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ICANN POLICY UPDATE | Volume 10, Issue 11 — November/December 2010

PDF Version [435 KB]

http://www.icann.org/en/topics/policy/

CONTENTS:

Across ICANN

  1. Issues Currently Open for Public Comment

ccNSO

  1. Recommendations Ready on TLD Delegations, Re-Delegations, and Retirements
  2. Interim Report on IDN ccTLD Membership in ccNSO Opens for Public Comment
  3. ccNSO Finance Working Group Formed
  4. ccNSO Accepting Travel Funding Applications for San Francisco
  5. Other Issues Active in the ccNSO

GNSO

  1. Consultation Under Way on Issues Affecting Morality and Public Order
  2. Bottom-Up Process Produces No Consensus on Vertical Integration
  3. Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy WG Starts on Final Report
  4. How Should ICANN Implement Registration Abuse Policy Recommendations?
  5. Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery WG Closes Public Comment; Seeks Consensus
  6. GNSO Improvements: Work Team Efforts Continue
  7. Other Issues Active in the GNSO

ASO

  1. First ASO Internet Number Resource Policy Update to Be Presented in Cartagena

Joint Efforts

  1. Single-Character IDN TLDs Report to Be Published for Discussion in Cartagena
  2. Improvements to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement Recommended
  3. Charter Proposed for Joint DNS Stability and Security Working Group
  4. Internationalized Registration Data WG Releases Interim Report
  5. Geographic Regions WG Publishes Interim Report

At-Large

  1. Bachollet, First At-Large Board Director, to Take Seat at the 39th ICANN Meeting
  2. At-Large Community Expands to 129 At-Large Structures

SSAC

  1. SSAC Publishes Registrant's Guide
  2. SSAC Publishes Its Operational Procedures

Read in Your Preferred Language

ICANN Policy Update is available in all six official languages of the United Nations. Policy Update is posted on ICANN's website and available via online subscription. To receive the Update in your Inbox each month, visit 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@icann.org.

Policy Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees

Address Supporting Organization ASO
Country Code Names Supporting Organization ccNSO
Generic Names Supporting Organization GNSO
At-Large Advisory Committee ALAC
Governmental Advisory Committee GAC
Root Server System Advisory Committee RSSAC
Security and Stability Advisory Committee SSAC

Across ICANN

1. Issues Currently Open for Public Comment

Numerous public comment periods are open on issues of interest to the ICANN community. Act now to share your views on such topics as:

  • Proposed Final New gTLD Applicant Guidebook. This is a dedicated public comment page designed to collect your input on the Proposed Final Applicant Guidebook and the related supporting documentation. During the 10 December Board Meeting in Cartagena, the ICANN Board will take into account this work (and comments received on it) to decide when to launch the New gTLD Program. The Board can approve the Guidebook or direct that changes be made. Comment period closes 10 December.
  • Proposed Bylaws Amendment to Create a Non-Voting Chair-Elect to the Nominating Committee. The subject of this public comment forum is limited to the proposed Bylaws revisions necessary to elect the Chair of the Nominating Committee one year in advance and the ensuing change of the Committee composition. Comment period closes 10 December.
  • JAS WG Milestone Report. How can ICANN assist applicants from developing economies to increase their participation in the new generic Top-Level Domain (New gTLD) Program? Please comment by 15 December.
  • Review of IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process. We are nearing the one-year anniversary date (16 November 2010) of the launch of the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process. The Final Implementation Plan for the Fast Track Process requires an annual review of the process. ICANN has opened a public comments forum on the review of the process, closing 17 December.
  • Draft 2011-2014 Strategic Plan. ICANN produces a three-year Strategic Plan, reviewed and updated annually. This updated version incorporates feedback from the community on last year's plan. Comment period ends 10 January, 2011.

For the full list of issues open for public comment, plus recently closed and archived public comment forums, visit the Public Comment page.


ccNSO

2. Recommendations Ready on TLD Delegations, Re-Delegations, and Retirements

At a Glance

The ccNSO Delegation, Re-delegation and Retirement of ccTLD Working Group (DRD WG) plans to share draft recommendations with the ccTLD community and other interested parties in Cartagena.

Recent Developments

The DRD WG agreed to publish and present its first set of draft recommendations to the ccTLD community for discussion and feedback. It will also provide its third progress report. This does not complete work for the DRD WG and the effort will continue beyond the Cartagena meeting.

