News Review | Internet Governance: Macron's Call for a New Multilateralism

Domain Mondo's weekly internet domain news review (NR 2018-11-25 with analysis and opinion: Features •  1) IGF2019: What Is Internet Governance? Macron's Call for a New Multilateralism, 2) ICANN news: a. EPDP Initial Report, Webinar Nov 29, and EPDP Meeting Nov 27, b. Verisign & .COM, c. Public Comment, d. GNSO projects,  e. DCA Trust vs ICANN re: .AFRICA, 3) Names, Domains ... Akram Atallah, 4) ICYMI: EU Link Tax, and more, 5) Readership Stats.

1) IGF2019: What Is Internet Governance? Macron's Call for a New Multilateralism

"What rules apply to the internet? Who governs it? Internet governance is no longer just for technical experts, as it deals with political questions about the future of the internet – matters that affect everyone"--igf2019.berlin. 

Editor's note: The Internet Governance Forum was established in 2006 by the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), to serve in an advisory capacity although there have been recent calls (see quote below) to expand its role. Having most recently been convened in Geneva (2017) and Paris (2018), the 14th Annual Meeting will be held on 25-29 November 2019 at the Estrel Congress Centre in Berlin, Germany.

"... The Internet, the depth of data and knowledge hosted by it, and the essential services it gives access to, are collective treasures that we need to manage together in order precisely to pass them on to future generations. And so it is here that we need to invent a new multilateralism both suited to the reality of cyber space and effective. That is why I am here today to propose a new collegial method. The Internet Governance Forum has now been around for 12 years, and the quality of the discussions here is renowned everywhere. But this Forum now needs to produce more than just debate and reflection. It needs to reform, to become a body producing tangible proposals. I will strongly support all initiatives in this direction. That is why France, with the assistance of the host country that preceded it – Switzerland – and ahead of the Forum that will meet in Berlin in 2019, would precisely like to promote this movement of reform. Starting this year and in the spirit of the approach tried in Geneva last year, we will gather the main conclusions of the discussions. But it will then be up to you, afterwards, to define the terms of production and recommendations for public policies – which is what the mandate of the Forum has invited you to do since its creation in 2005. I am also very in favour – this is a suggestion – of the Internet Governance Forum now being directly attached to the United Nations Secretary-General and for it to have its own Secretariat. Dear António Guterres, I will leave these various points to you, but I know how committed you are to the issue .... In Europe, we have already begun working hand in hand ... with the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is the best demonstration that, far from restricting innovation, regulation builds the user trust that businesses need so much. And this regulation came at a moment when, across the oceans, other scandals were emerging, demonstrating the sensitivity and the importance of this issue of access to data. In that respect, this regulation is on the way to becoming a global standard, but work is not finished in this area, even in Europe, and we need to go further. I have in mind, for example, the idea of establishing a common European framework for class actions as regards violations of personal data rights, enabling all European users to obtain compensation in accordance with a harmonized framework .... we need to invent – innovate – new forms of multilateral cooperation that involve not only states, but also all of the stakeholders you represent. This is what I want for us; this is what I want us to work towards. These issues are a huge responsibility for the Internet community, for you and for us. For this reason, I do not doubt that we will be able to follow in the footsteps of our founding fathers and rise to the challenge."--excerpts from IGF 2018 Speech by French President Emmanuel Macron (emphasis added).

2) ICANN News

29 Nov 2018 EPDP Initial Report Webinar slides:

a. UPDATE: EPDP Initial Report Webinar: Adobe Connect Replay, slides above, MP3, chat transcript (pdf).

EPDP Initial Report published (pdf) Wednesday, Nov 21. 2018. Public comment period ends December 21, 2018. ICANN blog post here.  ICANN webinar planned for Thursday,  Nov 29, 2018, at 14:00 UTC (9 am EST in US), sign up for the webinar: send an email to gnso-secs@icann.org. Editor's note: I'll have more to say in next week's News Review.

EPDP meeting Tuesday Nov 27 starting 14:00 UTC (9am EST). Observers use  Adobe Connect, or audio cast (browser or app). Tuesday's agenda (with docs and links), items (pdf) remaining to be discussed, and draft letter to the EDPB (pdf) (European Data Protection Board).

