussing the ‘proposal review and voting threshold’ stage (stage
two out of five policy development stages) and is expected to review
shortly a first draft of the recommendations for the ‘planning and
initiation’ stage (stage one out of five).
Working Group Team
The GNSO’s Working Group Model Work Team is developing two new
guidebooks that are targeted to separate audiences, as follows: 1)
"Working Group Implementation and Charter Drafting Guidelines" is
intended for sponsoring organizations such as the GNSO Council and
will contain a comprehensive set of elements to be considered in
creating, purposing, funding, staffing, and instructing a WG to
accomplish the desired outcome. 2) "Working Group Operating Model
Guidebook" is intended for leaders of working groups and will provide
guidance on such elements as structuring, tasking, reporting, and
delivering the outcome(s) as chartered. As of 6 July, both outlines
have been completed and drafting has begun on both documents.
Operations Efforts:
The GNSO Operations Work Team completed a key task in July. It
produced a document containing ideas for a revised GNSO Council
structure relating to the Board recommendation to establish the
Council as a "strategic manager of the policy process." At the end of
July the team distributed the document to the Constituencies for
comment. In addition, the Work Team has produced a draft "Statement
of Interest"/"Declaration of Interest" policy document, currently
under review by ICANN legal staff. Most importantly, however, the
Work Team began developing a revised version of the GNSO Council
Operating Procedures to reflect the ICANN Board's GNSO Improvement
recommendations and incorporate draft amendments to the ICANN Bylaws.
The Work Team agreed to revisions relating to key provisions,
including the definition of a quorum and voting. The Work Team has
decided to meet weekly during the month of August in order to
finalize recommendations relating to the procedures as quickly as
possible.
The GNSO Constituency & Stakeholder Group Operations Work Team is
meeting biweekly and has established three Sub Teams to determine
recommendations for best practices in the following areas: a
framework for participation in any ICANN Constituency that is
objective, standardized, and clearly stated; operating principles
that are representative, open, transparent, and democratic; and
creating and maintaining a database of all constituency members and
others not formally a part of any constituency that is up-to-date and
publicly accessible. In addition, the Team is developing
recommendations relating to the Board Recommendation for a “tool kit”
of basic administrative, operational and technical services that
could be made available to all Constituencies.
The GNSO Communications Work Team has drafted a set of Business
Requirements to improve the GNSO website and, in a phased approach,
address basic collaboration as well as limited document management
capabilities that were identified as deficient in the Board’s Report
on GNSO Improvements. The Work Team has submitted this document for
review by the Operations Steering Committee. In addition, the team
has made significant progress on back-end improvements to the GNSO
website, including completing plans to migrate gnso.icann.org from a
static design to a database/Drupal design that will be much more
dynamic and adaptable. In addition, ICANN staff — in coordination
with the Work Team — invited GNSO “power users” to be interviewed re:
GNSO user experience with the goal to interview one dozen users in
order to have a real-world basis for design decisions. The Work Team
also is working on recommendations to enhance the GNSO’s ability to
solicit meaningful community feedback. In addition, the Work Team is
considering the current ICANN translation process for documents
associated with policy development and recommendations to improve
GNSO’s coordination with other ICANN structures.
Next Steps
The Board, GNSO Council and community Work Teams are collectively
resolving the critical path issues necessary to seat the newly
structured GNSO Council at the Seoul, South Korea ICANN meeting in
October 2009.
The Board is expected to discuss and resolve the Bylaws amendments to
implement the GNSO Council restructuring at its 27 August meeting. In
the meantime, the GNSO Council will work to complete its planning to
ensure a smooth transition in Seoul. That work will include
developing new Council operating procedures currently being reviewed
by the GNSO Council Operations Work Team. Additional work will likely
focus on the review of existing GNSO Constituency charters and
dialogue with the proponents of the potential new GNSO Constituencies.
