Re: [ga] The ALAC has a new website

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

My main concern remains the fact that ALAC is supposed to be for Individual
Internet Users, but Individual Internet Users are barred from joining as
Individuals.

On this new website it says that in order to be certified as an At Large
Structure an organisation must meet minimum criteria, including: "offering
Internet-based mechanisms that enable discussions of one or more of these
activities and issues among individual constituents/members"
(http://icannalac.org/what-is-the-certification-process-and-criteria-for-cre
ation-of-an-at-large-structure--2.html )

If I look on the ICANN.org site and check out the ALAC structures that have
already been certified, and check out their web presence to see if, indeed,
there are "Internet-based" mechanisms that enable discussions by individual
members, I find:

ISOC-DRC: No details given of even having a website, let alone any way
individuals can participate online:
http://www.alac.icann.org/africa/applications/isoc-drc.htm

Morrocan Internet Society: Click on their given website and you get "page
cannot be displayed":
http://www.alac.icann.org/africa/applications/misoc-25nov03.htm then click
on:
http://www.misoc.org.ma/

Anais.AC: it says there is "no website yet", let alone any way individual
members can participate in this non-existent website:
http://www.alac.icann.org/africa/applications/anais-27oct03.htm

Sudan Internet Society: it has a website, but NO "Internet-based mechanisms"
where individuals can hold discussions. Moreover, in its mission statement,
it says it is serving "individuals, businesses, professionals, and
organizations" - so it hardly seems to be a structure set up specifically to
represent Individual Users.
http://www.alac.icann.org/africa/applications/sudan-isoc-29sep03.htm
http://www.isoc.sd/

The Arab Knowledge Management Society has no interface for online discussion
by individuals, and is not set up to help individuals participate in
Internet Governance issues, but rather it is committed in the fields of
knowledge management, technology, innovation, and corporate governance - so
its mission is far broader and not really about Individual Internet users at
all:
http://www.apralo.org/
http://www.akms.org/Default.aspx?&lang=en

The National Information Infrastructure Enterprise Promotion Association,
based in Taiwan, has a website but its mission mentions nothing about
Individual Internet Users and it describes its purposes as "supporting the
government to implement NII applications and services, assist the private
sctor with these, strengthen links between the government and private sector
in fields of science and technology, and collaborate with the government to
build a well-rounded environment for the development of the NII industry".
Why is this structure certified as being for Individual Internet Users
rather than non-commercial users or any other constituency?
http://www.apralo.org/
http://www.nii.org.tw/eng/intro_en.htm

At Large @ China, setting aside the irony of a country which censors the
Internet so heavily, claims to have a website but when you click on it, it
does not resolve:
http://www.alac.icann.org/asia/applications/atlargechina-09jan04.htm
http://www.al-china.org.cn/

Internet Society Vasudhay Kutumbhkum: it simply says with reference to a
website, "not applicable" so clearly it would be hard for individuals to
participate online through their website as it does not appear to exist
(nevertheless it was certified):
http://www.apralo.org/
http://www.alac.icann.org/asia/applications/isvk-04feb04.htm

I could go on and on but I've spent long enough.

My point:

ALAC at present is a sham. It was created by ICANN to legitimise the
expulsion of the elected At Large representatives who were kicked off the
ICANN Board. It bars membership to Individual Users even though it is
supposed to be for them.

As demonstrated here in this mail, it appears to ignore or arbitrarily apply
its own verification criteria for accepting At Large Structures "into the
club".

Many of its structures appear to have no web presence, or else have no
online mechanisms for Individual Internet User participation.

As Karl says, this sham of an ICANN pretence has spectacularly failed.

It fails because it is designed to "lock out" the very people it pretends to
represent.

Yours,
Richard Henderson

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Danny Younger" <dannyyounger@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ga@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2005 10:39 PM
Subject: [ga] The ALAC has a new website


> http://icannalac.org/
>
> comments anyone?
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Yahoo! Music Unlimited
> Access over 1 million songs. Try it free.
> http://music.yahoo.com/unlimited/