Public participation site

5 August 2013 Forum Announcement: Comment Period Opens on Date: 5 August 2013 Categories/Tags:

• Top-Level Domains
• Security/Stability

Purpose (Brief): To solicit community comment on proposed efforts to mitigate potential impact resulting from name collisions as New gTLDs are delegated into the root zone. Public Comment Box Link: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/name-collision-05aug13-en.htm

5 August 2013

ICANN is pleased to announce the publication of the Dotless Domain Name Security and Stability Study Report [PDF, 1.02 MB] by IT Security firm, Carve Systems LLC (Carve Systems).

Dotless domain names are those that consist of a single label (e.g., http://example, or mail@example). Dotless names would require the inclusion of, for example, an A, AAAA, or MX, record in the apex of a TLD zone in the DNS (i.e., the record relates to the TLD-string itself).

Background

On 23 February 2012, the ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) published SAC 053: SSAC Report on Dotless Domains [PDF, 182 KB]. In this report, the SSAC stated that dotless domains would not be universally reachable and recommended strongly against their use. As a result, the SSAC recommended that the use of DNS resource records such as A, AAAA, and MX in the apex of a Top-Level Domain (TLD) should be contractually prohibited where appropriate, and strongly discouraged in all cases.

On 23 June 2012, the ICANN Board adopted resolution 2012.06.23.09 tasking ICANN to consult with the relevant communities regarding implementation of the recommendations in SAC053.

On 24 August 2012, ICANN staff published the SAC053 Report for public comment requesting input to consider in relation to implementing the recommendations of the SSAC report. Public Comment period was closed on 5 November 2012.

On 27 November 2012 the staff posted a report of the public comments [PDF, 137 KB] that showed a substantial number of comments both in favor of adopting the SSAC recommendations as well in opposition to the recommendations.

In May of 2013 ICANN commissioned a study [PDF, 85 KB] on the stability and security implications of dotless domain name functionality to help ICANN prepare an Implementation plan for the SAC053 recommendations.

On 10 July 2013 the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) released a statement on dotless domain names, recommending against the use of dotless domain names for TLDs.

On 29 July 2013 Carve Systems delivered their report to ICANN. Consistent with the SSAC report, the Carve Systems report identifies security and stability issues that require mitigation before gTLDs can safely implement dotless domain names. The Carve Systems report identifies several risks, ten (10) of which are considered key risks that dotless domain names pose.

Current Status

Consistent with SSAC’s SAC 053 recommendation, a contracted gTLD wishing to operate as dotless domain name must submit a proposal to be evaluated as part of the standard Registry Services Evaluation Process (RSEP).

Similarly, section 2.2.3.3 of the Applicant Guidebook (AGB) prohibits the use of dotless domain names prior to approval by ICANN, stating that the only permissible DNS Resource Records for the apex in a TLD zone are: Start of Authority (SOA), Name Server (NS), and related DNSSEC records. The same section also states: "An applicant wishing to place any other record types into its TLD zone should describe in detail its proposal in the registry services section of the application. This will be evaluated and could result in an extended evaluation to determine whether the service would create a risk of a meaningful adverse impact on security or stability of the DNS."

The ICANN Board New gTLD Program Committee (NGPC) will consider dotless domain names and an appropriate risk mitigation approach at its upcoming meeting in August.

Acknowledgements

ICANN wishes to thank the SSAC for their efforts in identifying and explaining the issues, and the community for their participation in the public comment process.

2 August 2013 Forum Announcement: Comment Period Opens on Date: 2 August 2013 Categories/Tags:

• Policy Processes
• Contracted Party Agreements

Purpose (Brief): Obtain community input on the Locking of a Domain Name subject to UDRP Proceedings Policy Development Process recommendations adopted by the GNSO Council prior to ICANN Board consideration. The recommendations are intended to clarify and standardize the process for locking of a domain name subject to UDRP Proceedings. Public Comment Box Link: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/locking-domain-name-recommendations-02aug13-en.htm

31 July 2013 Purpose

This advisory is intended to help registrars understand which Whois fields must be populated pursuant to the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement immediately upon their signing of the agreement and which are not required until 1 January 2014.