Background
Through a series of decisions at its February, June, August and
October 2008 meetings, the ICANN Board has endorsed a series of goals
for improving several aspects of the GNSO’s structure and operations.
These decisions are a culmination of a two-year effort of independent
review, community input and Board deliberations. Click here for
background details.
More Information
GNSO Improvements Information Web Page
http://gnso.icann.org/en/improvements/
Announcements – GNSO IMPROVEMENTS IMPLEMENTATION – How You Can Become
Involved: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-08jan09-
en.htm – Help Build the New GNSO: http://icann.org/en/announcements/
announcement-09jan09-en.htm
Staff Contact
Robert Hoggarth, Senior Policy Director
6. GNSO Council Charters New Working Group on Inter-Registrar
Transfer Policies
At a Glance
The Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP) aims to provide a
straightforward procedure for domain name holders to transfer their
names from one ICANN-accredited registrar to another. The GNSO is
reviewing and considering revisions to this policy.
Recent Developments
As expected, at its meeting on 23 July, the GNSO Council chartered an
IRTP Part B Working Group with the task of considering the following
questions (as outlined in the issues report) and making
recommendations to the GNSO Council:
Whether a process for urgent return/resolution of a domain name
should be developed, as discussed within the SSAC hijacking report
(PDF; see also http://www.icann.org/correspondence/cole-to-
tonkin-14mar05.htm);
Whether additional provisions on undoing inappropriate transfers are
needed, especially with regard to disputes between a Registrant and
Admin Contact (AC).;
Whether special provisions are needed for a change of registrant when
it occurs near the time of a change of registrar. The policy does not
currently deal with change of registrant, which often figures in
hijacking cases;
Whether standards or best practices should be implemented regarding
use of a Registrar Lock status (e.g. when it may/may not, should/
should not be applied);
Whether, and if so, how best to clarify denial reason #7: A domain
name was already in 'lock status' provided that the Registrar
provides a readily accessible and reasonable means for the Registered
Name Holder to remove the lock status.
The Council expects the Working Group to pursue the availability of
further information from ICANN compliance Staff to understand how
relevant elements of the existing Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy are
enforced. The WG should also request compliance Staff to review any
policy recommendations it develops and provide advice on how the
recommendations may best be structured to ensure clarity and
enforceability.
Following the adoption of the charter, a call for volunteers was
launched (see the announcement’s PDF).
Next Steps
A first meeting of the IRTP Part B Working Group is expected to be
held shortly. For further information, please consult the IRTP Part B
Working Group Workspace on https://st.icann.org/irtp-partb/index.cgi?
irtp_part_b.
Background
As part of a broader review of the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy,
the first in a set of five distinct policy development processes
(PDPs) has now been completed and a second one has begun. Click here
for background details.
More Information
Public comment period
http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-09jan09-en.htm
Draft Advisory on how IRTP requirements apply to registrars
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/transfers/gnso-draft-transfer-
advisory-14nov07.pdf
PDP Recommendations
http://gnso.icann.org/drafts/transfer-wg-recommendations-pdp-
groupings-19mar08.pdf
Issues Report, Set A
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/transfers/transfer-issues-report-set-
a-23may08.pdf
Charter Inter Registrar Transfer Policy – Part A PDP Working Group
https://st.icann.org/gnso-council/index.cgi?irtp_pdp_a_wg_charter
Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy
http://www.icann.org/en/transfers/
IRTP Part B Issues Report
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/transfers/irtp-report-b-15may09.pdf
Staff Contact
Marika Konings, Policy Director
7. GNSO’s Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery Working Group Begins
Deliberations
At a Glance
To what extent should registrants be able to reclaim their domain
names after they expire? At issue is whether the current policies of
registrars on the renewal, transfer and deletion of expired domain
names are adequate.
Recent Developments
The GNSO Council adopted a charter for a Post-Expiration Domain Name
Recovery Working Group (PEDNR WG) at its meeting on 24 June in Sydney.
