This is a splendid example of why ICANN is going wrong. The ISOC/gTLD-MoU faction
wants to take a relatively straightforward problem of resource allocation and
technical coordination and grab hold of it to turn themselves into global
professionalizers and credentializers. Craig thinks the Internet is a "trade"
that's going to be run by a "trade association." What an utterly abysmal failure of
imagination. What an amazing lack of understanding of internetworking and its
potential.
--MM
Craig Simon wrote:
> I agree with Ken.
>
> As I understand her, Tamar Frankel has stressed from the beginning that
> voluntary, self-organized trade associations are more likely to be
> successful if the membership makes a collective effort to protect itself
> against bad apples. This implies to me that members of the DNS industry
> (at a minimum, registries and registrars, root service providers, and
> name service providers) would do well to establish a code of conduct for
> themselves.
>
> This says nothing of the substance of such a code, nor of how to make it
> binding and enforceable. But I would argue: 1) Members of the DNS
> industry should try to map out and level the playing field by making
> this sort of a formal commitment to each other, and; 2) Internet
> consumers/users deserve a publicly stated standard of reference against
> which they can test individual entities for "bad appleness," and with
> which they can begin to assess the quality of the industry as a whole.
>
> Craig Simon
>
> A.M. Rutkowski wrote:
> >
> > Ken,
> >
> > >rules,standards, codes ... call them what you will but i feel that they are
> > >essential components for insuring confidence in the growth in the registry
> > >system.
> > >
> > >ken
> > >p.s. i feel advocating business standards or codes of ethics only enhances
> > >public confidence. as a CPA it has worked quite well for the profession as a
> > >whole. as far as other internet -related activities are concerned. i leave
> > >it up to them to determine what is in their best self-interest, although i
> > >would assume that many internet industry trade associations currenty have
> > >"codes" to help instill confidence in doing business with their members..
> > >(the bar association also comes into mind here as well..)
> >
> > This is an important, indeed fundamental, set of considerations.
> >
> > The Internet and those who provide Internet resources have
> > done rather well over the years without codes. Applicable law,
> > the marketplace, and customary practice has been sufficient.
> > Your thoughtful response raises the issue of whether it's now
> > necessary through some means of intervention to promulgate
> > and enforce codes for the providers of Internet services.
> >
> > I'd suggest great caution here. The codes of professional
> > groups are generally predicated on some color of government
> > licensing authority. The codes of trade associations generally
> > emerge out of consensus among the members of those associations.
> > In both of these cases, the codes are very minimalist, general,
> > and usually voluntary.
> >
> > It also begs the question, why tld dns registry service providers?
> > How about lower level registries? What's so important about DNS
> > directory services? There are other components of the Internet
> > and its resources that are more important. Shouldn't there be
> > codes for ISP? For public key authenticators? Web hosters?
> > Search services? How about ECommerce providers?
> >
> > This is a long slippery slope without end, and under whose aegis
> > is it to occur?
> >
> > --tony
