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2015-06-30

EFF25 Campaign, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Message From EFF

From the Domain Mondo Editor's Inbox:

EFF25 Campaign | Electronic Frontier Foundation

"Individual supporters have been the foundation of EFF's work for 25 years, defending privacy and free expression while advancing creativity and online rights. As we approach our 25th anniversary and face new threats to freedom, it's important to strengthen that foundation further.

"We hope to add 2,500 new and renewing members before our 25th anniversary on July 16. Please give to build a stronger digital rights community and celebrate 25 years of important work!"

To Donate: EFF25 Campaign | Electronic Frontier Foundation

For more information about the work of EFF: eff.org

EFF is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EFF financial records are available here.

Disclosure: Domain Mondo, its Publisher and Editor, are supporters of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).


Alibaba Group, Chairman Jack Ma, Alibaba's Grand Ambitions (video)



Alibaba Group Executive Chairman Jack Ma Has Some Grand Ambitions - BDA Chairman Duncan Clark (bda.com),  Jana Mobile's Crid Yu (jana.com) and Bloomberg's Alex Barinka discuss Jack Ma's grand ambitions for Alibaba with Bloomberg Businessweek's Brad Stone on "Bloomberg West," June 9th (bloomberg.com).

 Principal domain names: alibabagroup.com and alibaba.com
(a list of more domain names used by Alibaba Group is here)

 Stock Exchange: Stock Symbol -- NYSE: BABA

 See also on Domain Mondo:

2015-06-29

Why Richard Branson Is Investing in Global Broadband Internet Connectivity (video)



Why Sir Richard Branson Is Investing in Global Broadband Internet Connectivity- Virgin Group President Sir Richard Branson discusses investing in global broadband technologies and the possibility of Greece or the UK possibly exiting the EU. He speaks on “Market Makers.” (June 25, 2015)

Principal domain name: virgin.com

See also on Domain Mondo: Virgin, Richard Branson, Internet via Satellites (video)


ICANN is NOT a new gTLDs Marketing Agency: ICANN 53 Review, Part 3

photo: Akram Atallah, President of ICANN's Global Domains Division, on the "hot seat" at ICANN 53
Akram Atallah, President of  ICANN's Global Domains Division, on the "hot seat" at ICANN 53
It had to happen at some point, a mature realization that the hype and mania which formed and launched ICANN's new gTLDs program was misplaced. Signs of this epiphany were very much present at ICANN 53, which just concluded in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From stakeholders to ICANN Board Members, the judgment is emerging that the new gTLDs were a product of bad policy making, both in substance and process, as well as "horrible implementation" and the disappointing sales are self-evident proof that the policy and program were not grounded in market reality, and as a result, examples of lack of consumer demand abound. In addition, problems with new gTLD domain names "failing to work as expected on the Internet" (i.e., Universal Acceptance issues), as well as questions about new gTLDs having a negative impact on Internet root stability, are now being taken seriously.

ICANN staff, particularly Akram Atallah (see photo above) and his GDD staff, received a jolt when their underhanded attempt to apply new gTLDs URS policy against domain name registrants of legacy gTLD .TRAVEL (and by implication, all legacy gTLDs: .COM, .NET, .ORG, etc.) received an overwhelming negative response in comments posted, as well as at ICANN 53, including Philip Corwin, of the Internet Commerce Association, raising the issue throughout the meeting from Sunday through Thursday's last day public forum. "Desire for uniformity of the Registry Agreement" is a poor excuse for ICANN staff attempting to bypass stakeholder policy-making processes, and make "uniform" that which was specifically made not to be uniform, not to mention the variations and lack of uniformity within all the new gTLD registry agreements. In addition, it is hardly "voluntary" when ICANN staff prepare and present a Registry Agreement with the URS included, to a renewing legacy gTLD registry operator. Note to ICANN and Akram Atallah--start being honest for once, and stop making excuses--take the URS out of legacy gTLD registry agreements until it has been approved through a stakeholder PDP. The "affected parties" are primarily domain name registrants, and ICANN staff has no clue about domain name registrants since there is no domain name registrants stakeholder group within ICANN. ICANN officers and staff tend to forget that new gTLDs are an "experiment" and total less than 2% of all domain names registered globally. Domain Mondo hopes they "got the message."

Here are excerpts from ICANN 53 relating to new gTLDs and the above:
Krisitna Rosette (Amazon): "FWIW, Chris Disspain [ICANN Board Member] told ALAC this morning that the new gTLD round should not have gone forward when it did because the policies weren't done.  So, at least one Board member thinks that more policy work needs to be done." 
Slide of Universal Acceptance topic at the Generic Registry Stakeholders Group session at ICANN 53
Slide from Universal Acceptance issues presentation at RySG ICANN 53 meeting
Slide above: Universal Acceptance--domain names "failing to work as expected on the internet"--is a problem for all new gTLDs (new generic top-level domains) and any TLD of more than 4 characters (note: there are no legacy gTLDs (e.g., .COM, .NET, .ORG, etc.) of more than 4 characters.) The last line is the kicker: "It's an issue if registrants can't effectively use their names."

From the Universal Acceptance topic at the Generic Registry Stakeholders Group session at ICANN 53:
“We don’t want the message going out into the market that new gTLDs don’t work but there is a problem that needs to be fixed.”
Even at the ICANN public forum on the last day (Thursday) of ICANN 53, the Universal Acceptance "defects" problems of new gTLD domain names were publicly acknowledged. After a new gTLDs lobbyist (a/k/a stakeholder) spoke and urged ICANN to undertake a multi-million dollar promotional campaign for new gTLDs (and new gTLD registry operators), ICANN Board member Mike Silber delivered the coup de grâce:
In summary:
New gTLDs registry operators should not count on getting "marketing support" from ICANN, the DNS coordinator, and the net auction funds are going to be the subject of a lengthy community process. Some in the ICANN community definitely do not want any of the funds to be used to benefit the new gTLDs registry operators or applicants. In their view, new gTLD Registry operators and applicants knew, or should have known, the risks they were taking on, and that ICANN was never a guarantor of success nor a joint venture "partner."