Following the adoption of the charter, a call for volunteers was
launched (PDF). In addition, a PEDNR workshop was held at the ICANN
meeting in Sydney, enabling a first exchange of views with the
broader ICANN community on the issues outlined in the charter above.
(For a transcript and audio recording of the workshop, please see
http://syd.icann.org/node/3869.)
Next Steps
The Working Group has begun meeting and will continue meeting on a bi-
weekly basis to discuss and address the questions outlined in its
charter.
The Working Group is expected to organize an issue update / workshop
at the Seoul meeting, in addition to providing an update to the GNSO
Council. The Working Group should consider recommendations for best
practices as well as – or instead of – recommendations for Consensus
Policy.
Background
During the ICANN meeting in Cairo, the ALAC voted to request an
Issues Report on the subject of registrants being able to recover
domain names after their formal expiration date. The ALAC request was
submitted to the GNSO Council on 20 November 2008. ICANN Staff
prepared the Issues Report on post-expiration domain name recovery
and submitted it to the GNSO Council on 5 December 2008. ICANN Staff
provided the GNSO Council with clarifications on the questions raised
in a motion that was adopted at its 18 December meeting. The GNSO
Council reviewed these clarifications during its meeting on 29
January and agreed to create a Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery
drafting team to eventually propose a charter and to provide
recommendations answering certain questions.
More Information
GNSO Issues Report on Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/post-expiration-recovery/report-05dec08.pdf
Translations of the GNSO Issues Report on Post-Expiration Domain Name
Recovery
http://gnso.icann.org/policies/
ICANN Staff response to GNSO request for clarifications
http://gnso.icann.org/mailing-lists/archives/council/msg06162.html
Staff Contact
Marika Konings, Policy Director
8. Registration Abuse Policies Group Defines the Problem
At a Glance
Registries and registrars seem to lack uniform approaches to dealing
with domain name registration abuse, and questions persist as to what
actions "registration abuse" refers to. The GNSO Council has launched
a Registration Abuse Policies (RAP) Working Group to take a closer
look at registration abuse policies.
Recent Developments and Next Steps
The RAP Working Group is meeting on a bi-weekly basis to address the
issues outlined in its charter, such as: the difference between
registration abuse and domain name use abuse; the effectiveness of
existing registration abuse policies; and which areas, if any, would
be suitable for GNSO policy development to address registration
abuse. Most recently, they have generated (and are reviewing) a
document that provides working definitions of types and categories of
abuse, and cites the primary target for each abuse type.
Background
Click here for more details.
More Information
Registration Abuse Policies Issues Report, 29 October 2008
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/registration-abuse/gnso-issues-report-
registration-abuse-policies-29oct08.pdf
Translations of the Executive Summary of the Issues report
http://gnso.icann.org/policies/
Registration Abuse Policies WG Charter
https://st.icann.org/reg-abuse-wg/index.cgi?
action=display_html;page_name=registration_abuse_policies_working_group
Registration Abuse Policies Mexico City Workshop Transcript
http://mex.icann.org/files/meetings/mexico2009/transcript-gnso-
registration-abuse-policies-workshop-03mar09-en.txt
Registration Abuse Policies Working Group Workspace (Wiki)
https://st.icann.org/reg-abuse-wg/index.cgi?
registration_abuse_policies_working_group
Registration Abuse Policies WG Status Update
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/registration-abuse/rap-wg-status-
update-02jun09.pdf
Staff Contacts
Marika Konings, Policy Director, and Margie Milam, Senior Policy
Counselor
9. Fast Flux Group Publishes Final Report
At a Glance
Fast flux attacks refer to techniques used by cybercriminals to evade
detection by rapidly modifying IP addresses and/or name servers.
Though fast flux is notorious as a technique used maliciously, it
also has legitimate uses. The GNSO is exploring appropriate action.
