ICANN|ARCHIVES

Staff Focus
By Geoff Bickers, Director of Security

Many in the ICANN community have expressed their concerns regarding security following the violent protests in downtown Nairobi on 15 January and the threat against the Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC) received by US Embassy staff on 10 February. Following those events, ICANN staff and Board reexamined the security situation in Nairobi and worked with our local host and the Kenyan Government to take additional security measures for the meeting.

Our Kenyan host, KENIC, is providing hospitality desks to assist arriving attendees at the Kenyatta Airport, organizing a laptop tagging system to reduce the risk of property theft within the KICC and arranging shuttle bus services to connect the KICC and the recommended downtown hotels. The Kenyan Government has increased the involvement of their national security agencies such as the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS), the Anti-terrorist Police Unit (ATPU) and the Kenyan Diplomatic Protection Unit (DPU) in planning and protection for the meeting. The Kenyan Police and KICC security unit are taking increased steps to ensure safety through increased screening procedures at the KICC, increased personnel deployed within the KICC, hotels, and official venues, and increased patrols along the road from the airport to the central business district.

Staff have engaged with various international and regional security consultants to obtain up to date assessments of the security threats and best available measures to mitigate them. Additional experts in event security and crisis management are working with staff and the Kenyan Government to help provide a secure environment for all delegates to the meeting.

The most important factor in ensuring your safety and security while in Nairobi will be taking personal responsibility for your actions and observing commonsense precautions, such as:

• Use hotel arranged taxis rather than walking. Vehicle traffic in the central business district is frequently congested and walking may seem safe but you should avoid walking the streets of Nairobi anywhere at night even for short distances.
• If approached on the street by an individual or a group, be polite, but wary and exercise caution. There has been an increase of con men on the streets. They are normally very polite and well dressed and might ask you to change money, split a bill, or offer services. Some con men may claim to be plainclothes police officers or NGO workers and want information, etc.
• Always be vigilant and alert for muggers/robbers/gangs and rioters. Do not carry or display large sums of money, especially while shopping. Use credit cards where possible.
• When in public places, do not display cash, expensive watches or jewelry, do not leave mobile phones unattended, and do not leave your handbag or briefcase hung on restaurant chairs or under the table.
• Be prepared for power blackouts, which may occur at any time. Be aware that crime may increase during these periods.
• Exercise caution at ATM machines or when withdrawing money from banks. Be cautious about who sees you withdrawing cash and where you withdraw it.
• Credit card fraud is common in Nairobi as in many other large cities, so follow commonsense rules. Try to ensure that credit card slips are endorsed in your presence. If you have to use a slip as a deposit, always fill the amount in and check that you get the slip back.
• Taxis - Jatco, Kenatco, and Jim Cab provide reliable taxi service. Unlicensed taxis are often unreliable or unsafe and should be avoided. Always confirm the fare in advance. Do not use the Matatu buses or accept offers of a lift from a stranger.
• Never give out your hotel room number or invite strangers to your room.
• Avoid leaving valuables lying around in your room while you are out, even for the shortest of moments.
• Never leave a bag or valuables unattended in restaurants, swimming pool area, etc.
• Always use the safety lock on your hotel room door, even during daytime.
• Always use room safe for valuables, or use lockable storage for valuables at the front desk, but make sure they issue a receipt for your items.

ICANN security staff will continue to monitor the preparations for the meeting and changes to the overall security situation in Nairobi. We will continue to communicate relevant information and changes on an ongoing basis. Those wishing to familiarize themselves with Nairobi and monitor political and social news will find many resources available. Here are a few that may be of use:

• http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/
• http://www.nation.co.ke/
• http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/
• http://www.africanews.com/site/page/kenya

See you in Nairobi!

Geoff Bickers, ICANN Director of Security Operations

One World. One Internet. Everyone Connected.

I spent the last week of January in Washington, DC, meeting with government officials, speaking on ICANN, the Internet, and cybersecurity, and mingling with the community during a couple ICANN sponsored events. It was a busy week to say the least as I managed to pack more than 40 meetings and speaking engagements in the span of a brief five days.

My agenda kicked off with an extensive television interview with Toufic Gebran of Alhurra TV for Alhurras weekly I-Tech program. Immediately following that interview I had the opportunity to turn the tables a bit and interview Toufic, discussing with him the launch of internationalized domain names (IDNs) and what that means for people in the Middle East. I encourage you to take a few minutes and check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEKOxX4CKoE.

