Re: [ga] .com & National Security

[Jeff Williams <jwkckid1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Danny and all,

  From the tone and some of the verbiage of this letter, I am gathering
that Verisign is trying to use security concerns, which are real indeed,

to justify even further or more cost increases...

Danny Younger wrote:

> FYI:  Network Solutions Press Release --
>
> PROPOSED .COM AGREEMENT COMPELS REVIEW BY PRESIDENT'S
> COUNCIL ON COMMUNICATIONS SECURITY
>
> 'Profound' Security Concerns for Internet
>
> HERNDON, Va. ? September 28, 2006 ? Network Solutions
> today called on the National Security
> Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) to
> review the proposed .com registry agreement between
> the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
> Numbers (ICANN) and VeriSign, Inc.  Network Solutions
> asked NSTAC, which provides advice to the President on
> communications issues related to national security and
> emergency preparedness, to immediately assess the
> critical security concerns that the .com registry
> proposal poses for the Internet.
>
> ( http://about-networksolutions.com/NSTAC_Letter.pdf )
>
> The .com proposal is pending before the U.S.
> Department of Commerce for review.  ICANN's Board of
> Directors in February narrowly approved the agreement,
> which includes automatic renewal terms and up to $1.3
> billion in cumulative, guaranteed price increases that
> would not have to be directed toward security
> improvements or otherwise justified.  The proposal
> fails to provide a minimal level of ICANN oversight
> and security risk mitigation, omitting contractually
> enforceable requirements for security reporting,
> testing, monitoring and risk analysis.
>
> In formally requesting the review, Network Solutions
> Chairman and CEO Champ Mitchell told NSTAC Chairman F.
> Duane Ackerman in a letter that the proposed .com
> agreement "will undermine critical security goals."
> Network Solutions requested an NSTAC review of this
> proposal prior to a final decision by the Commerce
> Department.  The letter noted that NSTAC, in its role
> of providing industry-based advice to the President,
> is compelled to review the .com proposal based on the
> vital domestic policy and national security concerns
> at issue.  NSTAC consists of the CEOs of
> communications and network service providers and
> information technology, finance and aerospace
> companies.
>
> "The proposed agreement essentially awards VeriSign an
> unregulated and perpetual monopoly over the operation
> of the .com Top Level Domain (TLD) registry, but is
> virtually silent on the issue of Internet security,"
> the letter said.  "It does not include sufficient
> contractual requirements for addressing fundamental
> security requirements, provide for ICANN oversight of
> VeriSign?s security policies, or promote competition
> as a means of enhancing security."
>
> The letter states that the security oversights of the
> proposed agreement are in stark contrast to the U.S.
> government?s own contract terms for the operation of
> the .us country code Top Level Domain (TLD).  The
> United States granted a contract to administer the .us
> TLD under competitive, rather than monopoly terms,
> avoiding automatic renewal provisions while
> stipulating monitoring and oversight provisions for
> security measures.
>
> "The monopoly terms, unjustified price increases and
> lack of meaningful security requirements in the
> proposed .com agreement have real-world implications
> for the future security and stability of the Domain
> Name System," Mr. Mitchell said.  "Competition and
> enforceable contractual provisions are not just the
> best way, they are the only way to fix these security
> oversights.  We look forward to cooperating with NSTAC
> in reviewing the Internet security and stability
> implications of this proposal."
>
> Network Solutions asked that NSTAC advise the Commerce
> Department and interested Members of Congress of its
> intent to handle this request, noting that "a number
> of members of Congress have expressed similar concerns
> with the proposed .com renewal agreement."
>
> http://onlinepressroom.net/networksolutions/
>
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Regards,

--
Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 134k members/stakeholders strong!)
"Obedience of the law is the greatest freedom" -
   Abraham Lincoln

"Credit should go with the performance of duty and not with what is
very often the accident of glory" - Theodore Roosevelt

"If the probability be called P; the injury, L; and the burden, B;
liability depends upon whether B is less than L multiplied by
P: i.e., whether B is less than PL."
United States v. Carroll Towing  (159 F.2d 169 [2d Cir. 1947]
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