Mike AI
08-24-2005, 01:44 PM
http://www.circleid.com/article/1175_0_1_0_C/
Americans who worried about governments somehow "running" the Internet through the United Nations failed to see the Trojan Horses that were rolled into ICANN's structure in 1998: the Governmental "Advisory" Committee and the special US Government powers over ICANN.
The attempt by the US Commerce Department to "recall" the delegation of .xxx to ICM Registry due to pressure from deluded right-wing groups in the US who think that it will add to pornography on the Internet is a major inflection point in the history of ICANN, and could represent the beginning of the end of its private sector/civil society based model of governance.
The issue is not only an assertion of censorship powers over top level domains, but the sudden assertion of authority through the GAC to overrule or veto decisions made by ICANN's own processes and its Board.
And what kind of authority did GAC have to do this? The more one learns about this sorry episode, the more disturbing the details look.
The US did NOT voice opposition to the .xxx domain in the Luxembourg GAC meeting. And the GAC itself did NOT pass a resolution or go through any formal process to ask to recall the delegation. What really happened is that the US Commerce Department basically ordered ICANN to delay it and then "politely requested" the GAC Chairman (who is known to be close to the US) to send a letter to ICANN so that the order would have some legitimate "cover."
Here is a recitation of the relevant facts:
* At Luxembourg (July 9-15), neither the GAC nor the US made a request to stop the delegation. Other governments merely voiced their concern that "its creation will prompt significant public policy and public interest issues."
* All the outraged letters from Christian conservatives (and pornographers posing as such - that's another interesting detail) came into the Commerce Dept. weeks before the Luxembourg meeting. If the US was really motivated solely by the "6000 letters" mentioned by Mr. Gallagher in his letter to ICANN (http://www.icann.org/correspondence/gallagher-to-cerf-15aug05.pdf) (PDF), why did it take no action in Luxembourg?
* Because that was before Mr. David A. Sampson, (http://www.commerce.gov/bios/sampson_bio.htm)a new Commerce Dept official with strong ties to the religious right in the US, was appointed. Sampson was confirmed by the Senate as Deputy Secretary of Commerce July 22.
* The US Commerce Dept letter to ICANN is dated August 11, about two weeks after Sampson was appointed.
* The GAC Chairman's letter to ICANN (http://www.icann.org/correspondence/tarmizi-to-board-12aug05.htm) is dated August 12, and obviously follows the US initiative.
* The US letter was buried in the "Correspondence" section of ICANN's web site.
* The GAC letter was put on the front page, providing a nice cover for the US initiative.
So here's the full picture. We have just learned that a relatively minor change in political appointees in the Bush White House can, thanks to the USG's special authority over the Internet, yank the rug out from anything ICANN does. We have learned that the GAC, which technically has no more authority over ICANN than the At Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) and LESS authority than its GNSO, ASO and CCSO supporting organizations, can without even a formal resolution of its members, bring processes taking years and millions of dollars to a crashing halt. And this can occur with even a formal resolution, just because the US Commerce Department asks the GAC Chairman to send a letter.
Don't talk to me about the "UN taking over the Internet." Please.
Americans who worried about governments somehow "running" the Internet through the United Nations failed to see the Trojan Horses that were rolled into ICANN's structure in 1998: the Governmental "Advisory" Committee and the special US Government powers over ICANN.
The attempt by the US Commerce Department to "recall" the delegation of .xxx to ICM Registry due to pressure from deluded right-wing groups in the US who think that it will add to pornography on the Internet is a major inflection point in the history of ICANN, and could represent the beginning of the end of its private sector/civil society based model of governance.
The issue is not only an assertion of censorship powers over top level domains, but the sudden assertion of authority through the GAC to overrule or veto decisions made by ICANN's own processes and its Board.
And what kind of authority did GAC have to do this? The more one learns about this sorry episode, the more disturbing the details look.
The US did NOT voice opposition to the .xxx domain in the Luxembourg GAC meeting. And the GAC itself did NOT pass a resolution or go through any formal process to ask to recall the delegation. What really happened is that the US Commerce Department basically ordered ICANN to delay it and then "politely requested" the GAC Chairman (who is known to be close to the US) to send a letter to ICANN so that the order would have some legitimate "cover."
Here is a recitation of the relevant facts:
* At Luxembourg (July 9-15), neither the GAC nor the US made a request to stop the delegation. Other governments merely voiced their concern that "its creation will prompt significant public policy and public interest issues."
* All the outraged letters from Christian conservatives (and pornographers posing as such - that's another interesting detail) came into the Commerce Dept. weeks before the Luxembourg meeting. If the US was really motivated solely by the "6000 letters" mentioned by Mr. Gallagher in his letter to ICANN (http://www.icann.org/correspondence/gallagher-to-cerf-15aug05.pdf) (PDF), why did it take no action in Luxembourg?
* Because that was before Mr. David A. Sampson, (http://www.commerce.gov/bios/sampson_bio.htm)a new Commerce Dept official with strong ties to the religious right in the US, was appointed. Sampson was confirmed by the Senate as Deputy Secretary of Commerce July 22.
* The US Commerce Dept letter to ICANN is dated August 11, about two weeks after Sampson was appointed.
* The GAC Chairman's letter to ICANN (http://www.icann.org/correspondence/tarmizi-to-board-12aug05.htm) is dated August 12, and obviously follows the US initiative.
* The US letter was buried in the "Correspondence" section of ICANN's web site.
* The GAC letter was put on the front page, providing a nice cover for the US initiative.
So here's the full picture. We have just learned that a relatively minor change in political appointees in the Bush White House can, thanks to the USG's special authority over the Internet, yank the rug out from anything ICANN does. We have learned that the GAC, which technically has no more authority over ICANN than the At Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) and LESS authority than its GNSO, ASO and CCSO supporting organizations, can without even a formal resolution of its members, bring processes taking years and millions of dollars to a crashing halt. And this can occur with even a formal resolution, just because the US Commerce Department asks the GAC Chairman to send a letter.
Don't talk to me about the "UN taking over the Internet." Please.