ICANN is now in the process of selecting a contractor to study the impact of new gTLDs upon the stability of the root and issue a final report in 2017, which will require further steps thereafter by the ICANN staff and community. Therefore, the next round opening for new gTLDs applications, based on what was said at ICANN 53: 2018-19 best case scenario. Of course, by that time, one or more of the new gTLD registry operators will have filed bankruptcy or gone "out of business," probably bad-mouthing ICANN all the way out the door, similar to what Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of new gTLDs registry operator Minds + Machines (MMX), Fred Krueger, did after he recently left MMX and promptly sold 14,000,000 of his MMX shares, posting on Facebook: "One of the advantages of leaving MMX is that I am finally done with ICANN — which is one of the single worst organizations I have come across on this planet..."

We feel your pain Fred, but if you feel that way, why did you invest so much of your time and money in ICANN's new gTLDs program? You should have done your due diligence before you made your investment. By 2018, it's going to be the same old story, more Fred Krueger type rants, over and over again. Akram, better get used to all the rants bad-mouthing ICANN from failing new gTLD registry operators!

 Note: this is the third and final part of the 3-part series ICANN 53 Review. Links to the ICANN budget for FY16 (fiscal year July, 2015-June, 2016) and other ICANN 53 related links will be posted this week on Domain Mondo's Links and ICANN pages. The previous two posts in this series can be read here:
See also on Domain Mondo:
Caveat Emptor!

2015-06-28

FBI and FTC Join ICANN, GAC, PSWG: ICANN 53 Review, Part Two

photo: ICANN 53 RySG meeting with FBI and FTC reps
ICANN 53 RySG meeting with FBI (middle) and FTC (left) reps;
Far right: Keith Drazek, Verisign, Chairman of the RySG
This is the second in a series on ICANN 53 which just concluded its meeting in Buenos Aires. Find Part One here: IANA Transition and ICANN Accountability. UPDATE: Part 3: ICANN is NOT a new gTLDs Marketing Agency.

It became clear to Domain Mondo during the course of ICANN 53, that the US government is already participating in ICANN meetings as if the IANA stewardship transition is finished--which is a good thing--representatives of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the FBI attended ICANN 53 in Buenos Aires and met with the RySG (Registry Stakeholders Group -Registry Operators of all gTLDs) and the Registrar Stakeholder Group and others. They explained their involvement in the newly created Public Safety Working Group (PSWG), a sub-group under the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), to engage and interact with the ICANN community, how they will be participating in ICANN in the future, and "potential areas of interest" as of June 2015 (see below):

Slides from GAC-PSWG presentation by representatives of the FTC and FBI at ICANN 53
Above: slides from GAC-PSWG presentation by representatives of the FTC and FBI at ICANN 53
Note the "potential areas of interest"--
  • WHOIS
  • Contract Compliance
  • Implementation of new gTLDs
  • Internationalized Domain Names
Domain Mondo has a list of several more "potential areas of interest" to suggest to the FBI, FTC, and PSWG, including the serious problem of domain name theft. Now all domain name registrants, globally, have a resource for dealing with registrant issues involving registrars, registry operators, ICANN and others. As Domain Mondo noted some time ago: For Domain Name Registrants, ICANN Is Useless. So Domain Mondo says to the FTC, FBI, and PSWG: Welcome, glad you now have a seat at the ICANN table!

For legitimate domain name registrants, this is all very good news. Domain name registrants have had little, if any, representation within ICANN (e.g., there is no Registrant Stakeholder Group). For others, both within and without ICANN, this may not be good news. For example: who receives the "proceeds" from domain name registrations used by cyber criminals, cybersquatters, child pornographers, and other bad actors? Answer: Registries, Registrars, and ICANN itself. Notable Quote: "ICANN has a conflict of interest in pursuing the global public interest since its own financial interests are at odds with keeping costs down for Internet users and businesses." 

What "costs" are we talking about? Not only the costs of domain name registrations, but the increased friction costs of doing business online which actually strangles "innovation," and other "costs" caused by ICANN programs and policies--having to engage in "defensive domain registrations" (e.g., brand gTLDs, new gTLDs, etc.), trademark registration defense costs--as well as the "costs" to society due to online drug-trafficking, child pornography, etc. ICANN has admitted it is incompetent to deal with illegal activity. Heck, it is even debatable whether, after 16 years, ICANN is even capable of running the DNS competently, which is supposed to be its core competency.
"We can enforce the terms and conditions of our contracts with registries [and registrars], but it is the responsibility of governmental regulatory agencies, law enforcement and the courts to police illegal activity."--Allen Grogan, Chief Contract Compliance Officer, ICANN (emphasis added)
Put another way, in the U.S., if you are a landlord and knowingly allow tenants or others to use your property to engage in unlawful, criminal activity such as illegal drug-trafficking, you can lose your property to government seizure (forfeiture). For years, the Internet was known as a lawless Wild West--it was only a matter of time before the Sheriff showed up.