I also had the opportunity to give a lecture at Georgetown University on what is ICANN. The graduate studies class, led by Professor Matthew G. Devost, is assigned my best-selling book, The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations as required reading. It really was a great opportunity to share with the students information about ICANN and explain the importance of ICANN’s role in keeping the Internet unified. You can view my lecture here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPW9LU2pp4o.

Moving on in the week I had several meetings with prominent members of the United States Congress, including Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Olympia Snowe (R-ME), who sits on the Senate Commerce and Intel Committees, Henry Waxman, Chairman of the House Commerce Committee, and Darrell Issa, Ranking Member of the House Government Oversight Committee and member of the House Judiciary Committee. These meetings provided the perfect opportunity for me to introduce myself to members who have an abiding interest in ICANN. Plenty of lively discussions were had about ICANN’s mandate, its new relationship with the U.S. Government following the execution of the Affirmation of Commitments, the new gTLD program, and securing the DNS root. Overall, it was a very productive series of meetings that positioned ICANN well for success as an independent, global organization.

Other productive meetings were with Larry Strickling, Assistant Secretary Department of Commerce and Administrator of the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) and with Ambassador Philip Verveer, the U.S. State Department’s Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy.

I had previously worked closely with Secretary Strickling in developing the “Affirmation of Commitments” and securing ICANN’s independence from U.S. Government. ICANN will continue to work closely with NTIA in carrying out the Reviews called for by the Affirmation and in ICANN’s capacity as the contractor for the IANA function.

In my meeting with Ambassador Verveer much of my discussion focused on the importance of maintaining the ICANN model of private-sector led, multi-stakeholder, bottom-up, policy development. As the meeting occurred about a week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech on Internet Freedom, we also spoke a great deal about ICANN’s role in ensuring the security, stability, and resiliency of the Internet’s Domain Name System.

I also had the honor of speaking before three different audiences about ICANN and cybersecurity. A highlight was being included on a panel hosted by the Public Interest Registry (.org) that addressed ICANN generally and its role in cybsersecurity (see article at http:/www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/
netsp/article.php/3861521). Here I was able to talk about the future of ICANN and the importance of remaining open, transparent, and multi-stakeholder led. I gave a similar talk at the Center of Strategic and International Studies. I also participated in a roundtable discussion held at the Aspen Institute’s DC offices in which government officials, economists, industry government affairs representatives and others discussed U.S. and international ICT policy. And lastly, I spoke before the Council on Foreign Relations where I shared my views on today’s cybersecurity challenges and offered some possible approaches to combat the gravest threats without undermining the Internet’s enormous value as an engine of economic and social innovation.

As many of you may already know, I believe it is very important to make myself available and accessible to the members of our community. I like to do this in social settings which allow me an opportunity to connect with people informally and discuss issues of common interest. Approximately 125 people attended an ICANN hosted cocktail reception at the W Hotel. You can check out a video of some of the event’s highlights, including an introduction of ICANN’s new VP of Government Affairs at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeKB67hJFYY. I also caught up with a good crowd at the first ever “meet up” at which members of the community mingled over beer and billiards. I find these types of gatherings extremely beneficial and look forward to more on my travels.

I was very pleased to be able to use this week to introduce Jamie Hedlund, our new VP of Government Affairs – Americas. Jamie accompanied me for most of the week and I believe Jamie will be an invaluable addition to the ICANN team and we are extremely happy to have him on board.

ICANN’s New Vice President, Policy Development Support—David Olive

Welcome David Olive, Vice President, Policy Development Support, to the ICANN staff. Keep reading to learn a bit more about David, his background and vision for policy development at ICANN.

ICANN: Tell us a little bit about yourself, what is your background?

David: I come to ICANN via Chicago, Brussels, Rome, Tokyo, and now Washington, D.C.

I was born and raised in Chicago, a city with a large multi-ethnic population where many languages are spoken. This rich environment undoubtedly helped to foster my international interests and perspective.

Next, with 15 years as a United States diplomat, I served in Brussels and Rome and also participated in negotiations and policy dialogues relating to high technology with the European Union, Japan, and Italy.

My next stop was in Washington, D.C. where I was tasked with opening the corporate representative office of a global information technology company in 1990. I worked with various international business groups to help design national and international public policies that facilitate the development and use of information and communications technology, greater utilization of the Internet, online business, protection of intellectual property, and workforce issues.

