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RE: [Membership] The People's Republic of ICANN?



At 19:43 6/02/99 -0500, George Conrades wrote:
>Joop, what's your arguement for limiting to Domain name holders? Is it
>simplicity or something more? If I am an interested student sharing an email
>account am I not qualified to express an at large vote? Why are you so
>concerned about enlarging the scope to at least the broad constituency of
>Internet users? FYI, I have been a proponent of Domain names only until I
>had the input of our International members on the committee.
>

George, Daniel, Diane  and all,

The whole idea is to move the discussion to this list. I am very happy that you and other MAC members are taking it up.

My arguments for an ICANN of Domain Name and Address space holders:

1. It is the easiest way to create a real electoral roll.

2.  Low cost and simplicity of administration/verification (a tick-box for an extra contribution at the time of (re)registration.)
3.  Real democracy has always progressed in small steps-- I have had much personal experience with systems that profess to give a voice to "the masses" ;  it is an easy cloak for populist tyrants.
4. The Net is a very open communication tool. The interested student with the email account can still contribute her idea's freely and convince others with good argument. If voting becomes the real issue, then there will be democratic organisations that can represent the disenfranchised.  I am also proposing that "all users" can be given a voice via petition and referendum.

5. I am afraid that ordinary Domain Name Owners will not join, if they feel that "it's all a sham anyway"
To get enough real members is a major consideration. If the membership base is too small,  capture looms large.

6. Giving the vote to "all users" pretends to create that "World Government" that you would wish to avoid.
7. It is not proper to give a vote to those who have no "skin" in the system. It may go at the expense of those who do.
8. The DNSO can be the vehicle for input from organisations representing email-only users.

In the end it boils down to trust , I think. From my other posts on the subject  you may see that I am afraid of membership manipulation made easy by using the conventional media (or large cyber corporations like AOL or MSFT) to recruit members selectively.

I am not against an unlimited franchise, but i would like to see it come about in stages, as the trust in the ICANN process grows.

See my proposed model http://www.democracy.org.nz/model.html
Of course I could change my mind, like you did , but I have to hear real convincing argument from the proponents on all those points above.

--Joop--
http://www.democracy.org.nz/model.html