ICANN's primary jurisdiction pre- and post-transition is the United States, and the presence of the PSWG, FTC, and FBI, "at the ICANN table" has the potential of having a profound effect upon both ICANN processes and outcomes, which will benefit domain name registrants who have never had an equal voice within ICANN, as compared to the special vested-interest stakeholders (e.g., new gTLDs lobbyists). Domain Name Registrants worldwide can now contact the FTC or FBI directly with any complaint that involves US-based ICANN, its directors, officers, staff, or contractors, incuding registry operators and registrars. This is the kind of ICANN accountability which the CCWG-Accountability work, though commendable, is completely missing.

For those outside the US and not familiar with the FTC or FBI, here is a brief description of each:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC): domain name - ftc.gov
The FTC is a bipartisan federal agency with a unique dual mission to protect consumers and promote competition. The FTC protects consumers by stopping unfair, deceptive or fraudulent practices in the marketplace. "We conduct investigations, sue companies and people that violate the law, develop rules to ensure a vibrant marketplace, and educate consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities. We collect complaints about hundreds of issues from data security and deceptive advertising to identity theft and Do Not Call violations, and make them available to law enforcement agencies worldwide for follow-up. Our experienced and motivated staff uses 21st century tools to anticipate – and respond to – changes in the marketplace." Promoting Competition: "Competition in America is about price, selection, and service. It benefits consumers by keeping prices low and the quality and choice of goods and services high. By enforcing antitrust laws, the FTC helps ensure that our markets are open and free. The FTC will challenge anticompetitive mergers and business practices that could harm consumers by resulting in higher prices, lower quality, fewer choices, or reduced rates of innovation. We monitor business practices, review potential mergers, and challenge them when appropriate to ensure that the market works according to consumer preferences, not illegal practices." (source: FTC)

 Note comments of FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez in her letter to ICANN in the dotSUCKS case:
Excerpt from FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez letter to ICANN in the dotSUCKS case

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): domain name - fbi.gov
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States, which simultaneously serves as the nation's prime Federal law enforcement organization. Operating under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes. (source: Wikipedia)
Internationally, the FBI is probably most recently known for its involvement in the 2015 FIFA corruption case: "Near the end of May 2015, fourteen people were indicted in connection with an investigation by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) into wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering." (source: Wikipedia)

Also note the position of the US Department of Justice in the Silk Road case:
"... Ulbricht claims to be, in essence, untouchable. He was merely the “operator of a website,” he asserts, and cannot be held responsible for the conduct of its users. He himself was not directly involved in buying or selling drugs or malicious software, he argues, and therefore he cannot be charged under the narcotics and computer hacking laws. Further, Ulbricht contends, the money laundering laws have not kept pace with the times and do not cover transactions with Bitcoins, the exclusive form of payment on Silk Road, so he cannot be charged with money laundering either. He moves to dismiss the Indictment against him in its entirety. The arm of the law, however, is far longer than Ulbricht imagines it to be. In particular, Ulbricht misunderstands the law of conspiracy, which extends to anyone who enters into a joint venture with others to commit crime – regardless of whether their role in the crime is large or small, direct or indirect. The conspiracy laws easily apply to Ulbricht, who played a central, organizing role in running Silk Road and in facilitating the countless illicit sales executed through the site. And it hardly matters that Ulbricht’s conduct took place on the Internet. The federal criminal laws are expansive and adaptable, and readily reach his conduct online to the same extent as if it occurred on the street ..." (source: United States of America v. Ross Ulbricht, a/k/a “Dread Pirate Roberts,” a/k/a “DPR,” a/k/a “Silk Road)(emphasis added)
For related posts on Domain Mondo:

2015-06-27

ICANN 53 Review, Part One: IANA Transition and ICANN Accountability

ICANN 53 is over, but what happened and where do we go from here? That is what Domain Mondo will try to answer in this multi-part series: ICANN 53 Review--
  1. ICANN 53 Review, Part One: IANA Transition and ICANN Accountability
  2. FBI and FTC Join ICANN, GAC, PSWG: ICANN 53 Review, Part Two
  3. ICANN is NOT a new gTLDs Marketing Agency: ICANN 53 Review, Part 3
Part One: the IANA Stewardship Transition and Enhancing ICANN Accountability processes. As Domain Mondo expected all along, the words of Larry Strickling (US Department of Commerce, NTIA), have long been forgotten--for the ICANN community, it's no longer about (if it ever was) taking the time to get this right, but instead, speed--meeting its own self-imposed phantom deadline, which no longer is September 30, 2015, but is now something along the lines of  having the transition plan in the hands of the NTIA (US government) for review, approval, and implementation, so that the IANA Stewardship Transition is completed (finalized) on or before the ICANN 56 meeting, 27-30 June 2016. See: ICANN 53, IANA Transition Timeline, Fadi Chehade Keynote (video, slides).

CWG-Stewardship (Names community) was successful in getting its unfinished plan approved by the ICANN "chartering organizations" SO/ACs (supporting organizations and advisory committees), and into the hands of the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG) for follow-up review and coordination of that plan together with the plans submitted by the Numbers and Protocols communities. The ICG is to submit a final, complete "IANA Stewardship Transition Plan" to Larry Strickling, NTIA, together with the results of WS-1 of CCWG-Accountability (see below) which is hopeful to have its work completed by the time of ICANN 54 in Dublin (18-22 October 2015). The incomplete CWG-Stewardship transition plan was flagged by the ICG in its meeting just prior to ICANN 53, for an incompatibility with the CRISP (Numbers) Plan in regard to the IANA trademarks and domain name--see: IANA Trademarks and Domain Name, ICANN or IETF Trust?--and ICG wants a specific response from the CWG by "July 2 at 23:59 UTC" in regard to the IANA trademarks and domain name. Who dropped the ball? The CWG-Stewardship co-chairs? Read the two foregoing links, and then this. For follow-up, see the upcoming ICG meeting schedule.