During this process, my wife and I raised two boys as the information technology and the Internet era emerged both at home and at school. As both the boys and the Internet grew, I served as tech support and e-Dad for the family’s Internet and computer needs. Of course, I began to adopt and adjust to new applications and focus on privacy and security concerns, as my sons became more active Internet users.

Now, I look to Nairobi and Brussels for the ICANN meetings there as well as other locations to promote our policy development process and to encourage greater participation and involvement.

ICANN: What attracted you to ICANN?

David: In 1996, I was involved in the work of the Global Internet Project (GIP), an international group of senior executives committed to fostering the continued rapid growth of the Internet worldwide. GIP participants included well-known leaders representing Internet-centric companies based in Australia, East and South Asia, Europe, and North America. Dr. James Clark, former Chairman of Netscape, founded the group. The GIP was an early supporter of ICANN’s multi-stakeholder model for coordinating and managing the global Internet’s unique identifiers.

Furthermore, I was also involved in ICANN matters when I served as the Public Policy Chairman for the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA). WITSA supported ICANN’s role and activities.

ICANN: What is your vision for Policy Development within ICANN/what do you want to accomplish?

David: It is my pleasure to be working with ICANN’s Policy Team and to build upon its existing foundation and policy expertise (with special thanks to the leadership of Denise Michel).

I was impressed by ICANN’s bottom up coordination and consensus based policy development during my corporate and WITSA involvement. It would be my goal to improve further that process while reaching out to incorporate new organizations, emerging international communities, and individuals worldwide. Through our globally minded efforts, I would like to see ICANN continue to evolve as a trusted, transparent and accountable steward for the technical management and coordination of the unique indicators of the Internet and associated policies.

ICANN: What challenges do you see?

David: The evolution and acceptance of ICANN to date within the international community can be seen as a result of the good will, hard work, and collaboration of the stakeholders involved. As the Internet grows, ICANN’s informational resources to facilitate informed and meaningful participation must continue to improve and be easily accessible to the diverse range of interested stakeholders. I know ICANN provides a number of mechanisms by which an organization, business, NGO, government or individual can be involved, and we must constantly seek new and innovative ways to reach out to these communities.

ICANN: What is your first priority in your new position?

David: The Policy Team is briefing me on the details of ongoing policy issues and activities of the supporting organizations and advisory committees. My first priority is to meet in person with the leadership of these supporting organizations and advisory committees to listen and learn about their policy priorities and workload matters. The ICANN meeting in Nairobi will provide me with that opportunity in early March.

ICANN: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you or what you’d like to accomplish?

David: I have had satisfying careers in government and in the private sector dealing with technology, Internet issues, international trade and investment, international business, and economic issues. I look forward to bringing my experience to bear on the challenging issues facing ICANN and its policy development process today. The goal should be to facilitate thoughtful, innovative, and effective approaches supported by our community.

Policy Update

Transitions

Denise Michel, ICANN Vice President of Policy, has accepted the new position of Advisor to the CEO, effective 15 February. David Olive assumes Denise’s former role.

ccNSO

Belize Joins ccNSO

On 8 February, the country code Name Supporting Organization (ccNSO) accepted the membership application of Belize (.bz).

ccNSO Prepares for Members Meeting in Nairobi

The ccNSO will convene on a full agenda of topics in Nairobi, Kenya. Members will share tips on operating and marketing a country code top-level domain (ccTLD), and exchange views on topics such as wildcarding, data escrow, and incident response.

GNSO

Council Decides to Take On Vertical Integration

The GNSO Council has initiated a policy development process (PDP) on the issue of vertical integration between registrars and registries. A work team is being assembled from the community to explore whether policies should be adopted that allow or restrict vertical integration and cross-ownership between registrars and registries.

New gTLD Program: STI Recommendations on Trademark Protections Go to the Board

The GNSO Council has responded to a Board request with a series of recommendations developed by the Special Trademark Issues (STI) drafting team. The team recommended creating a Trademark Clearinghouse and a Uniform Rapid Suspension Procedure to protect trademarks in new generic Top Level Domains (new gTLDs).

Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy WG Analyzes Complaints, Comments

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.

Registration Abuse Policies Group Publishes Initial Report

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

Analysis Continues on Potential Studies of Whois

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 public resource. The GNSO Council continues its inquiries into the suitability of Whois as the Internet evolves. Whois has global scale and critical importance, so adjustments to Whois must be handled with great care. Evaluating Whois will take years, but the process has begun.

GNSO Improvements: Work Teams Progress; Council Refines New Procedures

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; and

Improving Communication and Coordination with ICANN Structures.

