The following article was just posted on Wired at http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/18048.html ICANN Fracas Moves to Singapore by Chris Oakes It has a couple in errors. We know that Michael Roberts is Interim President and CEO, not Interim Chair of ICANN. Also, I consider myself an advocate for public process, not an activist. My goal with my heavily linked website is to enable individuals to have better *informed* participation in the DNS discussions. Apparently Mr. Roberts doesn't read my posts or he would know that I am very clear on the fact that ICANN is *not* a monolithic structure for Internet governance. I always describe ICANN in its specifically designated role regarding the administration of Internet names and IP addresses. That said, ICANN will have enormous impact on the evolution of the domain name system. ICANN is choosing a membership structure, selecting Protocol, Addressing and Domain Names Supporting Organizations, establishing controversial accreditation requirements for registrars, and hinting at new schemes to fund these activities. Thus, it is *completely appropriate* for us to ask that its deliberations and votes be made in public meetings. >From the article: ICANN's Roberts insists that his group does not constitute a government, so can't be held to the scrutiny of a government body. "Not only aren't we a governance organization, but the white paper specifically says we're not a governance organization." ICANN's critics make their mistake by overlooking this fact, Roberts said. "When you set up false premises then it's pretty easy to beat up on the directors." He apparently feels that only governments need be publicly accountable to the constituents whose assets they administer. I wonder what he thinks the underlying White Paper principles of openness and transparency mean. Ellen Rony Co-author The Domain Name Handbook http://www.domainhandbook.com ============================ // ================================ ISBN 0879305150 *=" ____ / +1 (415) 435-5010 [EMAIL PROTECTED] \ ) Tiburon, CA On the Internet, // \\ no one knows you're a dog