Of course, even after the IANA transition is complete, the CCWG-Accountability (Cross-Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability) will move on from its current Work Stream 1 (WS-1)--enhancements necessary before the IANA transition takes place--to Work Stream 2 (WS-2), which may take years to complete.

A final note: at the public meeting of the ICANN Board of Directors on the final day of ICANN 53, the ICANN Board approved for payment the "invoice for $508,624.98 from Sidley Austin LLP for professional services rendered and expenses incurred [March 6] through March 31, 2015 for the CWG-Stewardship.

Embedded below are a selection of tweets in regard to all of the above by the very observant Samantha Dickinson:

















2015-06-26

How Startup Mixpanel Is Achieving Unicorn Status (video)



How Mixpanel Is Achieving Unicorn Status - Mixpanel CEO Suhail Doshi discusses Mixpanel's mobile data analytics product. He speaks on “Bloomberg Markets,” June 23rd.

domain name: mixpanel.com

For more information: About us - Mixpanel | Mobile Analytics: Our Mission Is To Help The World Learn From Its Data. We've built the most advanced analytics platform for mobile & web. We analyze 48 billion actions every single month.


Mobility Index Report, Q1 2015, Apps, Platforms, Device Preferences



Mobility Index Report, Q1 2015, Apps, Platforms, Device Preferences

Caveat to the above: Google, Chrome, Physical Web Project, The Future App-less Mobile Web

See also: Financial Times, Print Redesign, HTML5, Digital Strategy


Why Millennials Want to Work at Google (video)



Why Millennials Want to Work at Google - Bloomberg’s Julie Verhage examines a new survey on the companies that are most attractive to the millennial workforce. She speaks on “Bloomberg Markets. (Published on Jun 24, 2015)

 Principal domain name: google.com

Note: "Millennials (also known as the Millennial Generation or Generation Y) are the demographic cohort following Generation X. There are no precise dates when the generation starts and ends. Researchers and commentators use birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the early 2000s." (source: Wikipedia)

See also: Randstad survey reveals why top employees leave their jobs - South Florida Business Journal: "The majority of employees who quit their jobs in the past 12 months left due to a lack of opportunities for growth, according to a new survey by Randstad US. Salary was the No. 2 reason, followed by poor leadership at No. 3. The survey is aimed at minimizing employee turnover in the current competitive market for top talent, the Atlanta-based staffing and human resources organization said... Facebook, not LinkedIn, is the number one social media tool used for jobsearches..."


ICANN Public Forum Video Replay, ICANN 53, Buenos Aires



Session starts at 7:20 - ICANN Public Forum - ICANN 53 (June 25, 2015)

 ICANN Public Forum | ICANN53 | Buenos Aires: "The public forum is the Community's opportunity to make comments and ask questions on the main topics at each meeting directly to the Board and in front of the rest of the community. For transparency, a scribe feed is provided both in the room and via remote participation in real-time to allow all comments and questions raised during the session to be viewed by everyone. Remote participants have the opportunity to raise questions and/or comments can occur via email."

Time Restrictions:
Each speaker will get two chances to address the specific issue as it is discussed.
2-Minutes to make initial remarks.
2-Minutes minutes later in the queue for any possible follow-up remarks.
Time restrictions will be strictly adhered to.
In an effort to facilitate as many questions as possible, Board responses are limited to the same time restrictions as the community, specifically 2-minutes.
Board responses to follow-up questions will also be limited to 2-minutes.

Who Should Attend? All members of the ICANN Community.

Agenda Details:
Welcome & Explanation of rules of the Public Forum
Time – 15-minutes (14:00-14:15)
Presenter: Steve Crocker
Welcome Comments
Brad White explains participation rules
Subject: New gTLD Program
Time – 1 Hour (14:15-15:15)
Board Facilitator – Cherine Chalaby
Subject: IANA Stewardship Transition / Enhancing ICANN Accountability
Time – 55 Minutes (15:15-16:10)
Board Facilitator – Suzanne Woolf
Recognition video
Time – 5 Minutes (16:10-16:15)
Introduction – Steve Crocker
Break
Time – 10 minutes (16:15-16:25)
Presentation about ICANN54 Dublin
Time – 10-minutes (16:25-16:35)
Any subjects of community interest
Time – 55-Minutes (16:35-17:30)
Board Facilitator – Gonzal Navarro


ICANN WHOIS Privacy, Take Action, Tell ICANN to Respect Privacy


Domain holders with sites associated to "commercial activity" will no longer be able to protect their private information with WHOIS protection services. "Commercial activity" casts a wide net, which means that a vast number of domain holders will be affected. Your privacy provider could be forced to publish your contact data in WHOIS or even give it out to anyone who complains about your website, without due process. Why should a small business owner have to publicize her home address just to have a website?

We think your privacy should be protected, regardless of whether your website is personal or commercial, and your confidential info should not be revealed without due process. If you agree, it’s time to tell ICANN.

To view the new proposed rules, visit: Privacy & Proxy Services Accreditation Issues Policy.

Demand your right to privacy and due process. Let ICANN know that you object to any release of personal information without a court order. There's no time to waste – ICANN policy discussions are already underway and the close date for comments is July 7, 2015.