Recent Developments
The Fast Flux Hosting Working Group has now submitted its final
report (PDF) providing answers to the questions posed by the GNSO
Council. The group also developed a definition of fast flux attacks,
to distinguish these from legitimate uses of fast flux; and compiled
fast flux metrics, also in the report.
The Fast Flux Hosting Working Group has not made any recommendations
for new consensus policy, nor changes to existing policy, but it has
provided a number of ideas for next steps. These ideas include:
Highlight which solutions / recommendations could be addressed by
policy development, best practices and/or industry solutions
Consider whether registration abuse policy provisions could address
fast flux by empowering registries / registrars to take down a domain
name involved in malicious or illegal fast flux
Explore the development of a Fast Flux Data Reporting System
Explore the possibility of ICANN as a best practices facilitator
Explore the possibility to involve other stakeholders in the fast
flux policy development process
Redefine the issue and scope.
Next Steps
The report will now be reviewed and discussed by the GNSO Council,
which will decide on the next steps.
Background
Following a SSAC Advisory on Fast Flux Hosting and an Issues Report,
the GNSO Council launched a Policy Development Process (PDP) on Fast
Flux Hosting in May 2008. The Working Group published its Initial
Report in January 2009, which discusses a series of questions about
fast flux hosting and the range of possible answers developed by
Working Group members. The Report also outlines potential next steps
for Council deliberation. These next steps may include further work
items for the Working Group or policy recommendations for
constituency and community review and comment, and for Council
deliberation.
For more details, see “Background on Fast Flux Hosting.”
More Information
Fast Flux Hosting Final Report
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/fast-flux-hosting/fast-flux-final-
report-06aug09-en.pdf
SSAC Report 025 on Fast Flux Hosting, January 2008
http://www.icann.org/en/committees/security/ssac-documents.htm
Issues Report on Fast Flux Hosting, corrected 31 March 2008
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/fast-flux-hosting/gnso-issues-report-
fast-flux-25mar08.pdf
Limited translations of the Issues Report on Fast Flux Hosting
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/
Fast Flux Hosting Initial Report
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/fast-flux-hosting/fast-flux-initial-
report-26jan09.pdf
Limited translations of the Executive Summary of the Initial Report
on Fast Flux Hosting
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/
Fast Flux Public Comment Forum
http://forum.icann.org/lists/fast-flux-initial-report/
Fast Flux Workspace (Wiki)
https://st.icann.org/pdp-wg-ff/index.cgi?fast_flux_pdp_wg
Staff Contact
Marika Konings, Policy Director
ASO
10. RIRs Progress on Global Policy Proposal for Recovered IPv4 Addresses
At a Glance
Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) are currently discussing a
proposed global policy for handling IPv4 address space returned from
the RIRs to IANA. According to the proposal, IANA should act as a
repository of returned address space and allocate such space to the
RIRs in smaller blocks than it currently does, once the free pool of
IANA IPv4 address space has been depleted.
Recent Developments
The RIRs discussed the proposal at their most recent meetings. APNIC
has adopted the proposal, which has passed final call in AfriNIC and
LACNIC. The proposal remains in the discussion stage in ARIN and RIPE.
Next Steps
If adopted by all RIRs, the Number Resource Organization Executive
Committee and the Address Supporting Organization Address Council
(ASO AC) will review the proposal and then forward it to the ICANN
Board for ratification and implementation by IANA.
A third update of the Background Report on recovered IPv4 addresses
will be announced in September on the ICANN web site.
Background
IPv4 is the Internet Protocol addressing system used to allocate
unique IP address numbers in 32-bit format. With the massive growth
of the Internet user population, the pool of such unique numbers
(approximately 4.3 billion) is being depleted and a 128-bit numbering
system (IPv6) will need to take its place.
The proposed global policy has two distinct phases; 1) IANA only
receives returned IPv4 address space from the RIRs and 2) IANA
continues to receive returned IPv4 address space and also reallocates
such space to the RIRs. This proposal is connected to a recently
adopted global policy for allocating the remaining IPv4 address
space. When that global policy takes effect, it also triggers phase
two in the proposal.
