ICANNWatch | ICANN Board Secret Off-the-record Meeting to Decide 'Reform'?

ICANN Board Secret Off-the-record Meeting to Decide 'Reform'?
posted by michael on Saturday May 25 2002, @04:31AM

In the next few days the ICANN Reform Committee will publish some suggestions and open them for public "comment". Some cosmetic changes may be made in response to these comments, but odds are the bulk of the exercise will be window-dressing. Certainly, experience with ICANN suggests that the real decisions are likely being taken this weekend at the ICANN Board meeting being held at a secure undisclosed location (i.e. one with no pesky press or outsiders) somewhere on Long Island. Here's how Reuters's described its conversation with ICANN's official full-time PR person about what the Board will be doing:

"the board ... will likely reach a rough consensus about how to resolve issues that have dogged the international body since its formation in 1998. 'They're going to boil it down and come up with what they think is best,' said ICANN spokeswoman Mary Hewitt.".

The Board meeting is styled a mere "retreat" which allows the lawyers who advise ICANN to misinform their clients that they are thereby somehow able to avoid their legal and moral obligations to be as open and transparent as possible. No physical or legal obstacle exists to recording the meeting or issuing minutes, but it would make the participants very uncomfortable to have their activities exposed. And, of course, since ICANN has eliminated all members, there's no one to sue to exercise a right to access. So from the point of view of lawsuits, the advice is likely correct - ICANN can get away from this without being sued. The question is whether it can get away with this without being called on it. Is the only test for whether ICANN's misbehavior is acceptable to the Board -- supposedly honorable people -- whether they can be sued about it? Sadly, it seems so.

Remember all this when we go through the consultation process -- likely a farce, if experience is a guide -- and especially remember how the ICANN Board implements its obligation to be open and transparent when you are asked to trust the Board to choose a fair nominating committee to pick its successors.

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Re: ICANN Board Secret Off-the-record Meeting to D
by ANNODOMINI2000 (reversethis-{KU.OC.OOHAY} {ta} {D0002DA}) on Monday May 27 2002, @11:07PM (#6525)
User #3359 Info | http://www.ad2000d.co.uk/

Let me guess, ICANN decide to do one of the following:

(i) Cease to exist and allow the appointment of a new, fairer and better organised domain name holder and Internet user appointed organisation (some hope, but you can only try!)

(ii) Approve radical changes of policy, sacking their incompetent, lazy or downright biased and trademark-holder boot-licking staff

(iii) Make small concessionary staff and minor policy changes to appease the Internet community, without going far enough to satisfy fairness and justice for the avergage small business person

Guess which they have chosen?

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