Take action here: respectourprivacy.com

2015-06-25

ICANN Public Forum at ICANN53, Buenos Aires

Online Video, Audio, and Remote Participation Link: ICANN Public Forum | ICANN53 | Buenos Aires starts at 2 pm (14:00) in Buenos Aires -- 1:00 pm EDT (US), Thursday, June 25, 2015

Livestream link: http://livestream.com/icannmeeting/events/4131013

ICANN Public Forum | ICANN53 | Buenos Aires: "The public forum is the Community's opportunity to make comments and ask questions on the main topics at each meeting directly to the Board and in front of the rest of the community. For transparency, a scribe feed is provided both in the room and via remote participation in real-time to allow all comments and questions raised during the session to be viewed by everyone. Remote participants have the opportunity to raise questions and/or comments can occur via email.

Those interested in asking a question may do so by addressing the question to engagement@icann.org

Time Restrictions:
Each speaker will get two chances to address the specific issue as it is discussed.
2-Minutes to make initial remarks.
2-Minutes minutes later in the queue for any possible follow-up remarks.
Time restrictions will be strictly adhered to.
In an effort to facilitate as many questions as possible, Board responses are limited to the same time restrictions as the community, specifically 2-minutes.
Board responses to follow-up questions will also be limited to 2-minutes.

Who Should Attend? All members of the ICANN Community.

Agenda Details:
Welcome & Explanation of rules of the Public Forum
Time – 15-minutes (14:00-14:15)
Presenter: Steve Crocker
Welcome Comments
Brad White explains participation rules
Subject: New gTLD Program
Time – 1 Hour (14:15-15:15)
Board Facilitator – Cherine Chalaby
Subject: IANA Stewardship Transition / Enhancing ICANN Accountability
Time – 55 Minutes (15:15-16:10)
Board Facilitator – Suzanne Woolf
Recognition video
Time – 5 Minutes (16:10-16:15)
Introduction – Steve Crocker
Break
Time – 10 minutes (16:15-16:25)
Presentation about ICANN54 Dublin
Time – 10-minutes (16:25-16:35)
Any subjects of community interest
Time – 55-Minutes (16:35-17:30)
Board Facilitator – Gonzal Navarro




ICANN 53, Thursday: CEO Succession, Public Forum, Board Meeting

Thursday, June 25, 2015, at ICANN 53, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Twitter Feeds
Thursday at ICANN 53: The full daily schedule is shown below. For online or remote participation for each session on Thursday, follow the session links. Highlights for Thursday include:
  • CEO Succession Process 11:45 AM EDT (US) (LIVESTREAM link below)
  • Public Forum ICANN 1 PM EDT (US) (LIVESTREAM link below)
  • Board of Directors Meeting 4:30 PM EDT (US) (LIVESTREAM link Below)
Thursday, 25 June 2015 - Full Schedule:
06:45 to 11:30 ART Fellowship Morning Meeting Catalinas
07:00 to 08:00 ART GNSO Non-PDP Data & Metrics for Policy Making Retiro B
07:00 to 08:30 ART ALAC and Regional Leadership Wrap-Up Session I Golden Horn
08:00 to 09:00 ART SSAC Public Meeting Auditorio
08:30 to 09:45 ART Contractual Compliance Registrar Outreach [C] Golden Horn
08:30 to 10:00 ART CWG-Stewardship Working Session La Pampa
08:30 to 12:30 ART GAC Meetings - Thursday 25 June San Telmo
08:30 to 12:30 ART ICG Working Session 3 Libertador AB
08:45 to 10:00 ART Registry Operator Roundtable Retiro A
10:00 to 11:30 ART APAC Space Retiro B
10:15 to 11:30 ART Contractual Compliance Registry Outreach [C] Golden Horn
10:15 to 11:45 ART CCWG-Accountability Working Session 3 La Pampa
11:45 to 12:45 ART ALAC and Regional Leadership Wrap-Up Session II Golden Horn
11:45 to 12:45 ART GNSO Wrap-Up Session Retiro B

12:45 to 13:45 ART CEO Succession Process Libertador AB
14:00 to 17:30 ART ICANN Public Forum Libertador AB
17:30 to 18:30 ART ICANN Public Board Meeting Libertador AB



Yahoo 2015 Annual Shareholders Meeting (video)



CEO Marissa Mayer begins her presentation at 24:40 - topics covered include mobile search
Principal domain name: yahoo.com

Stock exchange and Stock symbol: NASDAQ: YHOO (stock closed up on June 24, 2015)

Yahoo!'s (YHOO) Best Days Are Ahead of It -- If You Believe Marissa Mayer - TheStreet: ""We think the best years for the company are still ahead of us," Mayer said in response to a question on whether one should keep owning shares. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo! has been in a down slope since the start of the year, with shares losing nearly 20% of their value. For comparison, other advertising-centric companies such as Google (GOOGL) (GOOG) and Facebook (FB) have seen their shares appreciate by 5.2% and 13.8%, respectively."

Bloomberg preview of Yahoo 2015 Annual shareholders meeting:

Yahoo shareholders gather today (June 24, 2015) for their annual meeting and Bloomberg’s Paul Sweeney examines the main points of discussion on the company’s strategy. He speaks on “Bloomberg Surveillance.”


2015-06-24

ICANN President and CEO Search Committee

The ICANN President and CEO Search Committee has been formed by the ICANN Board of Directors pursuant to a motion passed at its meeting on June 21, 2015:

Whereas, Fadi Chehadé has announced that he intends to conclude his service as ICANN's President and CEO in March 2016 and the Board is tasked with selecting Mr. Chehadé's replacement.