Background

The 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement ("RAA"), like earlier forms of the registrar accreditation agreement, requires registrars to operate web-based and port 43 Whois services that provide public access to certain enumerated registration data fields. Section 3.3.1 of the RAA specifies required data fields, such as the name and address of the registered name holder, and name, address, email address, and phone number of the administration and technical contacts for each domain name (among other required data elements). 

The 2013 RAA, unlike previous versions of the registrar accreditation agreement, also includes a Registration Data Directory Service (Whois) Specification which, among other things, describes a mandatory format registrars must use when publishing Whois data. This format includes a number of fields that were not required by earlier versions of the RAA. As examples, the Registration Data Directory Service (Whois) Specification requires registrars to include in their Whois output the email address and telephone number of the registrar's abuse point of contact as well as the IDs or handles used by the registry to identify the domain name and its contacts.

Because the 2013 RAA includes a number of new operational responsibilities for registrars that could reasonably take weeks or months to implement, the agreement also incorporates a Transition Addendum. The Transition Addendum describes a number of obligations for which ICANN will not require registrar compliance until 1 January 2014. By way of example, registrars are not required to fully implement an abuse point-of-contact (see section 3.18 of the RAA) until 1 January 2014.

Some registrars have asked ICANN to clarify whether they must immediately begin populating Whois data with fields, such as the abuse point-of-contact email address and telephone number, even though they are not yet required to comply with the underlying obligation.

Required Whois Fields

The Transition Addendum to the RAA explicitly references a list of RAA provisions for which registrar compliance is not required until 1 January 2014. The Registration Data Directory Service (Whois) Specification is not included within that list of provisions. Accordingly, registrars are immediately required to comply with obligations described in that specification, including the obligation to format Whois data as defined in the specification. Registrars are not, however, required to include in their Whois output, data elements that don't yet exist or are not already in the registrar's possession. This includes reference to the items for which compliance is not yet required.

To be clear, registrars who are subject to the 2013 RAA must continue to include all of the fields described in section 3.3.1 of the RAA in their Whois output and the data elements they have within their possession. Registrars are not, however, required to include the following fields in their Whois output until 1 January 2014 (although registrars may, and are encouraged to, comply earlier):

Registry Domain ID
Registrar Abuse Contact Email
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone
Domain Status
Registry Registrant ID
Registrant Phone
Registrant Phone Ext
Registrant Fax
Registrant Fax Ext
Registrant Email:
Registry Admin ID
Registry Tech ID
DNSSEC
Last update of WHOIS database

26 July 2013 Forum Announcement: Comment Period Opens on Date: 26 July 2013 Categories/Tags: Contracted Party Agreements Purpose (Brief):

Afilias Limited requests the removal of the cross-ownership restrictions reflected on the .PRO Registry Agreement dated 22 April 2010.

See: http://www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/registries/pro

This request is submitted according to the "Process for Handling Requests for Removal of Cross-Ownership Restrictions on Operators of Existing gTLDs" adopted by the Board on 18 October 2012. See: http://www.icann.org/en/resources/registries/removal-cross-ownership.

According to the approved process, in order to lift cross-ownership restrictions, existing gTLD registry operators could either request an amendment to their existing Registry Agreement to remove the cross-ownership restrictions or request to transition to the new form of Registry Agreement for new gTLDs. Any proposed material amendments to gTLD registry agreements would be subject to public comment prior to ICANN approval.

The proposed Afilias Limited amendment to can be found here [PDF, 48 KB]. The redlined agreement can be downloaded here [PDF, 94 KB].

Public Comment Box Link: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/pro-xo-removal-26jul13-en.htm

26 July 2013 Forum Announcement: Comment Period Opens on Date: 26 July 2013 Categories/Tags: Contracted Party Agreements Purpose (Brief):

Afilias Limited requests the removal of the cross-ownership restrictions reflected on the .MOBI Registry Agreement dated 10 July 2005.

See: http://www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/registries/mobi

This request is submitted according to the "Process for Handling Requests for Removal of Cross-Ownership Restrictions on Operators of Existing gTLDs" adopted by the Board on 18 October 2012. See: http://www.icann.org/en/resources/registries/removal-cross-ownership.