Background

Currently, the ICANN policy and practices for delegation and re-delegation are reflected in established IANA processes. (For more information about establishing new ccTLDs, see IANA's Procedures for Establishing ccTLDs and IANA's delegation reports.) In light of the changed environment since RFC 1591 was published in the 1990s, the ccNSO felt it was time to review their policies. The ccNSO wants a better understanding of any issues relating to the current policies, before taking possible further steps.

Next Steps

The working group will publish its third progress report just prior to the Cartagena meeting, and welcomes public comment on its report. The report will be available on the Delegation and Re-delegation Working Group web page. Their first and second progress report (which were published prior to the Nairobi and Brussels meeting) can be found there as well.

More Information

Staff Contact

Bart Boswinkel, Senior Policy Advisor


3. Interim Report on IDN ccTLD Membership in ccNSO Opens for Public Comment

At a Glance

The Working Group on inclusion of IDN ccTLDs in the ccNSO has published a paper for public comment on issues and possible solutions.

Recent Developments

The working group for IDN country code policy development process (IDN ccPDP), which is to provide recommendations for the inclusion of IDN ccTLD operators and managers in the ccNSO, has published its Interim Report just before the Cartagena meeting. The paper identifies which issues need to be resolved first, such as membership definitions and voting mechanisms, before an IDN ccTLD can be included in the ccNSO. The interim report also includes alternative solutions, for discussion with the community.

Background

IDNs are domain names written in non-ASCII scripts, such as Arabic, Cyrillic, or Chinese. The ccNSO is currently conducting a policy development process contemplating recommendations for the selection and delegation of IDN ccTLDs and how operators of IDN ccTLDs will be included in the ccNSO. Two Working Groups, IDN ccPDP WG1 and WG2, handle these topics.

Next Steps

At the Cartagena meeting the members of the working group will present the issues and their findings to the ccTLD community and other interested parties as part of the ccNSO IDN session on Tuesday afternoon 7 December 2010, local time 16.30-18.30.

More Information

Staff Contact

Bart Boswinkel, Senior Policy Advisor


4. ccNSO Finance Working Group Formed

At a Glance

The ccNSO Finance Working Group charter has been adopted and volunteers to the WG appointed.

Recent Developments

The ccNSO has adopted the charter of its Finance Working Group. The purpose of this WG is twofold:

  1. To discuss with ICANN the amounts attributed to ccTLDs and a methodology that individual ccTLDs can use to calculate a fair and equitable voluntary financial contribution, including proposing such a methodology to the ccTLD community.
  2. To coordinate, facilitate, and increase the participation of ccTLD managers in the financial aspects of ICANN's strategic and operational planning and budgetary processes.

Next Steps

The Finance WG will nominate a Chair to be appointed by the Council at its next meeting and will have its initial meeting in Cartagena.

More Information

Staff Contact

Bart Boswinkel, Senior Policy Analyst


5. ccNSO Accepting Travel Funding Applications for San Francisco

At a Glance

The ccNSO Travel Funding Committee is now accepting applications to the ICANN public meeting in San Francisco, to be held 13 - 18 March 2011.

Background

Travel funding is made available for ccNSO members who actively participate in the work of the organization and make a special contribution to its projects and meetings. However, you do not need to be a ccNSO member to receive funding. The funding covers an economy class ticket to the travel destination, the hotel costs for the time of the meeting and a per diem. All travel arrangements are made through specially designated ICANN staff.

Next Steps

If you think you may be eligible to receive funding for the San Francisco meeting, please send an email to ccnso-travelfunding@icann.org by 1 December 2010, at the latest. The email must contain the name and contact details of the applicant as well as a short description of how the applicant can contribute to the work of the ccNSO. You are also very welcome to suggest items that should be covered on the ccNSO San Francisco meeting agenda.

More Information

Staff Contact

Gabriella Schittek, ccNSO Secretariat


6. Other Issues Active in the ccNSO


GNSO

7. Consultation Under Way on Issues Affecting Morality and Public Order

Working Group develops key principles for the New gTLD Program

At a Glance

Public comment is sought regarding proposed restrictions on vertical integration and cross-ownership between Registrars and Registries.

Background

ICANN is currently finalizing the implementation details for the launch of new gTLDs. ICANN's recently posted Proposed Final Applicant Guidebook proposes procedures for addressing morality and public order concerns arising out of objectionable new gTLD strings.

Recent Developments

The policy recommendations to guide the introduction of new gTLDs were created by the GNSO during a two -year effort. Among these GNSO policy recommendations is Recommendation 6, which states that:

Strings must not be contrary to generally accepted legal norms relating to morality and public order that are recognized under international principles of law.