For more details, see “Global Policy Proposal for Handling Recovered
IPv4.”
Next Steps
A Background Report on recovered IPv4 addresses is soon to be
announced on the ICANN web site.
More Information
Background Report, updated 11 June 2009
http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-12may09-en.htm
Staff Contact
Olof Nordling, Director Services Relations
Joint Groups
11. Cross-Community Geographic Regions Review Publishes Initial
Report for Community Input
At a Glance
The Geographic Regions Review Working Group has published its Initial
Report for community review and comment.
Recent Developments
After several months of dialogue between the Board and the Geographic
Regions Working Group, the Board approved the group’s proposed
charter of work at its 26 June meeting in Sydney, Australia.
The Charter outlines a three-part process in which the working group
first prepares an Initial Report outlining the current applications
of ICANN’s geographic regions in various ICANN structures and
processes and confirming the issues to be addressed by the working
group during its deliberations.
The Working Group completed its Initial report and it has been
published in all six UN languages for community review and comment. A
35-day public comment forum is now open through 4 September 2009.
Next Steps
At the end of this public comment period, the ICANN Staff will
provide a summary and analysis of the comments submitted regarding
the proposed charter document. That summary/analysis will be shared
with the community and the Working Group.
According to the Charter, the Initial Report will be followed by an
“Intermediate Report,” currently scheduled to be drafted and prepared
by the October 2009 Seoul ICANN meeting. A third “Final Report” that
will include the working group’s recommendations (if any) is
currently scheduled to be published early next year. The Working
Group will review the community input on the Initial Report to guide
its deliberations and future work on the Intermediate Report and
Final Report documents.
Background
“Background on Geographic Regions Working Group”
More Information
ccNSO Working Group Final Report and Recommendations
http://ccnso.icann.org/workinggroups/ccnso-final-report-regions-
wg-240907.pdf
ICANN Board Resolutions: November 2007
http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-02nov07.htm
ICANN Board Resolutions; November 2008
http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-07nov08.htm
Approval of Geographic Regions WG Charter
http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-26jun09.htm - 1.2
Public Comment Forum on Initial Report of Working Group
http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/public-comment-200909.html#geo-
regions-review
Staff Contact
Robert Hoggarth, Senior Policy Director
12. New GNSO/SSAC Group to Explore Feasibility of Internationalized
Whois
At a Glance
WHOIS is the data repository containing registered domain names,
registrant contacts and other critical information. Questions persist
concerning the use and misuse of this important resource. The GNSO
Council continues its inquiries into the suitability of Whois going
forward.
Recent Developments
From public comments and from the Governmental Advisory Committee
(GAC), suggestions in 2008 outlined two dozen areas worthy of study.
These “hypotheses” have since been grouped into broad areas.
The first three study areas are: Whois Misuse; Whois data
representation; and Whois proxy and privacy services. Staff is
currently managing the preparation of RFPs so that research firms can
quote the cost and feasibility of studying these areas. Part of the
ongoing effort requires defining Terms of Reference (TOR), which are
being prepared now. The goal is to post RFPs on the ICANN web site in
time for the October international meeting in Seoul.
During June’s international meeting in Sydney, the ICANN Board passed
a resolution asking the GNSO and the SSAC to form a joint Working
Group, which would look at the feasibility of introducing display
specifications so that the introduction of internationalized domain
names (IDNs) and related non-ASCII registration data does not corrupt
the accuracy of Whois. The community is in the early stages of
convening this technical Working Group. The group will be soliciting
input from other SOs and ACs, especially the GAC and ccNSO. The
findings and output of this group may make further work unnecessary
in the fourth broad area of study, the impact on Whois accuracy/
readability of international characters (non-ASCII).
The fifth important study area, separately requested by the GNSO in
May, would compile a list of Whois service requirements, based on
previous policy discussions. Expect to see a study plan outlined in
Seoul.