According to the approved process, in order to lift cross-ownership restrictions, existing gTLD registry operators could either request an amendment to their existing Registry Agreement to remove the cross-ownership restrictions or request to transition to the new form of Registry Agreement for new gTLDs. Any proposed material amendments to gTLD registry agreements would be subject to public comment prior to ICANN approval.

The proposed Afilias Limited amendment to can be found here [PDF, 51 KB]. The redlined agreement can be downloaded here [PDF, 248 KB].

Public Comment Box Link: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/mobi-xo-removal-26jul13-en.htm

The Middle East Strategy Working Group (MESWG) has been working hard since it presented a draft of the three-year engagement strategy at ICANN Beijing. After finalizing the strategy, the working group with 22 members from 11 countries has developed a one-year implementation plan to be carried out during ICANN’s FY14. Activities include capacity building around IPv6, DNSSEC and DNS operations, supporting the DNS sector, and driving Arabic script IDN related work forward.

Last week at Durban, members of MESWG presented the implementation plan and sought feedback from participants. MESWG also had a face-to-face meeting to discuss next steps. Summary of the meeting discussions along with previous meeting records are available on the ICANN community wiki. MESWG members agreed that they would continue as a group to support and oversee the implementation of the strategy, at least during the first year.

I personally am very pleased with the progress that MESWG has made over the past six months. It has been a wonderful journey and it is not over yet. I would like, on behalf of ICANN, to thank all MESWG members [PDF, 62 KB] for their contribution. I look forward to continuing to work with them on the implementation.

For any comments or feedback, you can write to MESWG at meswg@icann.org.

From left to right:

• Syed Iftikhar Shah, Ministry of Information Technology, Pakistan
• Sofie Maddens, Internet Society
• Baher Esmat, ICANN
• Zahid Jamil, Jamil & Jamil
• Sarmad Hussain, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore

I love talking with newcomers at ICANN meetings, particularly when they are as fresh, excited and eager to learn as the South African students and lifelong learners invited to join us in Durban. They brought unique perspectives about the realities of Internet access and use on the continent. Instead of evangelizing about all of the benefits of the Internet, I was reminded that building its infrastructure has to happen first.

Mercy Moyo, James Njenga and Kudzani Tenga are three of the 16 local Internet users who attended their first ICANN meeting through the combined efforts of ICANN’s African Regional At-Large Organization (AFRALO), African civil society and AfriNIC, and with the financial support of Google. Fifteen were from South Africa and one was from Liberia.

Each has overcome language and access barriers, low bandwidth speeds and inflexible data caps to become regular Internet users, and this week they looked to find their place within the ICANN community. Their interests vary from increasing local content online to providing training and education in basic ICT skills.

“Internet has vast amounts of information in foreign languages,” said Kudzani Tenga, a student at the University of South Africa. “As Africans we need to create our own content reflecting our experiences and culture. Local subject matter experts…are not easily found on the Internet.”

James Njenga is a senior lecturer at the University of the Western Cape. “When evangelists come to preach to us about the good things about the
Internet – they give us these expectations that the Internet is a money
tree you plant outside your house, that once you have that one MBPS
[Megabits per second] or ten MBPS line, the following morning you get
outside your house and you start seeing dollars.”

James agrees that the Internet could evolve into this money tree over the long term, but more work needs to be done, more technologies and probably more financial help to get there.

Mercy Moyo, assistant program officer at Information Training and Outreach Centre for Africa, said, “We go all over sub-Saharan Africa to train the end-users on best way to use the Internet and its resources. I notice a lack of basic ICT skills. We had a participant who didn’t know how to use the mouse and lifted it in the air.”

We sat down with each for a few moments to discuss their impressions of ICANN so far, and what drew them to attend ICANN 47 in Durban. I hope you enjoy getting to know Mercy, James and Kudzani as much as I did!

• Mercy Moyo’s Newcomer Experience
• James Njenga’s Newcomer Experience
• Kudzani Tenga’s Newcomer Experience

18 July 2013

The Governmental Advisory Committee meeting at ICANN 47 in Durban, South Africa has issued its Durban Communique’. It is available for review at http://durban47.icann.org/meetings/durban2013/presentation-gac-communique-18jul13-en.pdf [PDF, 111 KB].