A cross-community working group (CWG) comprised of members of the GAC, GNSO, and the At Large Community published its report [PDF, 1.1 MB] addressing concerns that have surfaced from the ICANN community regarding the proposed implementation of Rec6. The Report describes the results of this bottom-up process, and includes recommendations proposed by the CWG for improving the implementation plan proposed in Draft Applicant Guidebook-v4.

Recent Developments:

The ICANN Board reviewed the Report [PDF, 1.1 MB] during its retreat in Trondheim, Norway, and resolved to accept the Rec6 CWG recommendations that are not inconsistent with the existing process, as this may be achieved before the opening of the first gTLD application round. The Board also directed Staff to provide a briefing paper to the working group, and to coordinate a call with the working group to further discuss the issues. This consultation is under way and is expected to continue at the Cartagena Meeting.

Additional Information:

Staff Contact

Margie Milam, Senior Policy Counselor


8. Bottom-Up Process Produces No Consensus on Vertical Integration

In the absence of a community recommendation, the ICANN Board votes to enhance competition in new gTLDs

At a Glance

The Interim Report concluding the initial phase of the GNSO policy process reports a stalemate in the Working Group on finding a compromise solution on vertical integration and cross-ownership between Registrars and Registries.

Background

A GNSO policy development process (PDP) is underway to evaluate policies on the topic of vertical integration (VI) between registrars and registries affecting both new gTLDs and existing gTLDs. The heart of the question is whether a registrar should be allowed to own a registry, and vice versa. Would that create economies of scale that can be passed on to consumers, or would it lead to harmful, monopolistic practices? The GNSO is conducting the PDP on an expedited basis with the goal of affecting the final version of the Applicant Guidebook for the launch of new gTLDs.

Recent Developments

The GNSO's VI working group has published its Interim Report [PDF 1.2 MB] concluding its initial phase of work that attempted to identify a community-supported model addressing vertical integration between registrars and registries for the first round of new gTLD applications. Although alternative proposals regarding vertical integration were identified in the report, none achieved consensus within the VI Working Group. In September, the GNSO Council informed the ICANN Board of its inability to recommend a solution at this time on vertical integration for the new GTLD program.

In the absence of any guidance from the GNSO Council, the ICANN Board carefully considered the issue and voted to enhance competition in new gTLDs. Specifically, ICANN will allow new gTLD registries to own registrars, and has opted not to create new rules prohibiting registrars from applying for or operating new gTLD registries.

After publishing the Phase I Interim Report, the VI Working Group suspended its activities pending further instructions from the GNSO Council in light of these recent developments.

More Information

Staff Contact

Margie Milam, Senior Policy Counselor


9. Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy WG Starts on Final Report

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 Council is reviewing and considering revisions to this policy and has established a series of working groups to conduct these efforts.

Recent Developments

The Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part B PDP Working Group published its Initial Report on 29 May. The report presents several preliminary conclusions and recommendations for community input, including a proposed Expedited Transfer Reverse Policy (ETRP). A fast "reverse transfer" process for returning a recently sold domain name to its original owner if it is hijacked, the ETRP is designed to correct fraudulent or erroneous transfers. It does not address or resolve disputes arising over domain control or use. A legitimate new owner would probably contest an ETRP, but a hijacker would not because of the risk of exposure.

Publication of the Initial Report was followed by a public comment forum that ran from 5 July to 8 August 2010. Seventeen community submissions from 13 parties were received, most focused on the proposed ETRP. The WG has almost completed the review of the comments received and has started working on finalizing its Report for submission to the GNSO Council. As part of its deliberations on the public comments, an Aftermarket Survey on the ETRP was carried out (for results see http://forum.icann.org/lists/gnso-irtp-b-jun09/msg00526.html).

For further information, please consult the IRTP Part B Working Group Workspace.

Background

The IRTP Part B Policy Development Process (PDP) is the second in a series of five PDPs addressing areas for improvement in the existing Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy. The working group will address five issues focusing on domain hijacking, the urgent return of an inappropriately transferred name, and lock status. For further details, refer to the group's Charter.

More Information

Staff Contacts

Marika Konings, Senior Policy Director


10. How Should ICANN Implement Registration Abuse Policies Recommendations?

Implementation Drafting Team working on approach for GNSO Council

At a Glance

Registries and registrars seem to lack uniform approaches for dealing with domain name registration abuse, and questions persist about what actions registration abuse refers to. The GNSO Council has launched a Registration Abuse Policies (RAP) Working Group to examine registration abuse policies.