UPDATE: EPDP Meeting Nov 27 Adobe Connect replay, Chat transcript (pdf),  MP3 audio, action items. Next meeting Tuesday, Dec 4, 14:00 UTC 9am EST (US). Also below the CPH (Registrars and Registry Operators) feedback on the draft letter to the EDPB (referenced above):

See also GNSO Council EPDP page and updates. Links to all EPDP meetings' transcripts and recordings are on the GNSO calendar. Other EPDP links: wiki, mail list, action items, Temp Spec, EPDP Charter (pdf), Data Elements Workbooks (pdf).

b. Verisign & .COM: Letter (pdf) Nov 16, 2018, to ICANN from Zak Muscovitch, Internet Commerce Association, re: .COM. Editor's note: for background see last week's News Review 3) d.

c. ICANN Public Comment Periods closing in December (subject to change by ICANN org):

• Draft Final Report of The Second Security and Stability Advisory Committee Review (SSAC2) 3 Dec 2018 23:59 UTC

• Supplemental Initial Report on the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process (Overarching Issues & Work Tracks 1-4) 12 Dec 2018 23:59 UTC

• Proposed Consensus Policy Concerning the Names of the Red Cross International Movement and Red Cross National Societies 14 Dec 2018 23:59 UTC

• Initial Report of the Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) on the Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data Team 21 Dec 2018 23:59 UTC

• Policy Status Report: Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP) 24 Dec 2018 23:59 UTC

d. ICANN GNSO Active Projects List (pdf) updated Nov 19, 2018.

e. DCA Trust vs ICANN re: new gTLD .AFRICA

"NATURE OF PROCEEDINGS: Intervenor ZA Central Registery NPC's ex parte application to order plaintiff DCA to cooperate with the court-ordered in-person settlement meeting; The Court considers the moving documents and opposition and rules as follows:

"On November 19, 2018, defendant ZA Central Registry, NPC (“ZACR”) filed an Ex Parte Application to Order Plaintiff DCA to Cooperate with the Court-Ordered In-Person Settlement Meeting (“Ex Parte Application”). Plaintiff DotConnectAfrica Trust filed an opposition to the Ex Parte Application. The court finds that ZACR has not met its burden to show good cause to grant the relief requested in its Ex Parte Application. At the September 25, 2018 Trial Setting Conference, the court ordered the parties and their counsel to hold a settlement meeting in person to discuss and try to settle all disputed issues in the case no later than January 18, 2019. (September 25, 2018 minute order.) The court expects the parties’ counsel to meet and confer in good faith to schedule a mutually convenient date and place for that settlement meeting, so as to minimize the burden on all parties and their counsel. The court orders that, if the parties cannot agree on the place where the settlement meeting is going to be held, then it shall take place in Los Angeles, California. The court orders the ZACR to give notice of this order." (source)

Docket schedule:

3) Names, Domains & Trademarks

Akram Atallah at ICANN53

Trust those who are greedy for money a thousand times more than those who are greedy for credentials.--Nassim Taleb

Akram Atallah starting a new adventure...

• Kirkland, Washington
• Current: Donuts Inc.
• Previous: ICANN, CoreObjects, Conexant
• Education: Harvard Business School 

Editor's note: does everyone lie about their qualifications today, or just former ICANN executives? Akram was never an undergraduate nor graduate student at Harvard Business School, much less graduate from there. He apparently did receive an "HBS Executive Education program certificate of completion" which is supposed to be listed on a LinkedIn profile or C.V. like this.

For more background read News Review | Fadi, Akram & Donuts, ICANN Conflicts of Interest.

4) ICYMI Internet Domain News 

• EU Link Tax: Google News may shut down over EU plans to charge a "link tax" which Google is lobbying hard to stop. The purported reason for the tax is to compensate news publishers--TheGuardian.com.

• Surveillance Kills Freedom By Killing Experimentation--Bruce Schneier in wired.com.

• Internet Freedom in Asia--the region is a driving force behind annual declines in internet freedom at the global level--thediplomat.com.

• India Leads The World In The Number Of Internet Shutdowns--forbes.com. 

5) Domain Mondo's Readership Stats

Top 4 Countries for the week and month: 

1. United States
2. China
3. Germany
4. France 

Most read this past week:

1. News Review | EPDP Initial Report: ICANN GDPR Train Wreck #2

2. Tech Review: 1) Apple's Core Problems, 2) High Tech Wars of the Future

3. Peter Chernin On The Future of Digital Entertainment (video)

4. Dropbox CEO Drew Houston and the Evolution of a Tech Entrepreneur

-- John Poole, Editor • Domain Mondo 

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