During today’s GAC Plenary session in Durban we announced that Everton Lucero our Stakeholder Engagement Manager based in Brazil will be leaving ICANN. Everton has accepted an offer to work for the Brazilian Government and long time colleague and former boss, Minister of External Relations, Antonio Patriota.

We will be sad to see Everton leave our team, but we are proud and excited for him as well. He has made a remarkable contribution to the ICANN community in a staff role and I know he will expand that still further in his new role. I also want to thank the Brazilian Government for working with us so constructively on this issue. I have no doubt that our partnershp will deepen and broaden with Everton in this new role.

During the GAC meeting I was very encouraged by the supportive nature of the comments made by Romulo Neves, interim Brazilian GAC representative, saying that Everton’s skills and expertise are critical to help the government to organize the debate internally not only around Internet Governance but also about Internet-related public policies in general. He made a particular point of emphasising that this appointment is evidence of Brazil’s commitment to ICANN and its multistakeholder model.

Everton will continue at ICANN till mid-August as he transitions to his new position, and working with us to identify a successor. We will miss him, but we are looking forward to working with him in his new role at the Brazilian Foreign Ministry.

Congratulations Everton!

15 July 2013 Forum Announcement: Comment Period Opens on Date: 15 July 2013 Categories/Tags:

• Reviews/Improvements
• Structural Improvements Committee (SIC)
• Bylaws
• GNSO
• Organizational Reviews

Purpose (Brief): The Board Structural Improvements Committee (SIC) is considering recommending to the ICANN Board of Directors that the review of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO), which is mandated by ICANN Bylaws Article IV, Section 4, be postponed and that a new schedule for the review be established within the next 6 months. The SIC seeks comments from the ICANN Community to better form its recommendation or to reconsider its recommendation. Public Comment Box Link: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/gnso-review-15jul13-en.htm

Strategy Panels Unveiled at ICANN 47 in Durban 15 July 2013

During today's opening ceremony of ICANN 47 in Durban, South Africa, President and CEO Fadi Chehadé announced the creation of five new ICANN Strategy Panels that will serve as an integral part of a framework for cross-community dialogue on strategic matters. The ICANN Strategy Panels will convene subject matter experts, thought leaders and industry practitioners to support development of ICANN's strategic and operational plans, in coordination with many other global players, and will be comprised of up to seven members including the chair for an anticipated one-year timeframe.

Designed to conduct work in critical strategic areas identified by the community, Board and staff, the ICANN Strategy Panels will build on public input being generated to inform a new, overarching vision and five-year strategic plan, and subsequent operating plan, for the organization. Advisory in nature, the ICANN Strategy Panels will report to Chehadé; will operate in a manner consistent with ICANN's commitment to transparency and accountability; and will channel all views, guidance and advice produced into the standard community and Board processes that guide ICANN's activities.

In its fourteen-year history, ICANN has grown to reflect a changing landscape of continued innovation, interconnectedness, and unprecedented growth in the DNS ecosystem, one that transcends groups and borders to serve the public interest. Yet, the Internet is at a critical inflection point as billions of new people are expected to join the global network in the next few years and as the nature of its usage matures dramatically. With this in mind, the ICANN Strategy Panels are expected to help catalyze transformation and advance ICANN's role in the context of a dynamic, increasingly complex global environment.

Schedules and Operations

The ICANN Strategy Panels will conduct their activities, starting in September 2013, primarily online and through conference calls, although face-to-face meetings are expected to take place according to the needs of each panel. The ICANN Strategy Panels will also provide public updates on their progress that will be linked to ICANN's overall strategic and operational planning activities. Dedicated ICANN executive liaisons have been assigned to and will support each of the ICANN Strategy Panels throughout the process.