Recent Developments

The RAP WG presented its final report [PDF, 1.7 MB] and recommendations to the GNSO Council at the June ICANN meeting in Brussels. The GNSO Council then formed a group of volunteers to draft a proposed approach to the report's recommendations. The proposed approach could include the timing of forming groups to consider some of the recommendations in the final report, as well as how to deal with those recommendations that did not achieve unanimous consensus (click for further information).

The Registration Abuse Policies (RAP) Implementation Drafting Team (DT) started its deliberations early in September, and developed a matrix that categorizes the recommendations in order of priority, expected complexity and required resources. The DT has completed its work and submitted a letter [PDF, 184 KB] that outlines the recommended approach for dealing with the RAP WG recommendations, to the GNSO Council for its consideration.

Next Steps

The GNSO Council will discuss the proposed approach in further detail at its meeting in Cartagena.

Background

A short history of the RAP Working Group is available on ICANN's website.

More Information

Staff Contact

Marika Konings, Policy Director and Margie Milam, Senior Policy Counselor


11. Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery WG Closes Public Comment; Seeks Consensus

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 Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery (PEDNR) Policy Development Process (PDP) Working Group published its Initial Report on 31 May. On 12 July, a public comment forum opened on the report, which was extended to 15 August. During the public comment forum, it was also possible to participate in a survey that asked several specific questions about renewal and expiration practices. Nine public comment submissions were received, in addition to 412 survey responses (click here to see the summary and analysis).

The WG has completed its review of the comments and the survey. The WG will now start working on updating the report and developing recommendations. A first proposal for changes to existing expiration-related practices has been put forward by a number of registrar representatives in the WG. The WG will discuss this proposal (and others that might be submitted) in further detail, and aim to achieve consensus on the proposed way forward.

Background

For a history of the ICANN community's policy development activities related to Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery, please refer to the PEDNR Background page.

More Information

Staff Contact

Marika Konings, Policy Director


12. GNSO Improvements: Work Team Efforts Continue

At a Glance

Members of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) community are working to implement a comprehensive series of organizational changes designed to improve the effectiveness and accessibility of the organization. The GNSO Improvements fall into five main areas:

  • Restructuring the GNSO Council
  • Revising the GNSO Policy Development Process (PDP)
  • Adopting a New Working Group Model for Policy Development
  • Enhancing Constituencies
  • Improving Communication and Coordination with ICANN structures

The following update relates only the most recent developments regarding implementation of the GNSO Improvements. To understand the GNSO's new structure and organization, see the discussion and diagrams on the GNSO Improvements Information webpage (GII webpage). For the reasons and history motivating the improvements, see the Background page. The Staff has also created a series of new "dashboard" page for a quick review of implementation activities. There is a Status page and a Timeline Page that are connected to the GII webpage.

Recent Developments

Community work team efforts continue in several important areas.

  1. Restructuring the GNSO Council. The GNSO Council is learning to utilize the new operating rules and procedures approved at its 5 August meeting including matters regarding voting abstentions and Councilor Statements of Interest and Declarations of Interest. Some of those procedures are already being re-evaluated by the Council and the GNSO Council Operations Work Team.

    The Policy staff continues to be available to assist GNSO Constituency and Stakeholder Groups in using the new procedures. Specific information collection forms and graphic depictions of the new processes have also been prepared for the community. For further detail, see the new operating procedures [PDF, 428 KB] and the GNSO Admin Documents web page.

  2. Revising the PDP. The Policy Development Process (PDP) Work Team (WT) has almost completed its review of feedback from the Policy Process Steering Committee regarding its Initial Report [PDF, 2.36 MB]. The report included 45 draft recommendations and a flowchart intended as the basis for the new Annex A of the ICANN Bylaws. A first draft of a Final Report has been prepared for review by the members of the WT. Eventually, the WT recommendations will go to the GNSO Council (and subsequently the ICANN Board) for approval.

  3. Adopting a New Working Group Model. The Working Group Work Team (WG WT) document, titled "GNSO Working Group Guidelines" [PDF, 681 KB], was submitted at the end of May 2010 to the Policy Process Steering Committee (PPSC) for its review. The WG WT received feedback from the PPSC, reviewed all comments and submitted its responses as well as a revised version of the GNSO Working Group Guidelines to the PPSC on 1 November. The PPSC will meet to review the feedback received from the WG-WT. The proposal will go eventually to the GNSO Council for approval.