Staff intends to release study assessment information serially (as
specific analyses on the individual study areas are complete).
However, this work is an ongoing effort in which the initial
feasibility assessments and cost determinations will take several
months to complete. Staff will keep the GNSO Council informed of
progress, so that the GNSO can then consider next steps.
Background
The GNSO Council specified study areas related to Whois, involving
data misuse, use of non-ASCII character sets, proxy and privacy
services, and the provision of inaccurate information. Click here for
background details.
More Information
SSAC 027: Comment to GNSO Regarding WHOIS Studies
http://www.icann.org/en/committees/security/sac027.pdf
SSAC 033: Domain Name Registration and Information Services
http://www.icann.org/en/committees/security/sac033.pdf
SSAC 038: Registrar Abuse Point of Contact
http://www.icann.org/en/committees/security/sac038.pdf
GNSO WHOIS policy development page
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/whois/
IRTP Working Group A Final Report
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/transfers/irtp-final-report-a-19mar09.pdf
GAC WHOIS study suggestions,16 April 2008
ttp://www.icann.org/correspondence/karlins-to-thrush-16apr08.pdf
WHOIS Study Hypothesis Report, 26 August 2008
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/whois/whois-study-hypothesis-group-
report-to-council-26aug08.pdf
The GNSO Council Motion in Mexico City, March 2009
https://st.icann.org/gnso-council/index.cgi?04_mar_2009_motions
Motion on WHOIS Service Tools
https://st.icann.org/gnso-council/index.cgi?07_may_motions
ICANN Board Resolution regarding display and usage of
internationalized registration data, approved in Sydney, 26 June 2009
http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-26jun09.htm#6
Staff Contact
Liz Gasster, Senior Policy Counselor
13. Joint GNSO/ALAC Working Group to Draft Registrant Rights
At a Glance
In order to be accredited by ICANN, registrars sign a Registrar
Accreditation Agreement (RAA) that commits them to certain
performance standards. ICANN community groups are drafting a charter
identifying registrant rights and discussing amendments to the RAA.
Recent Developments
On 21 May 2009, the ICANN Board approved a new form of a Registrar
Accreditation Agreement (RAA) to be applicable to all registrars. The
revised RAA, widely recognized by the Community as an improvement
over the existing version of RAA, provides ICANN with additional
compliance tools and provides registrants some extra protections. The
RAA amendments received broad support among registrars in Sydney,
where many registrars participated in a signing ceremony displaying
their commitment to the new agreement.
Next Steps
The GNSO is undertaking a further review of the RAA to identify even
more amendments. To accomplish this review, a joint working group has
been created with ALAC. This joint Working Group is expected to draft
a Registrant Rights Charter, discuss further amendments to the RAA,
and identify those on which further action may be desirable.
Background
To learn more about this RAA-related working group, please see:
http://www.icann.org/en/topics/raa/.
More Information
The joint Working Group has just started, but when they post
information, it will be on their wiki page.
Staff Contacts
Margie Milam, Senior Policy Counselor
SSAC
14. SSAC Recommends Measures to Protect Domain Registration Services
from Misuse
At a Glance
The Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) has numerous
initiatives underway or recently completed, all intended to assure
the security and stability of the Internet.
Recent Developments
SSAC has concluded its work on SAC040, Measures to Protect Domain
Registration Services from Exploitation or Misuse. The report details
major episodes of unauthorized access to domain accounts and
malicious alteration of registration data to identify exploitable
areas in current registration service models. It also describes
measures that e-merchants, financial bodies, and enterprise intranets
apply to mitigate certain exploits. Some GNSO Registrar Constituency
(RC) members worked collaboratively with SSAC on this important
issue, providing insightful and constructive comments to SAC040. The
report will be issued later this month.