Members and Objectives

The ICANN Strategy Panels will focus specifically on identifier technology innovation; ICANN's role in the Internet organizations' ecosystem; ICANN multistakeholder innovation; the public responsibility framework; and the role of ICANN in the future of Internet governance. Chairs who will lead the panels in their respective concentrations and who will guide the panels in their groundbreaking efforts have been identified; however, qualified individuals interested in serving as committee members are still being sought. Potential panel members need not originate directly from ICANN structures, but should have a deep understanding of and concern for the work being undertaken by ICANN, and an ability to think strategically, globally, and creatively about the challenges inherent in the ICANN Strategy Panels' mandate. Interested individuals should send their resume/CV to the email addresses affiliated with each of the specialty areas by 29 July 2013. Members will be selected by ICANN's President & CEO, in coordination with each ICANN Strategy Panel Chair.

Strategy Panel on Identifier Technology Innovation

Chair: Paul V. Mockapetris

Contact: itipanel@icann.org

Key Deliverables:

• Engage with the ICANN community and public on technology matters;

• Develop a technology roadmap for DNS and other identifiers; and

• Provide a technology roadmap for ICANN technical and security operations, including best practice recommendations and reference systems.

Strategy Panel on ICANN's Role in the Internet Organizations' Ecosystem

Chair: Vinton G. Cerf

Contact: ioepanel@icann.org

Key Deliverables:

• Facilitate review of the assumptions, linkages and frameworks that underlie ICANN's responsibilities in the current Internet ecosystem;

• Seek insights on ways to maintain and enhance ICANN's stewardship in an evolving ecosystem; and

• Cultivate thought leadership on ways in which ICANN can serve a complex set of Internet constituencies.

Strategy Panel on ICANN Multistakeholder Innovation

Chair: Beth Simone Noveck

Contact: msipanel@icann.org

Key Deliverables:

• Examine how Internet policy related to unique identifiers might be best managed in the future;

• Propose new models for broad, inclusive engagement, consensus-based policymaking and institutional structures to support such enhanced functions; and

• Design processes, tools and platforms that enable the global ICANN community to engage in these new forms of participatory decision-making.

Strategy Panel on the Public Responsibility Framework

Chair: Nii Quaynor

Contact: prfpanel@icann.org

Key Deliverables:

• Propose ICANN's role and five-year strategic objectives and milestones for promoting the global public interest vis-à-vis ICANN's mission and core values and for building out the base of internationally diverse, knowledgeable and engaged ICANN stakeholders, especially within the developing world;

• Propose a framework for implementation of ICANN's role, objectives and milestones for promoting the global public interest, building capacity within the ICANN community, and increasing the base of internationally diverse, knowledgeable and engaged ICANN stakeholders; and

• Provide advice on programs and initiatives that help achieve the above objectives.

Strategy Panel on the Role of ICANN in the Future of Internet Governance

Chair: TBD

Contact: figpanel@icann.org

Key Deliverables:

• Provide a set of guiding principles to ensure the successful evolution of ICANN's transnational multistakeholder model in cooperation with national and international bodies;

• Propose a roadmap for evolving and globalizing ICANN's role in the Internet governance ecosystem in consultation with global players; and

• In coordination with the many other global players and ICANN stakeholders, propose a framework for implementation of ICANN's role, objectives and milestones in global Internet governance.

As the ICANN Strategy Panels get underway, additional information will be available via ICANN's strategic planning portal.

Participants in ICANN 47 Signing Ceremony.

Left to Right: Fadi Chehadé, ICANN; Frederic Guillemaut, Mail Club; Mouhamet Diop, Kheweul.com; Adrian Kinderis, ARI; Akram Atallah, ICANN; Ilya Bazlyankov, CORE; Paul Stahura, Donuts; Rob Hall, Momentous; James Bladel, GoDaddy; Matt Serlin, MarkMonitor.

The New generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program is clearly at the forefront of ICANN 47 in Durban, South Africa and during today’s Welcome Ceremony and President’s Opening Session, we witnessed a significant occasion with the signing of the recently approved 2013 Registrar Accreditation and Registry Agreements.

Numerous registrars and registries were on hand to sign the new agreements, which have been a long time coming and which embody the collective work of and collaborative efforts by the ICANN community to make this milestone possible. The agreements reflect important and essential changes that were made in response to public comments and to address contractual needs of the New gTLD Program.