  4. Improving Communications and Coordination with ICANN Structures. The ICANN Staff is fully engaged in implementing new GNSO web site improvements approved by the GNSO Council in August. The Staff plans to share its progress with the GNSO Council and the community during the ICANN Cartagena meeting, 5–10 December 2010.

  5. Enhancing Constituencies. At its 5 August meeting, the GNSO Council approved a report from the Constituencies and Stakeholder Group Work Team on consistent operational guidelines and best practices for GNSO constituencies and stakeholder groups. The recommendations have been incorporated into the GNSO operating procedures [PDF, 428 KB] and the Staff has been actively working with a number of community groups to review the new recommendations so that they can be adopted into their organizational processes and documents. The work team has also drafted recommendations on a global outreach program to encourage participation in GNSO Constituencies and Stakeholder Groups. The most recent version of those recommendations was shared with the GNSO Operations Steering Committee on 9 November.

    Proponents of the Not-for-Profit Organizations Constituency submitted their Formal Petition and Charter package on 2 November. Staff is preparing a community public forum proceeding regarding the proposal which will likely be posted prior to the beginning of the ICANN Cartagena public meeting. Copies of the relevant charter and other documents describing the proposal can be located on the New Constituencies Process page connected to the GNSO Improvements Information page.

Permanent Stakeholder Group Charter Efforts. The GNSO's non-contracted party communities continue work on developing permanent Stakeholder Group charters. The Commercial Stakeholders Group has completed a document that has been shared with the ICANN Staff and will soon be released for community review and comment. Current community activities and discussions indicate that those efforts are on still track.

Next Steps

The GNSO's implementation steering committees and work teams will continue to develop recommendations for implementing the GNSO restructuring goals approved by the Board and approved recommendations are being assimilated into existing community practices. Public comments on new proposals will be reviewed and summarized by the ICANN staff. The ICANN Board is also due to consider a review of a number of improvements matters including permanent stakeholder group charters it approved in July 2009, existing Constituency structures, operations and charters and potential new GNSO Constituency proposals as well.

Background and More Information

Staff Contact

Robert Hoggarth, Senior Policy Director


13. Other Issues Active in the GNSO


ASO

14. First ASO Internet Number Resource Policy Update to Be Presented in Cartagena

At a Glance

The Number Resource Organization and the Address Supporting Organization Address Council recognize the need to better communicate information about the status of developments to the ICANN community. They have decided to develop summary slide presentations for delivery at appropriate sessions of ICANN meetings. Such a session will be held during the ICANN meeting in Cartagena, on Wednesday 8 December.

Recent Developments

The Number Resource Organization (NRO) Executive Committee and the Address Supporting Organization Address Council (ASO AC) have carefully considered how best to communicate information on the status of Internet number resource policy developments to the greater ICANN community, and these groups have recommended the following steps going forward:

  • The ASO AC will prepare a regular summary of number resource policy development activities, including any global policy proposals that are underway, significant regional policy proposals, and upcoming RIR open policy meetings.
  • The format of this summary will be a slide presentation, which will be given during the supporting organization day at each ICANN meeting, by the ASO AC Chair or other AC members as available.
  • This presentation consists of summary information only and will be provided to inform ICANN community members, but not for any substantive policy discussion or debate. Such discussions would be directed to the appropriate RIR meeting.

ICANN appreciates and welcomes the proposed initiative, which will bring a wider array of Internet number resource policy developments to the attention of the greater ICANN community. This initiative will also allow many in the wider ICANN community to learn more about the ASO and the RIRs during ICANN meetings.

Next Steps

The first such ASO AC reporting session will take place on Wednesday 8 December at the Cartagena ICANN meeting.

More Information

Staff Contact

Olof Nordling, Director, Services Relations


Joint Efforts

15. Single-Character IDN TLDs Report to Be Published for Discussion in Cartagena

At a Glance

The joint ccNSO-GNSO IDN Working Group (JIG-WG) is preparing its final report on policy aspects of introducing single-character IDN Top Level Domains for public comment.

Recent Developments

Prior to the Cartagena meeting the JIG WG intends to publish its draft final report for public comments and input. During the Cartagena meeting the JIG WG will present its report to the community.

Background

The purpose of the Ad-hoc ccNSO/GNSO Joint IDN Working Group is to deal with issues related to the introduction of IDN ccTLDs and IDN gTLDs that are of common interest to both the GNSO and ccNSO. The WG focuses on introduction of single character IDN TLDs and variant management.

Next Steps

After closure of the public comment and finalization of the report, it will be submitted to the ccNSO and GNSO Councils for adoption.