Whereas, the Board has determined to establish a President and CEO Search Committee, and has identified the following Board members to serve as members of that Committee, all of whom have stated without reservation that they are not a candidate for the position of President and CEO, and will not accept such a position even if offered:

Rinalia Abdul Rahim
Cherine Chalaby
Steve Crocker
Chris Disspain
Markus Kummer
Ram Mohan
Ray Plzak
George Sadowsky (Chair)

Resolved (2015.06.21.03), the Board hereby approves the establishment of the President and CEO Search Committee, and approves the recommended membership and leadership of that Committee as identified above.

Rationale for Resolution 2015.06.21.03
Fadi Chehadé has announced that he intends to conclude his service as ICANN's President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in March 2016. Accordingly, the Board is now tasked with selecting Mr. Chehadé's replacement. The establishment of a temporary Board Committee will allow the Board to more easily coordinate this process with regular reporting to the Board as a whole. It is important to begin this process now, to help ensure that there is timely succession of ICANN's President and CEO, which will assist the organization in maintaining its work in overseeing the security and the stability of the domain name system (DNS). The establishment of this temporary Board Committee will not have a financial impact on ICANN, although resources are likely to be required at later points throughout the search process. This action will not have a negative impact on the DNS.

Establishing the President and CEO Search Committee is an Organizational Administrative Function that does not require public comment. (source: ICANN)

Note: ICANN 53 Session Thursday: 12:45 to 13:45 ART CEO Succession Process Libertador AB
See also:



ICANN 53, Buenos Aires, Wednesday Schedule, Session Links (video)

Mathieu Weill, Co-Chair of the CCWG-Accountability reports on the chairs' briefings to various stakeholder groups June 23, 2015, at ICANN53 in Buenos Aires.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at ICANN 53, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Twitter Feeds
Wednesday at ICANN 53: The full daily schedule is shown below. For online or remote participation for each session on Wednesday, follow the session links shown:

Wednesday, 24 June 2015
06:45 to 08:45 ART Fellowship Morning Meeting Libertador C
08:00 to 09:00 ART At-Large APRALO Monthly Meeting Golden Horn
08:00 to 09:00 ART GNSO-ccNSO CWG for a Framework of CWG Principles Retiro B
08:00 to 09:00 ART RySG - DNA Registry-Registrar Operations Working Group Auditorio
08:00 to 09:30 ART GNSO Translation and Transliteration of Contact Information PDP WG RetiroA
08:30 to 12:30 ART GAC Meetings (AM) - Wednesday 24 June San Telmo
09:00 to 10:00 ART At-Large Capacity Building Working Group Golden Horn
09:00 to 10:00 ART Whois Accuracy Specification Review Discussion [C] Retiro C
09:00 to 10:15 ART Contractual Compliance Program Updates and Q&A Session Libertador C
09:00 to 10:15 ART ICANN Operations Update Aguila
09:00 to 10:15 ART LAC SSR Session - Securing Internet Critical Infrastructure Libertador AB
09:00 to 15:15 ART DNSSEC Workshop Catalinas
09:00 to 15:30 ART ccNSO Members Meeting Day 2 La Pampa
09:30 to 10:30 ART RySG-Marketing a New Domain Name Registry-Sharing Insights Auditorio
09:30 to 11:00 ART NCSG - ICANNs Corp. and Soc. Resp. to Respect Human Rights Retiro B
09:45 to 10:45 ART Joint Meeting of the Board Governance Cmte. and NomCom [C] Martin Fierro
10:00 to 11:30 ART GNSO IGO-INGO Access to Curative Rights Protection PDP WG Retiro C
10:30 to 11:30 ART At-Large LACRALO Monthly Meeting Golden Horn
10:30 to 11:45 ART IDN Program Update Libertador C
10:30 to 12:00 ART AoC and Org. Reviews: Supporting ICANN Accountability Libertador AB
11:00 to 12:00 ART GNSO New gTLD Subsequent Procedures DG Retiro B
11:30 to 14:00 ART NextGen@ICANN Lunch Session [C] Leisure Suit Larry
12:00 to 13:30 ART At-Large Regional Leadership Meeting Golden Horn
12:30 to 14:00 ART Caribbean Working Lunch [C] Aljibe
13:00 to 13:45 ART Joint Meeting of the ICANN Board and the SSAC [C] Martin Fierro
13:00 to 14:15 ART IDN Root Zone LGR Workshop Aguila
13:00 to 15:00 ART GNSO Council Libertador C
13:00 to 15:00 ART LAC ISPs and the Internet Unique Identifiers. Security Topics Libertador AB
13:30 to 14:45 ART Registrars and Law Enforcement Auditorio
14:00 to 15:00 ART Joint Meeting of the ASO/NRO with the ICANN Board Martin Fierro
14:00 to 15:30 ART At-Large AFRALO/AfrICANN Joint Meeting Golden Horn
14:00 to 18:00 ART GAC Communiqué Drafting Session [C] San Telmo
14:15 to 15:30 ART Registration Data Access Protocol: What’s Next? Retiro A
15:00 to 17:00 ART GNSO Privacy & Proxy Accreditation Services Issues PDP WG Retiro C
15:15 to 16:45 ART Joint Meeting of ICANN Board & Technical Experts Group [C] Martin Fierro
15:30 to 16:45 ART RSSAC Workshop Auditorio
15:30 to 17:00 ART ASO Address Council Public Meeting and Workshop Libertador C
15:30 to 17:00 ART CCWG-Accountability Working Session 2 Libertador AB
16:00 to 18:30 ART ccNSO Council Meeting La Pampa
17:00 to 18:00 ART NCSG-CC Working Party on Human Rights Retiro A
17:00 to 18:30 ART At-Large ICANN Academy Working Group Atalaya
17:00 to 18:30 ART Next Steps for Whois Accuracy Reporting Auditorio
17:00 to 18:30 ART Pre-CWG Seminar on New gTLD Auction Proceeds Retiro C
17:00 to 18:30 ART Thick Whois Policy Implementation-Meeting with the IRT Retiro B
17:30 to 18:45 ART CCWG-Internet Governance F2F Meeting Aguila
17:30 to 19:00 ART Fellowship Afternoon Session Libertador C
18:00 to 19:30 ART European Stakeholders Networking Event Aljibe
18:30 to 20:30 ART At-Large LACRALO Showcase Golden Horn