We have taken a notable step forward in ensuring far greater security protections for the entire DNS ecosystem and for stakeholders alike. What lies ahead holds immense potential for continued domain name industry expansion, innovation and market success. These new agreements put in place will not only have a lasting effect on the registration process but will serve as a cornerstone for enhanced services, systems and enterprises.

In coming together and by agreeing to new contractual frameworks, registrars and registries are helping to positively shape the next era of Internet development that awaits us. The New gTLD Program will surely create new white spaces for brands and organizations to build from, and with these improved contractual provisions being enacted trademark rights holders, registrants and account holders will benefit enormously.

13 July 2013

Deadline: 19 July 2013

The Affirmation of Commitments (AOC) signed by ICANN establishes ongoing reviews of ICANN's Accountability and Transparency - http://www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/aoc/affirmation-of-commitments-30sep09-en.htm. Review of ICANN's execution of core tasks is undertaken by "review teams." The second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT2) is examining ICANN's activities to ensure they are accountable, transparent, and undertaken consistent with the public interest.1

The ATRT2's activities are focused on paragraph 9.1 of the AoC where ICANN commits to maintain and improve robust mechanisms for public input, accountability, and transparency so as to ensure that the outcomes of its decision-making will reflect the public interest and be accountable to all stakeholders. The ATRT2 will make recommendations, as needed, to the ICANN Board for improvements by December 31, 2013.

As part of its review effort, the ATRT 2 issued a Request for Proposals [PDF, 93 KB] (RfP) on 2 July 2013 in order to appoint an independent expert. The purpose of this assignment is to assess the effectiveness of ICANN Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Policy Development Process (PDP) and whether the current GNSO PDP process satisfies the needs of the multi stakeholder model and Internet users.

On 2 July, interested parties were invited to provide relevant background material, written methodology for execution of this task, views on the tentative timeline, a proposed budget, resumes, references and financial information about the party by 15 July 2013 -23:59 UTC to Alice E. Jansen, ICANN, Strategic Initiatives Manager at alice.jansen@icann.org. To provide bidders with sufficient time to prepare and compile their responses, the Review Team now extends the response deadline to 19 July 2013 – 23:59 UTC.

The ATRT 2 will conduct conference calls with candidates on 25-26 July 2013 and expects to make its final selection of the independent expert on 26 July 2013.

In its examination of ICANN's activities, the ATRT 2 recently published Questions to the Community for Public Comment. The questions and the responses are available at http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/atrt2-02apr13-en.htm

1 For information on the membership of ATRT and its activities including meeting schedules, agendas, minutes, etc. see https://community.icann.org/x/mQllAg.

Business is a broad category. The work of ICANN affects much of it. Every business that depends on a scalable, unified and stable Internet has a stake.

That makes engagement with business both daunting and inspiring. Whether you are running a mobile payments platform in Kenya, a globally branded consumer products company in Japan, an Internet start-up in Turkey, an IT consultancy in India, or an Internet service provider in Uruguay, ICANN is –quite literally– working for you. Yet ICANN remains, for many, “the most important organization you’ve never heard of”.

Over the last six months I have met with representatives in each category above, and many more. Once they learn of ICANN’s role and remit, they immediately understand how crucial it is to their bottom line. That’s the easy part. Also quite easy to convey is how ICANN’s work must serve the global public interest and address the interests of all stakeholders, not just business. More complex are conversations about the model that sustains ICANN’s work and how, together, we can strengthen and enhance it.

With help from leaders within the ICANN community as well as some diverse new voices, we’ve been working to address challenges surfaced in each conversation: How to follow ICANN’s work without needing to be an expert? How to selectively participate when a business’ specific interests are affected? How (and why) to invest limited resources in following broader Internet Governance issues?

One conclusion reached by members of our Global Stakeholder Engagement team is that we require a differentiated engagement approach, tailored for diverse categories, levels of interest, and bandwidth. And even though ICANN is reaching out for broader participation from parts of the globe newly connected by an expanding Internet, the pathway to participation begins with many small but important steps: awareness-raising, education and outreach among them. This is as true for business stakeholders as for every other group we serve.