More Information

Staff Contact

Bart Boswinkel, Senior Policy Analyst


16. Improvements to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement Recommended

Community broadly supports drive to evaluate proposals for amending the RAA and to adopt a Registrant Rights and Responsibilities Charter

At a Glance

A joint community effort has produced a Final Report to the GNSO Council with next steps for improving the Registrar Accreditation Agreement.

Background

In 2009, the GNSO Council embarked on a collaborative process with the At Large Advisory Committee regarding the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA). As part of this process, a joint GNSO/ALAC drafting team (known as the RAA Drafting Team) was formed to conduct further work related to proposals for improvements to the RAA. The RAA Drafting Team reviewed proposals from the law enforcement community, the Intellectual Property Constituency, as well as other stakeholders, seeking to enhance the RAA.

Recent Developments

The RAA Drafting Team has concluded its work with the publication of its Final Report to the GNSO Council. The Report includes a proposal for a form of a Registrant Rights and Responsibilities Charter, to assist registrants in understanding their rights and obligations pertaining to their domain name registrations. The Report also identifies potential topics for additional amendments to the RAA, as well as a proposal for next steps for the GNSO Council to consider in determining whether to recommend a new form of RAA.

At the Brussels ICANN meeting, law enforcement representatives and other stakeholders debated the need for additional amendments to the RAA to protect registrants and the public from malicious conduct and cybercrime involving domain names. Recognizing the importance of these efforts regarding the RAA, the Government Advisory Committee's Communiqué to the ICANN Board encouraged the Board, the RAA Working Group and registrars to work with law enforcement agencies to address their concerns and implement necessary changes without delay.

Next Steps

The RAA Drafting Team has published its Final Report, after taking into account the public comments received on its Initial Report. The GNSO Council is currently evaluating the recommendations in the Final Report, and plans to discuss the next steps during its weekend working sessions in Cartagena.

More Information

Staff Contact

Margie Milam, Senior Policy Counselor


17. Charter Proposed for Joint DNS Stability and Security Working Group

At a Glance

The joint Supporting Organization/Advisory Committee (SO/AC) ad-hoc group has proposed a charter for the DNS Security and Stability Analysis Working Group, to be adopted by SOs and ACs

Recent Developments

An ad-hoc cross-community working group (including members from At-Large, ccNSO, GNSO and NRO) has developed the draft charter for a cross-community DNS Security and Stability Analysis Working Group (DSSA WG) and submitted it to the SOs and ACs for adoption at the Cartagena meeting. The charter proposes drawing upon the collective expertise of the participating SOs and ACs and soliciting expert input and advice to understand current risks to DNS and gaps in security responses to DNS issues. If feasible and appropriate, the WG may identify and report on possible additional risk mitigation activities that it believes would help in this area.

Background

The ad-hoc working group was formed during the ICANN Brussels meeting. The participating SOs and ACs felt a need for a better understanding of the security and stability of the global domain name system (DNS) which should preferably be undertaken in a collaborative effort.

Next Steps

At the Cartagena meeting each SO and AC that wants to participate in the joint working group will discuss the draft charter and adopt the draft charter according to its own rules and procedures. The ad-hoc working group will be closed.

More Information

Staff Contact

Bart Boswinkel, Senior Policy Analyst


18. Internationalized Registration Data WG Releases Interim Report

At a Glance

On 15 November, the IRD-WG released its Interim Report [PDF, 688 KB] for public comment.

Recent Developments

This Interim Report summarizes the discussions of the IRD-WG to date, provides preliminary recommendations, and seeks input from the community on the following questions relating to internationalized registration data:

  1. Which of the four models described in Section 4 for internationalizing registration contact data is most appropriate, if any? Are there other models the IRD-WG should consider?
  2. Which of the preliminary recommendations in Section 5, if any, are feasible? Are there related recommendations the IRD-WG should consider?

The Interim Report provides the community with an opportunity to understand ongoing discussions relating to the internationalization of registration data and to provide valuable input to these discussions.

Next Steps

The report was posted for public comment on 15 November for a period of at least 60 days. Currently, the public comment period is scheduled to end on 13 January, 2011.

Background

On 26 June 2009, the Board of Directors of ICANN approved resolution 2009.06.26.18, requesting that the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) and the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC), in consultation with Staff, convene an Internationalized Registration Data Working Group (IRD-WG) comprised of individuals with knowledge, expertise, and experience in these areas to study the feasibility and suitability of introducing display specifications to deal with the internationalization of registration data. Without such specifications, domain registrants worldwide would enter Whois data in languages of their own choice. The result could turn Whois data into a mish-mash of scripts, where individual users would find most Whois results in an unreadable foreign language. Display standards could bring helpful uniformity.

