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Asia/Australia/Pacific Region Gains Four At-Large Structures

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Four organizations in the Asia/Australia/Pacific region have been certified as
At-Large
Structures:

They join the Arab
Knowledge Management Society (based in Jordan), which was the first
group certified as an At-Large Structure in this region. In addition, the
Internet
Users Network (based in Japan) recently applied for At-Large Structure
certification.

These organizations represent a variety of individual users, and are wholly
independent from ICANN. Certification recognizes that these groups meet
ICANN's criteria for involving individual Internet users at the local or
issue level in ICANN activities, and for promoting individuals' understanding
of, and participation in, ICANN. Types of groups that are (or have expressed
interest in being designated) At-Large Structures include professional societies
(e.g. engineers, attorneys, etc.), academic organizations, community networking
groups, consumer advocacy groups, Internet Society chapters, computer user
organizations, and Internet civil society groups.

These groups will work with other At-Large Structures and the At-Large
Advisory Committee (ALAC), which advises the ICANN Board and policy
groups, to help ensure that the voice of end users in all geographic regions
will be heard, and that their representation can be effectively taken into
account, as ICANN makes decisions that affect people’s use of the
Internet.

End-user groups have identified numerous matters under consideration by
ICANN on which individual users’ voices need to be heard. These include:
privacy protections for detailed personal domain registration information
(called the WHOIS database), which is publicly posted; guidance for the
implementation of internationalized domain names (use of non-ASCII characters
to enable “local language” domain names); processes for settling
trademark and domain name disputes; and how additional new top-level domains
(i.e. .info, .name, .museum, etc.) are introduced. ICANN At-Large is actively
working on these and other issues on behalf of the Internet’s individual
end-users.

To date, eleven organizations in the other four geographic regions also
have been certified as At-Large Structures:

  • Societ� Internet (based in Italy; Europe region)
  • Alfa-Redi (based in Peru; Latin America/Caribbean Islands region)
  • FITUG (based based in Germany; Europe region)
  • Internet Society Luxembourg A.S.B.L. (based in Luxembourg; Europe region)
  • Internet Society Bulgaria (based in Bulgaria; Europe region)
  • Moroccan Internet Society (based in Morocco; Africa region)
  • Anais.AC (based in Cameroon; Africa region)
  • Internet Society - Finland (based in Finland; Europe region) Sudan Internet Society (based in Sudan; Africa region)
  • Catalan Chapter of the Internet Society - (based in Spain; Europe region)
  • Asociaci�n Costarricense de Derecho Inform�tico (based in Costa Rica; LatinAmerica/Caribbean Islands region)

Ultimately, At-Large Structures in each geographic region are expected to
work together in a Regional At-Large Organization (RALO). Five Regional
At-Large Organizations (one in each ICANN region - Africa, Asia/Australia/Pacific,
Europe, Latin America/Caribbean, and North America) are expected to be formed
to manage outreach and public involvement and be the main forum and coordination
point in each region for public input to ICANN.

At ICANN's meeting
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 19-23 July 2004, the At-Large Advisory Committee
will sponsor an At-Large meeting for users in the Asia/Australia/Pacific
region, as well as policy discussions and workshops on such issues as implementation
of internationalized domain names, and the World Summit on the Information
Society. These events are open to the public. Check www.alac.icann.org
for more information on At-Large-sponsored events. Questions or comments
on At-Large should be emailed to committee@alac.icann.org.