To understand the GNSO's new structure and organization, please see the discussion and diagrams on the GNSO Improvements webpage. For the reasons and history motivating the improvements, see the Background page.

ASO

Adoption of Proposal for Recovered IPv4 Addresses Seems Imminent – in Two Flavors

Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) are discussing a proposed global policy for handling IPv4 address space returned from the RIRs to IANA. According to the proposal, IANA would act as a repository of returned address space and, once the free pool of IANA IPv4 address space has been depleted, allocate such space to the RIRs in smaller blocks than it currently does.

Three of Five RIRs Approve 2011 for Transition to 32-Bit ASN

Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) are discussing a proposed global policy for Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs). The proposal would change the date for a full transition from 16-bit to 32-bit ASNs from the beginning of 2010 to the beginning of 2011, in order to allow more time for necessary upgrades of the systems involved.

At-Large

Comments Sought on Selecting an At-Large ICANN Board Member

On 5 February, 2010, the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC), in collaboration with the At-Large Community, posted its first-ever public consultation by opening a 30 day public comment period on a proposal for how At-Large should select a voting member of the ICANN Board.

AFRALO Publishes Outreach Brochure

Members of the At-Large African Regional Organization (AFRALO) worked collaboratively to create a brochure, which they will use for outreach activities and information dissemination.

SSAC

Issues Active with the SSAC

The Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) is considering several security related issues, including the Report of the Root Scaling Study Team, display and usage of Internationalized registration data (Whois data), and domain name history.

Issues Currently Open for Public 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:

Proposed Process for the 2010 Selection of an ICANN At-Large Board Member

On 27 August 2009, the ICANN Board of Directors resolved, in principle, “to add one voting director appointed from the At-Large Community to the ICANN Board of Directors, and removing the present ALAC Liaison to the Board (…).” This paper outlines how the At-Large community proposes to select their new Board member. Comment by 6 March 2010.

Working Group Guidelines

As part of the GNSO Improvements Process, which aims to improve the structure and operations of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO), a Work Team was tasked with developing a Working Group Model. This Working Group Model should become the focal point for policy
development, and make it more inclusive and representative. Are these Guidelines complete? Comments accepted through 22 March 2010.

Registration Abuse Policies Initial Report

The GNSO Registration Abuse Policies Working Group has published its Initial Report, including concrete recommendations to address domain name registration abuse in gTLDs. Comment by 28 March 2010.

Proposed Strategic Initiatives for Improved DNS Security, Stability, and Resiliency

This paper presents the rationale, key features and projected costs of two strategic initiatives that ICANN believes are necessary to fulfill its obligations under its Bylaws, the 2009 Affirmation of Commitments, and the 2010-2013 ICANN Strategic Plan. Comment by 29 March 2010.

Global DNS-CERT Business Case

This paper describes the case for the creation of a Domain Name System-Computer Emergency Response Team devoted to both proactive and reactive measures related to DNS security, stability and resiliency. The paper includes a description of the operational concept, services analysis, and suggested governance and funding models. Comment by 29 March 2010.

Fellowship Update
by two-time fellow Naveed Ul-Haq

An ‘always on’ Experience

My name is Naveed Ul-Haq, and I am a two-time ICANN fellowship alumni, who, like others before me, would like to share my story of becoming a member of the ICANN community. I have been learning through Internet-related technologies since the start of my career; initially as a network engineer configuring, running and managing local DNS, e-mail and Internet services for my organization, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). More recently, over the last three years, I have been involved with research, policy and regulatory work on various information and
communication technologies (ICTs).

Though I did have some basic knowledge about IANA, ICANN and RIRs, the details about the Internet’s unique identifiers policy management were revealed to me during a presentation at “APT IPv6 workshop” Langkawi, Malaysia (Feb 2006). This workshop allowed me to develop a comprehensive wiki regarding ICANN and its functions while preparing an in-house presentation on ‘Internet’, which was delivered to PTA officers.

In order to explore more about ICANN policy issues, my best resource was the ICANN website. The most significant part for me was the public comments section, which really kick started my interest in reading ICANN documents and putting forth my thoughts on them. The way ICANN has provided various open platforms for anyone around the globe to contribute into the policy development process of these identifiers is commendable. I still remember that Improving Institutional Confidence, the Operating and Budget plan 2009 and IDN Fast track process were among the first ever ICANN policy documents that were read and commented on by me.

