Question: What is your view on the role of ICANN in ensuring both privacy and access opportunity for employees of transnational and multinational organisations?

Nominee Replies

Johannes Chiang - posted on 2000-10-09 11:10:07 Basically, I agree with the opinion of Dr. Ramadass. However, the case you questioned here is more complicated. As I could catch from the terms of transnational and international organisations, I think you have addressed the possibility that it deals with different standards or laws for protecting the privacy rights in different countries/regions. I know, in some countries there are laws of high standard for protecting the data privacy and in turn the access right, and the laws can of course override the rules or bylaws of individual companies. It seems problematic. Hence, many people involved in this situation wish to have a method to separate the cases on Internet from the local date processing. At first, I would like to suggest we could replace the term of access with the concepts of ¡§upload¡¨ and ¡§download¡¨. It will perhaps easier to deal with. And, we could leave the term ¡§privacy¡¨ staying by data (not the transmission media) and let the problem be easier handled by the courts. Nevertheless, I would not like to see ICANN becoming lawmaker at this moment. Law could have twofold meaning. It could cut the organisations and it could at the other time cut the employees, like a two-side knife. In the fact, ICANN has until now no power to make such Internet laws. My personal preference is freedom to Internet users and an easy way for the law regarding privacy. On the other hand, I believe that ICANN should not make any rules and guideline to suggest or indict any method and technique for monitoring and scanning the Internet usage. Sureswaran Ramadass - posted on 2000-10-09 02:55:39 In terms of Internet access within organizations, it is controlled by the rules and regulations of that organization. ICANN should not interfere with that, but will protect the privacy and access of the netizens that connect directly or via ISPs to the Internet.