ICANN New gTLD Auctions? Watch the FCC Spectrum Auction (video)

When it came to ICANN's new gTLDs' auctions, the highest bidders (deepest pockets) always had the power--so much for the public interest. Or was ICANN just interested in raising money to expand offices, and pay lavish amounts to ICANN staff, officers, directors, and favored contractors? Multi-stakeholderism sure pays! No wonder, the lobbyists are the stakeholders who make the rules! In ICANN, all stakeholders are equal, but some are more equal than others!

Government, or at least good government, is a different model--Hey ICANN fragilista watch how the FCC ends up conducting the upcoming spectrum auction--


The Battle for Wireless Freedom: The Fight to #DefeatDuopoly - Don’t let the evil duopoly take control of your mobile internet! It’s up to YOU to tell the @FCC reserve 40 MHz of the valuable resource called low-band spectrum and save wireless choice! Tweet at the @FCC and Take Action at savewirelesschoice.com to tell them you want to keep competition alive! (Published on Jun 22, 2015)

domain name: savewirelesschoice.com

More information: How the future of US wireless service hangs on a government auction - CNET: "... Smaller operators such as T-Mobile say they can't go head-to-head with deep-pocketed competitors AT&T and Verizon, which have enough money to easily outspend anyone. The FCC recognizes this challenge, and it agreed last year to restrict the participation of AT&T and Verizon in the auction by setting aside some spectrum for T-Mobile and other smaller carriers to bid on. It's not enough. T-Mobile and the rest of its coalition are asking the agency to increase the size of this reserve. Without this increase, T-Mobile argues, AT&T and Verizon will dominate the auction and shut out competitors. T-Mobile executives say getting the FCC to increase the reserve of spectrum in the auction is not just important for T-Mobile and its customers, but for all wireless customers and industry competition. "Every consumer in America loses," CEO John Legere wrote in a recent blog post. "You'll face higher bills, stifled innovation, crappy customer service -- all the usual AT&T and Verizon treatment! It would be a nightmare for American wireless consumers!"..."

How many of ICANN's new gTLDs does Donuts have? So much for promoting competition! 

 Ask any domain name registrant--are your annual renewal registration fees higher for new gTLDs or .COM?
We are not running out of domains. This [new gTLDs] is a way for registries and registrars to make money. --Esther Dyson

2015-06-23

New gTLD XYZ Domain Name Registrations Net LOSS Now 114935

New gTLD dot XYZ domain name registration numbers are hemorrhaging--registrations on June 3, 2015, were 940,585 and as of June 23, 2015, are 825,650--a (net) drop of 114,935 or a net loss in registrations of over 12% (source: namestat.org/xyz).

Easy come, easy go?

It is unknown, but probable, that [UPDATE] many of those registrations were given away for free by domain name registrar Network Solutions last year--reportedly 300,000+ registrations. [note: Andy Brier of namestat.org sent me the link to his blog where his analysis indicates a less than 6% retention rate for XYZ domains at Network Solutions--interesting reading!]

Earlier today, Domain Mondo posted the news that the stock of the corporate parent of Network Solutions, Web.com, received a downgrade by Citigroup this morning.

NASDAQ: WWWW

See also: Domain Name Registrar Network Solutions Settles FTC Charges: "... Network Solutions LLC has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it misled consumers who bought its web hosting services by promising a full refund if they canceled within 30 days. In reality, the company withheld substantial cancellation fees from most refunds..."

Caveat Emptor!


Web.com (NASDAQ:WWWW) Stock Hit by Citigroup Downgrade

screenshot of WWWW stock hit by Citigroup downgrade
WWWW stock hit by Citigroup downgrade (source: google.com)
A downgrade of  domain name registrar Web.com (NASDAQ: WWWW) to neutral by Citigroup hit the stock hard this morning. The registrar and web services provider provides domain name registration services through Web.com, NetworkSolutions.com and Register.com. As of yesterday's close, the stock had risen 60% from a late-January low of $14.52, but shares have remained far below a 52-week high of $34.79.

See also: Domain Name Registrar Network Solutions Settles FTC Charges

More info: Web.com Group Stock Rating Lowered by Citigroup Inc. (WWWW) and 

UPDATE: Citi Cuts Web.com To Hold, No Justification For Premium Multiple - Tech Trader Daily - Barrons.com: from the Citigroup note: "Through the next few quarters better renewals in the core .COM/.NET domain business from TTM should help, but we worry that weaker recent domain trends coupled with a growing gTLD renewal base that came in via promotional pricing could reverse momentum."

ICANN 53 Tuesday: Registries Stakeholder Group, URS and Legacy TLDs

Tuesday, June 23, 2015, at ICANN 53, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Twitter Feeds
There's a lot going on Tuesday at ICANN 53. The full agenda of the gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group is shown further below (after the full day's schedule below). Topics include the URS and Legacy TLDs -- for background see: Domain Mondo: Most Comments OPPOSE ICANN Extending URS Policy to dotTRAVEL. For Remote participation go here.