Staff Contact

Julie Hedlund, Director, SSAC Support


19. Geographic Regions WG Publishes Interim Report

At a Glance

The Geographic Regions Review Working Group is working to identify the different purposes for which ICANN's Geographic Regions are used, determine whether the uses of the Geographic Regions framework continue to meet the requirements of community members and to consider making recommendations relating to the current and future uses and definition of the ICANN Geographic Regions. The Working Group has now published its Interim Report for community review and comment.

Recent Developments

The community-wide Geographic Regions Review Working Group has posted its Interim Report for community review prior, during and after the ICANN Cartagena public meeting.

The Interim Report builds on the foundation of the Working Group's Initial Report (published in July 2009) and assesses the degree to which the uses of ICANN's Geographic Regions (as currently defined, or at all) continue to meet the requirements of the community.

The Interim Report focuses on general principles, specific considerations and some of the critical issues that the working group plans to address in its Final Report. The Interim Report addresses three specific areas. It (1) offers a review of the underlying history, objectives and general principles of ICANN's Geographic Regions Framework; (2) raises a number of fundamental strategic questions for further community consideration; and (3) expands on a number of specific matters identified in the Initial Report that are likely to be addressed in the group's Final Report.

Next Steps

The community is invited to submit comments regarding the contents of the Interim Report by 30 January 2011. Any comments submitted will be reviewed and analyzed by working group members.

The Working Group is planning to hold a community workshop at the ICANN Cartagena public meeting. A Final Report that will include the working group's recommendations, if any, is expected to be published next year.

Background

The Working Group completed its Initial Report in late July 2009 and published the document in all six UN languages for community review and comment.

More Information

Staff Contact

Robert Hoggarth, Senior Policy Director


At-Large

20. Bachollet, First At-Large Board Director, to Take Seat at the 39th ICANN Meeting

At a Glance

The ICANN Board Director selected by the At-Large community is scheduled to take his seat at the conclusion of the ICANN Annual General Meeting on 10 December 2010. Since the At-Large community has never before had a voting member on ICANN's Board of Directors, this will set a historic precedent.

Recent Developments

On 28 October 2010, the same day that the ICANN Board of Directorsapproved the Bylaws revisions necessary for the seating of the Board Director selected by the At-Large community, the At-LargeBoard Candidate Evaluation Committee (BCEC) announced their slate of three candidates (in alphabetical order by surname): Sébastien Bachollet, Pierre Dandjinou and Alan Greenberg. A community call with the At-Large Board Candidates was held on Saturday, 13 November. During this call, the candidates presented statements, discussed the key issues they believe are facing the At-Large community and answered questions posed by representatives of the Regional At-Large Organizations.

Voting by the members of the At-Large Advisory Committee and the chairs of the Regional At-Large Organizations began on 22 November and ended 28 November after two rounds of voting. The successful candidate was S ébastien Bachollet, who will participate in the 39th ICANN Meeting scheduled for 5-10 December in Cartagena, Colombia .

Background

Following the 17 August 2009 Board resolution (2009.08.27.15) which approved in principal the recommendation of the Board Review Working Group to add one voting Director appointed from the At-Large community to the ICANN Board of Directors, the At-Large community set to work to devise a process to select this new Board Director. Early in 2010, a draft plan was outlined in a White Paper. When it put the draft plan out for public comment, it was the first time At-Large issued a document for public consultation. After incorporating comments received, on 9 June 2010 the ALAC sent a report to the ICANN Board Structural Improvements Committee [PDF, 240 KB] on Processes to be used by the At-Large Community.

The process continued with the At-Large Board Candidate Evaluation Committee (BCEC) issuing a call for applicants on 23 July 2010. This call for applicants resulted in a globally diverse applicant pool of 43 Statements of Interest. Out of these 43 applications, 21 were deemed to be too incomplete to proceed further. The remaining 22 Statements of Interest were considered by the BCEC based on established criteria.

More Information

Staff Contact

Heidi Ullrich, Director for At-Large


21. At-Large Community Expands to 129 At-Large Structures

At a Glance

Three new organizations representing individual Internet users have been accredited to the At-Large community as At-Large Structures ("ALSes"), bringing the total number of ALSes to 129.

