ICANN Bid for Independent Status Gets Cool Reception

Many of us have been trying to "talk to ICANN" for a decade.

We see committees come, committees go, again and again and again.

Rarely have our ideas been listened to.

While we are locked out we see the trademark industry get a well lubricated path into the inner sanctum; their proposals (e.g. the UDRP, sunrise, limited allocation of new TLDs) get railroaded through.

Perhaps it is to be expected that we no longer jump very high when yet another "public comment" period is announced by ICANN.

Besides, until we, the community of internet users obtain the original promise from ICANN, a vote for a majority of the seats on the board of directors, don't expect much enthusiam. We do not accept the ALAC as even being close to meeting that promise. It is not hard to notice that ICANN's puppet ALAC, even after years of ICANN life support, has about as many life signs as a corpse on a TV detective show.

If you want to know what we would say, I suggest that you read what we have said, and said, and said again. Let's begin at the beginning, with the materials many of us submitted in 1998:

- My comments to NTIA about what would become ICANN: http://www.cavebear.com/nsf-dns/ntia-comments.html

- The Boston Working Group Proposal to NTIA - http://www.cavebear.com/bwg/

- Wrong Turn in Cyberspace - http://personal.law.miami.edu/~froomkin/articles/i cann.pdf

The list can go on and on and on and on...

And rarely has ICANN listened.

Instead when we did participate we were publicly labeled as "arrogant" and "juvenile" by ICANN's President. And those of us so labeled included many highly respected people in the academic, technical, and legal communities.

We watched ICANN's interim/initial board extend itself time and time again, becoming "boardsquatters".

I was elected to ICANN's board of directors in the only election ICANN has ever allowed. And once seated I and found that ICANN decided to undermine everything I said even to the degree of engaging in activity that that a court eventually declared unlawful.

The Director elected from Europe received similar treatment.

Many of us have learned that trying to participate in ICANN is about as useful as Joseph K's attempts to participate in his Trial (from Kafka's book, The Trial.)

So, I appreciate your efforts, but they are facing a long history of disrespect for those of who try to participate. And as for the "President's Strategy Committee" - some of us have real lives and work to support our families. ICANN is so ramified that only a full time person can keep up. And the President's Committee was only one of ICANN's "processes" that was running at the same time.

Prove to us that ICANN listens.

[ Reply to This | Parent ]

Re:Pick up the phone! by KarlAuerbach

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Re:Pick up the phone!
by Kieren McCarthy on Sunday April 01 2007, @02:58AM (#16927)
User #4206 Info

> Prove to us that ICANN listens.

Say something that has nothing to do with the past and everything to do with the future, and I will make sure it does not go unheard.

This is my job description from the ICANN bylaws: “There shall be a staff position designated as Manager of Public Participation, or such other title as shall be determined by the President, that shall be responsible, under the direction of the President, for coordinating the various aspects of public participation in ICANN, including the Website and various other means of communicating with and receiving input from the general community of Internet users.”

I will do all I can within that remit.

Kieren

[ Reply to This | Parent ]

Re:Pick up the phone! by KarlAuerbach Sunday April 01 2007, @11:43PM
- Re:Pick up the phone! by KarlAuerbach Sunday April 01 2007, @11:49PM
Re:Pick up the phone! by Kieren McCarthy Sunday April 01 2007, @08:06AM
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