Re: [ga] .us Policy Council

[Danny Younger <dannyyounger@xxxxxxxxx>]

Richard,
 
I have a domain in the .usTLD.  For me the issue is:  Who is in charge of this namespace?  Who makes the policy?  The US federal government maintains that their decision regarding proxy services is not a change, but simply a clarification of existing policies.  Fine.  Clarification is a good thing.  However, Policy Councils exist to recommend new policy for the ccTLD administrator to implement.  In that I have not seen a position taken by the .us Policy Council, nor any record of meetings that would have been concurrent with the review of the policy, I am concerned that matters are amiss within the domain, and that the adminstrator of the domain is not getting the benefit of the public view.  I follow the discussions on the .us public policy forum and have yet to see any .us Policy Council member respond to any issue presented -- it's like the Policy Council doesn't exist, or simply chooses to ignore any and all complaints.
 
While I have singled out Mike Palage for my questions (as those running for office are usually more inclined to provide answers to public questions), the truth of the matter is that several ICANN-associated personalities are members of the .us Policy Council (and they could all step up to the plate to offer some answers -- truthfully, Mike shouldn't have to bear the brunt of my comments alone).  
 
What I would like to see is an effort to implement the proxy registrations that are now denied, and I would like to know if the .us Policy Council will take, or has taken, a stand on this very important privacy issue.  Perhaps Mike can fill in the blanks for us so that I and others that participate in this domain can better influence the policy recommendation process (if there is one).

Richard Henderson <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Here in the UK with .uk you have to give a registrant name (either individual or company) but you can request that all contact details are withheld from publication. If you're doing something bad through your website the law can be invoked to obtain the contact information from Nominet (the registry).
 
Seems simple enough.
 
As someone who has been stalked in the past, and the unnerving impact that has on your own life and your family's, not to mention personal safety, I personally take the view that the NTIA / DOC decision is over the top and intrusive. Nobody needs to know my address, unless I choose to share it with them, or I have done something wrong. But I can understand why a registry may reserve the right to store the info securely if I want the right to a domain name registered through them.
 
Thankfully, the stalker issue has been dealt with completely, and I don't have too many worries about sharing my contact info as a rule. However, we should respect other people's right to, or need of, privacy.
 
Government should back off.
 
Richard H
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Danny Younger 
To: mike@xxxxxxxxxx 
Cc: ga@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Saturday, March 05, 2005 6:20 PM
Subject: [ga] .us Policy Council


Mike,
 
You are a member of the .us Policy Council.  According to the Neustar website, the last posted minutes of a .usTLD Policy Council Meeting date back to January 9, 2003.  Accordingly, I have the following questions that perhaps you might be inclined to answer...
 
1.  Has the .usTLD Policy Council met in the course of the last two years?
2.  If it has met, why aren't the minutes posted?
3.  If it hasn't met, why is the Council ignoring its responsibilities?
4.  What was the position of the Council and/or your position regarding proxy registrations?  When the DOC initiated its review, what commentary did you and other council members provide?  Do you approve of the DOC decision to ban proxy registrations in the .us domain?
5.  You have now been a .us Policy Council member for three years; the term of office for Council members was established in the Charter as one year.  How is it that you have remained in office this long without a vote being held to elect successor advisors?  
6.  Can you explain the lack of democratic process and the reasons for a seeming lack of transparency in the .us Policy Council?  
7.  Do you support the democratic process, or do you intend to squat on the Policy Council indefinately?  
8.  Do you support full transparency, and if so, what actions will you take to ensure that both the .us Policy Council and the ICANN Board acts to post the minutes of their meetings? 
 


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