Next Steps
On a separate issue – SSAC and ICANN Staff are working in response to
the Board of Director's resolution calling for the formation of a
working group on internationalizing registration data. An SSAC member
is preparing and will host a webinar to present the issues identified
in SAC037, “Display and Usage of Internationalized Registration
Data,” to all interested parties in September. With the community at
large, members are also studying alternatives for collecting, storing
and enabling display of registration data in local scripts.
Background
Malicious use of domain names has become a mainstay for criminals,
“hacktivists,” and notoriety seekers. Much of SSAC's attention is by
necessity directed at these events. At the same time, the Internet
community is preparing for dramatic changes over the next several
years, including the introduction of DNSSEC, IPv6, IDN, and new
gTLDs. Each of these changes individually poses new issues;
introduced together, even over a span of years, they represent
additional complexity and could have cumulative side-effects. SSAC
will be reviewing these changes for potential new vectors for attacks.
More Information
Internationalizing Registration Information (Whois Data)
http://syd.icann.org/node/4159
SSAC Reports and Advisories
http://www.icann.org/en/committees/security/ssac-documents.htm
Staff Contact
Dave Piscitello Senior Technology Specialist
At-Large
15. At-Large Annual Elections Are Underway
At a Glance
Each year around this time, the At-Large community elects its leaders
for the forthcoming year, and appoints voting delegates to the ICANN
Board’s Nominating Committee. This process has an impact on the whole
ICANN community.
Recent Developments
From August to the beginning of October, the At-Large community is
engaging in a series of elections. Each of the five Regional At-Large
Organizations (RALOs) is:
Recommending nominees for the ALAC to consider for appointment to
voting positions on the Nominating Committee (NomComm);
Electing one member of the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC);
Electing RALO Officers (Secretariat and in some regions a Chair and
Vice-Chair);
Proposing candidates for ALAC Board Liaison.
The ALAC will then vote on the slate of all candidates proposed by
all RALOs. The ALAC also is:
Appointing five Delegates (voting members) of the NomCom;
Appointing the ALAC Liaison to the ICANN Board, from the list of
candidates provided by the RALOs;
Electing its Chair, two Vice-Chairs, and Rapporteur;
Electing liaisons to the GNSO Council, ccNSO Council, IDN Policy,
NCUC, and the SSAC.
More Information
Complete information may be found at the At-Large Elections 2009 page.
Staff Contact
At-Large Secretariat at staff at atlarge.icann.org.
16. At-Large Continues Analyzing, Advising on Record Number of Policy
Issues
At a Glance
At-Large continues providing input on behalf of the individual
Internet user community on a diverse range of issues. Thus far in
2009 they have already weighed in on an unprecedented number of issues.
Recent Developments
At-Large provided their official input into public consultations,
referred to as Advisories to the Board of ICANN, on the following
subjects in July and early August:
Second Report of the Board Review Working Group
IRT Working Group Final Report
IDN Fast Track Implementation Plan v3
Root Server System Scaling Study
Bylaw Amendment related to Organizational Review Cycles and the
Organizational Reviews Process
All official At-Large statements, including those above, may be found
at http://www.atlarge.icann.org/correspondence.
At-Large work also is underway on the following subjects:
“Improving Institutional Confidence: The Way Forward” documents
posted by the ICANN Staff; and the Bylaw Amendment Proposals related
to the same.
At-Large proposals for Improvements to the Public Consultation Process
Initial Report of the Geographic Regions Working Group
Proposed Meeting Dates for 2011-2013
More Information
Complete information on the policy advice development schedule in At-
Large, including links to draft statements, is always available in
one place: http://www.atlarge.icann.org/policycalendar.
Staff Contact
At-Large Secretariat at staff at atlarge.icann.org
IP JUSTICE
Robin Gross, Executive Director
1192 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 USA
p: +1-415-553-6261 f: +1-415-462-6451
w: http://www.ipjustice.org e: robin at ipjustice.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ncuc.org/pipermail/ncuc-discuss/attachments/20090831/1ceaa30c/attachment.html>
More information about the Ncuc-discuss
mailing list