Recent Developments

The At-Large Advisory Committee ("ALAC") has certified IPAC, ISOC Peru, and ENREDO as At-Large Structures (ALSes). The certification process involved a process of due diligence carried out by ICANN staff and regional advice provided by the Asia-Pacific Regional At-Large Organization (APRALO) and Latin American and Caribbean Islands Regional At-Large Organizations (LACRALO).

  • Information Policy Analytical Center (IPAC) [PDF, 112 KB], based in Baku, Azerbaijan, currently consists of members such as journalists, online rights activists, consumer organizations, and individual consumers. The activities of IPAC include developing and advocating principles for Internet legislation and policy based on rule of law, transparency, and competition and holding national roundtables with member of the Internet industry, government and non-profit organizations. IPAC will be an ALS within APRALO.
  • ISOC Perú [PDF, 106 KB] is located in Lima, Peru. It consists of 21 active, and 80 incorporated members who are attorneys, administrators, economists, engineers, and communications specialists, among others, working in fields related to the Information Society. ISOC Perú works to promote the open development and evolution of the Internet, its services and its contents, for the benefit of all persons. Activities to achieve these objectives include organizing conferences, courses, symposiums and debates with the aim expand the use of the Internet, its services, applications and contents within Perú. The organization will be an ALS within LACRALO.
  • enREDo - Red Internacional de Diseño [PDF, 160 KB], based in Bogota, Colombia, includes a diverse membership including academics, non-governmental organizations, and members of the private sector and Information Communication Technology professionals. It is a network aiming to g enerate international multicultural meetings in which participants can learn more about enREDo and exchange information and resources. It will be an ALS within LACRALO.

More Information

Staff Contact

Matthias Langenegger, At-Large Secretariat


SSAC

22. SSAC Publishes Registrant's Guide

At a Glance

The Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) published a "Registrant's Guide to Protecting Domain Name Registration Accounts."

Recent Developments

The SSAC published "SAC044: A Registrant's Guide to Protecting Domain Name Registration Accounts" [PDF, 380 KB], that will help registrants in protecting their domain names and domain registration accounts against misuse. The report complements SAC040 [PDF, 276 KB], which describes measures registrars could consider to reduce the risk of registration account compromise and domain registration abuse. SAC044 identifies measures that registrants can implement themselves, and also provides guidelines to assist registrants in making informed decisions in choosing a registrar to manage their domain names.

Staff Contact

Julie Hedlund, Director, SSAC Support


23. SSAC Publishes Its Operational Procedures

SSAC has published a set of Operational Procedures [PDF, 1.2 MB] that describes the day-to-day operation of the SSAC. These procedures fulfill many of the recommendations [PDF, 282 KB] of the SSAC Review Working Group (WG) on SSAC improvements in its final report published 29 January 2010.

Staff Contact

Julie Hedlund, Director, SSAC Support

For reports on other activities for 2010, refer to the SSAC Work Plan.

update-nov-dec10-en.pdf  [434 KB]

Domain Name System
Internationalized Domain Name ,IDN,"IDNs are domain names that include characters used in the local representation of languages that are not written with the twenty-six letters of the basic Latin alphabet ""a-z"". An IDN can contain Latin letters with diacritical marks, as required by many European languages, or may consist of characters from non-Latin scripts such as Arabic or Chinese. Many languages also use other types of digits than the European ""0-9"". The basic Latin alphabet together with the European-Arabic digits are, for the purpose of domain names, termed ""ASCII characters"" (ASCII = American Standard Code for Information Interchange). These are also included in the broader range of ""Unicode characters"" that provides the basis for IDNs. The ""hostname rule"" requires that all domain names of the type under consideration here are stored in the DNS using only the ASCII characters listed above, with the one further addition of the hyphen ""-"". The Unicode form of an IDN therefore requires special encoding before it is entered into the DNS. The following terminology is used when distinguishing between these forms: A domain name consists of a series of ""labels"" (separated by ""dots""). The ASCII form of an IDN label is termed an ""A-label"". All operations defined in the DNS protocol use A-labels exclusively. The Unicode form, which a user expects to be displayed, is termed a ""U-label"". The difference may be illustrated with the Hindi word for ""test"" — परीका — appearing here as a U-label would (in the Devanagari script). A special form of ""ASCII compatible encoding"" (abbreviated ACE) is applied to this to produce the corresponding A-label: xn--11b5bs1di. A domain name that only includes ASCII letters, digits, and hyphens is termed an ""LDH label"". Although the definitions of A-labels and LDH-labels overlap, a name consisting exclusively of LDH labels, such as""icann.org"" is not an IDN."