Today I am pleased to announce one of these small steps — the launch of a LinkedIn group “ICANN for Business” and a related Twitter feed, @ICANN4Biz. The objective of these platforms is to provide both general interest content and a forum for discussion to a growing and diverse population of business stakeholders – stakeholders who may never attend an ICANN Public Meeting, but who nonetheless wish to engage in the discussion.

We plan for more diverse platforms to reach more geographies in due course, but are seeking to test the waters with these first. I hope you will join our group. Whether you become an active commenter and poster, or simply choose to follow, you’ll be helping to guide ICANN’s business engagement efforts.

A multi-lingual strategic planning portal was launched last month so individuals and organizations throughout the world can help create a new, overarching vision and five-year strategic plan for ICANN.

Building on previous discussions about how to help prepare ICANN for an increasingly complex world, we are requesting comments on eight key areas of consideration for the new strategic plan:

1. Role Clarity—What does a clear articulation of ICANN’s role in 2018 contain?
2. Community—Thinking ahead to 2018, what attributes and characteristics do ICANN’s evolved, successful community structures and processes have? What do they look like?
3. Users—How might ICANN engage this broad, end-user base over the next five years?
4. Internationalization & Regional Development—What must ICANN do by 2018 to be considered by the community a sufficiently international, multi-stakeholder organization?
5. Internet Governance—What does effective Internet Governance look like in 2018?  
6. Security & Stability—What must ICANN do to ensure a secure and stable system of unique identifiers for the Internet, with the complexity and reach anticipated in 2018?
7. Operational Excellence—What does an improved, efficient, adaptive, agile ICANN of 2018 look like?
8. Domain Name Industry Engagement—What should ICANN’s role be over the next five years for this industry?

In addition to sharing input online through August, you can join discussions on these key strategic planning areas at the ICANN meeting in Durban. On Monday, 15 July at 10:30 (SAST) in Hall 6, ICANN will host a professionally facilitated, interactive session for the community. Attendees will have an opportunity to participate in cross-community conversations and brainstorming sessions to help define ICANN’s long-term goals.

All input will be carefully considered, and a proposed strategic vision and plan will be shared for public comment in October.

We look forward to hearing from you.

11 July 2013

Today, ICANN takes the next step in the implementation of the IDN Root Zone Label Generation Rules Procedure by publishing the Call for Generation Panels to develop Root Zone Label Generation Rules [PDF, 150 KB].

The IDN Root Zone LGR project will undertake work to develop the rules that identify the valid repertoire of code points for IDN TLDs, as well as the rules for identifying and possibly delegating any IDN variant TLDs. The work is carried out as specified in the Procedure to Develop and Maintain the Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone in Respect of IDNA Labels [PDF, 1.39 MB] and involves an Integration Panel, (to be staffed by paid experts), a set of Advisors to all Panels (formed of paid consultants, ICANN staff, or volunteers), and a set of Generation Panels (consisting of volunteers). This call concerns the latter.

Successful development of the IDN Root Zone LGR depends on having Generation Panels for each script represented in the Root Zone. Generation Panels are expected to represent their communities and to have members with the appropriate skills to perform the substantive work of creating the LGR for the script used by their community.

Each Generation Panel will be comprised of a chair and a number of community representatives, as well as members with technical expertise in the following areas: DNS, IDNA, Unicode, and linguistics of the relevant script. The Call for Generation Panels to develop Root Zone Label Generation Rules [PDF, 150 KB] describes the details of expertise needed, as well as the details of the selection process. Interested volunteers are invited to submit their CV and an expression of interest statement demonstrating how they meet the qualifications to serve as members or chairs. Communities that already have a working group dealing with IDN and Variant issues are solicited to contact ICANN if interested in forming a Generation Panel, partially or entirely based on such an existing working group.

Initially, Generation Panel formation is expected to cover the following scripts, already represented in existing applications from both New gTLD and IDN ccTLD Programs: Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Cyrillic, Greek, Latin, Bengali, Devanagari, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Sinhala, Tamil, Telugu, Thai and Georgian. However, the call will remain open for those interested in serving on Generation Panels for other scripts.