In 2007, I was placed as a member of PTA’s resource person group on the role of APNIC, ICANN, ISOC, IETF, etc …and their impact on national regulations. My first official assignment as a resource person was to act in response to an e-mail forwarded by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) regarding ICANN JPA. The information was to be circulated among the Internet stakeholders of Pakistan. While preparing the response, ICANN’s relevant documents really helped in my information gathering, and I submitted a response to the open consultation process undertaken by NTIA during February 2008.

My fellowship journey started with a click on the ‘fellowship office’ link on the ICANN website. While going through the fellowship details, I found myself eligible to apply and was impressed by ICANN’s support for citizens of developing countries to attend an ICANN meeting as it is almost impossible for us to acquire funding from our limited ICT training budgets. I still remember the excitement brought to me when I saw the fellowship selection results for the ICANN meeting in Cairo. My first ICANN meeting!

The Cairo meeting was a lifetime experience, from the time I arrived at the Cairo Airport to the time I was at the departure lounge. I felt like I was in a family of diverse professionals from around the world: discussing, deliberating and sharing a bunch of words about Internet Nirvana. I learned and learned and learned! DNSSEC, Internet Governance, Cyber squatting, etc were a few of the terminologies that were heard for the first time by my ears.

Since my participation at Cairo and subsequently at the Sydney meeting, I have grown professionally on Internet issues, have made excellent global networking connections, contributed towards ICANN policy process through public comments, and most importantly, have had the opportunity to do something for my community.

With regards to opening new windows of learning for me, I have undertaken Diplo online Internet Governance Capacity building program 2009 (told to me by an ICANN fellow), and am presently enrolled in the research phase. I also earned an ISOC ambassadorship to the IGF meeting
at Sharm El Sheikh.

The fellowship assisted me in carrying out several official assignments, including the Establishment of Local Internet Peering points and transition of .pk ccTLD. Moreover, while gaining knowledge during ICANN meetings about IDNs and IPv6, I have been encouraged to initiate new projects like the creation of an IPv6 monitory group and development of a local version of my organization, PTA’s website.

I believe that IDNs will be an excellent platform for increasing Internet usage and growth in developing regions where language is rated as one of the barriers behind Internet proliferation. I think it is very important to develop local language versions of our websites in order to give a complete post-IDN experience to end-users.

I have also delivered presentations on ICANN to university students, wrote an article on IDNs and new gTLDs and in the near future, plan to hold a one-day workshop on ICANN, IGF and their issues. General awareness about ICANN is very limited in my part of the world and it is imperative to bridge the gap as much as possible. However, my journey has just started, and there is a long way to go!

I would like to encourage eligible citizens of the developing world to avail themselves of this amazing fellowship opportunity and be a part of the ICANN community. The future of the Internet is transforming and ICANN is a major stakeholder in this change. The door is open for you to come via public
comments, blog, mailing lists, newsletters, etc to put your thoughts in it.

For those who are new to ICANN fellowship program, I would like to suggest that you try to collaborate with each other and of course the alumni. Speak out, ask questions and become involved with the ICANN community during the meeting. ICANN is an open organization so don’t hesitate to ask questions when you come across a Constituency member; they do embrace the fellows!. Whenever I close my eyes and try to visualize ICANN meetings, I feel an ‘Always On’ experience. Thank you ICANN for this!

Links

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

Monthly magazine: http://www.icann.org/en/magazine/

Blog: http://blog.icann.org/

Announcements: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/

Public Participation: http://public.icann.org/

Participate

HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD

Visit the Public Participation Site and let us know what you think about the current issues.

If you care about the Internet and how it evolves, your voice will only be heard if you get involved.

http://public.icann.org/

Remote Participation Options for Nairobi

The Nairobi meeting has provided us with the opportunity to enhance our remote participation. Some of the remote participation services on offer for the Nairobi meeting are as follows:

• Adobe Connect
• Video Streaming
• Scribing
• Audio Streaming (listen-only)
• Chat
• 'Remote Interventions' During Attended Chat Sessions
• Audio (bidirectional)
• Video Presentations

We are also offering, for the first time, a special 'remote participant view' of the entire schedule. You can find this at: http://nbo.icann.org/remote-schedule. This view is a condensed view of the schedule showing all the remote participant options in one place.

We have made many improvements to remote participant services for this meeting and we're very interested in your thoughts and hope you'll take the time to talk to us about your remote participation experience by sending a note to us at: remote-participation@icann.org.

To learn all about what is being offered, including our objectives and principals, service matrix, standard services, and records and recordings please go to:
http://nbo.icann.org/remote-participation