For online or remote participation for each session on Tuesday as shown on the daily schedule below, follow the links:

Tuesday, 23 June 2015
06:45 to 09:00 ART Fellowship Morning Meeting Retiro C
07:00 to 08:45 ART Domain Name Association Members Breakfast [C] Catalinas
07:15 to 08:15 ART At-Large EURALO Monthly Meeting Golden Horn
08:00 to 17:00 ART gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group Libertador C
08:30 to 09:30 ART Joint Meeting of the ALAC and the ICANN Board Libertador AB
08:30 to 12:30 ART GAC Meetings (AM) - Tuesday 23 June San Telmo
09:00 to 10:30 ART LAC Strategy Update and Discussion Golden Horn
09:00 to 11:15 ART Commercial Stakeholder Group CSG Martin Fierro
09:00 to 11:30 ART NextGen@ICANN Presentations Aguila
09:00 to 17:00 ART Registrar Stakeholder Group Retiro B
09:00 to 18:00 ART ccNSO Members Meeting Day 1 La Pampa
09:30 to 10:45 ART IETF Buenos Aires 2015 Catalinas
09:30 to 12:30 ART Non-for-Profit Operational Concerns Constituency (NPOC) Retiro A
09:30 to 13:00 ART Non Commercial Users Constituency NCUC Retiro C
09:45 to 10:45 ART Joint Meeting of the ccNSO and the ICANN Board Libertador AB
11:00 to 12:30 ART Joint Meeting of the CSG and the ICANN Board Libertador AB
11:00 to 12:30 ART LAC Talks: Infrastructure, Access, Interconnection and IXPs Catalinas
11:00 to 13:00 ART ALAC Work - Part I Golden Horn
11:30 to 14:00 ART NextGen@ICANN Lunch Session [C] Leisure Suit Larry
13:00 to 14:00 ART At-Large Ad-Hoc New Meeting Strategy Working Party Golden Horn
13:15 to 16:30 ART Business Constituency (BC) Martin Fierro
13:30 to 16:30 ART ISP and Connectivity Providers Constituency (ISPCP) Aguila
14:00 to 16:00 ART ALAC Work - Part II Golden Horn
14:00 to 16:30 ART Non Commercial Stakeholder Group NCSG Retiro C
14:00 to 17:00 ART Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC) Retiro A
14:00 to 18:00 ART GAC Meetings (PM) - Tuesday 23 June San Telmo
14:15 to 15:15 ART Joint Meeting of the Registries with the ICANN Board Libertador AB
15:30 to 16:30 ART Joint Meeting of the Registrars and the ICANN Board Libertador AB
16:15 to 20:00 ART At-Large Ad-hoc WG on IANA Transition & ICANN Accountability Golden Horn
16:45 to 17:45 ART Joint Meeting of the NCSG with the ICANN Board Libertador AB
17:30 to 19:00 ART Fellowship Afternoon Session Libertador C

gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group AGENDA
09:00 – 09:30 Open Meeting
Introductions
Review and approve agenda
Briefing and discussion from 6/21/15 Contracted Party House Executive Committee session with ICANN staff

09:30 – 10:45 Engagement with ICANN Staff
2 Character Country Names at the Second Level
GDD Scorecard – open issues/action (Yasmin Omer)
ICANN Registry Fees going forward (Xavier Calvez and Chuck Gomes)
Registry Agreement Amendment (Jon Nevett)
GDD Industry Summit – results of survey and potential topics for agenda (Krista Papac)
Studies/metrics to inform AOC Review of New gTLD Program (Karen Lentz)
AOB?

10:45 Break
11:00 – 12:45 RySG Business (working luncheon)
Review topics for discussion with ICANN Board
GNSO Council Issues and Motions (Jonathan Robinson)
GAC request for feedback, proposed implementation procedures (Donna Austin, Susan Payne, Kristina Rosette)
Pending RySG comments (Paul Diaz)
URS and Legacy TLDs
RySG Evolution 3 Working Group update on Charter Amendments (Paul Diaz)
Role of RySG Executive Committee going forward (Keith Drazek)
Universal Acceptance Steering Group (USAG) (Don Hollander, Edmon Chung)
GAC Public Safety Working Group (PSWG) (Bobby Flaim) (15 minutes)
Interest Groups Updates
NTAG (Samantha Demetriou)
GeoTLD (Dirk Krischenowski/Peter Vergote)
Community
Brand Registry Group (Philip Sheppard)

13:00 – 14:00 Joint RySG/RrSG meeting (Libertador C)
GNSO Review Report (with Westlake Consulting) (20 minutes)
GNSO Council Issues and Motions
Planning for GNSO Council Chair nominations
Pending Public Comments for review and discussion as still pending/needed:
RAA WHOIS Accuracy Program Specification Review (due 7/3/15)
Privacy and Proxy Working Group Draft Report (due 7/7/15)
URS in Legacy TLDs
Review of Ry and Rr topics for discussion with ICANN Board
AOB?

14:00 Adjourn for meeting with ICANN Board
14:15 – 15:15 RySG Session with ICANN Board (Libertador AB)
Operational Issues (Data Breach, TMCH, etc.)
Budgeting (Allocation of resources, cost-benefit analysis, forecasting, etc.)
IANA Transition and ICANN Accountability (placeholder in case there are key issues to discuss)

15:30 – 16:45 RySG and Other Business (continued from morning session)
ICANN Accountability and IANA Stewardship Transition
IANA Stewardship Transition CWG (Donna Austin, Chuck Gomes)
i. Kim Davies, IANA SLAs and Delegation Process (15:30)
ICANN Accountability CCWG (Keith Drazek, Becky Burr)
16:45 Wrap up and Adjourn