Expressions of interest can be sent to idnvarianttlds@icann.org.

The Internet has become an engine for economic growth and is rapidly changing the way businesses and entrepreneurs engage with consumers. This is particularly true in Africa. As the Internet spreads across the continent, it is opening new worlds of opportunity. This growth is creating new markets and revolutionizing old ones.

I invite you to join me during ICANN’s upcoming meeting in Durban, South Africa, to explore how these new technologies are changing the business landscape in Africa. In a series titled “Africa Untethered: The Era of Digital Africa,” I will host two panels of knowledgeable business and technology experts from across the continent to discuss the expansion of the Internet in Africa.

The first panel, “The Rise of the African Internet Entrepreneur”, will explore how the Internet is enabling growth in Africa’s digital economy. The second, “New Behaviors: Africa’s lessons for the world”, examines the effects Internet enabled devices are having on cultures, societies, and economies.

I also encourage you to attend a panel titled “What the Journalists Think,” which will explore the viewpoints of prominent African IT journalists and their perception of ICANN policies, ranging from new gTLDs to Internet governance.

I urge you to attend and I look forward to your participation.

For more information on Africa Untethered: The Era of Digital Africa, please visit: http://durban47.icann.org/node/39769

For more information on What the Journalists Think, please visit: http://durban47.icann.org/node/39781

Registry and registrar CEOs have been at work on a number of fronts since we gathered at a DNS Summit in New York in April. So far, the most fruitful effort has been on a series of three infographic “maps” of the domain name sector, compiled by the task forces. Clearly they stumbled onto an important, unmet need – for simple, explainable diagrams of how the domain name business functions. Feedback continues on the three maps, now available for online review.

Map 1 – The Domain Name Industry Ecosystem
Map 2 – The Domain Name Industry Value Chain
Map 3 – The Domain Name System Responsibilities

I’m pleased to report that CEO task forces have also been building plans for a “Seal of Approval”-style good conduct program, an annual Expo for the domain name industry, as well as philanthropic activities to align participants’ corporate citizenship goals. Each of these projects is designed to raise awareness and to strengthen the reputation of our growing industry.

Separately, a group of leaders has formed the Domain Name Association (DNA), an independent, membership-based organization designed to convey domain name industry interests to policy makers, the media, and the broader public. Because the issues affect so many diverse stakeholder groups across the ICANN community, we will be offering both the CEO task forces and the DNA an opportunity to present their work, answer questions and seek input at a session for ICANN47 in Durban.

I look forward to joining in the review of infographic maps, CEO task forces and the DNA proposals.

8 July 2013

As part of the process to implement WHOIS review team recommendations related to Internationalized Domain Name registration data requirements, ICANN seeks volunteers who are community representatives with expertise in linguistics, IDNA, policy and registry/registrar operations to participate in a working group to determine appropriate Internationalized Domain Name registration data requirements and data model for Registration Data Directory Services (aka WHOIS services).

Interested experts are invited to submit their résumé and an expression of interest statement demonstrating how they meet the qualifications for one or more of the expertise areas specified. The call for volunteers document [PDF, 143 KB] that describes the type of expertise needed, as well as the process for selecting members.

Applications should be sent to whois-rt-12@icann.org no later than 16 August 2013.

The working group is expected to:

• Determine the requirements for internationalized registration data
• Produce a data model for the IRD that matches the requirement

In doing so the working group is expected to build on previous community efforts related to this issue, most notably:

• SSAC-GNSO Final Report on Internationalized Registration Data [PDF, 641 KB]
• SAC 054: SSAC Report on Domain Name Registration Data Model [PDF, 575 KB]

The result of the WG product will go through a public comment process to ensure broad input is received. It will form the basis for further policy development and/or contractual framework for generic Top-level domains, as well as ideally becoming  a best practice for country code top-level domains.

Successful completion of the project depends on having team members with the right skills. Therefore ICANN, through its Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees, and through its contacts with the international Internet community, is soliciting the participation of community volunteers.

The formation of the working group is part of the process to implement the internationalized registration data recommendations of the ICANN WHOIS Policy Review Team Final Report [PDF, 1.44 MB] as adopted by the ICANN Board.