ALAC: Advice to the ICANN Board on Subsequent Procedures (R-03B)

Date IssuedDocumentReference IDCurrent Phase

 

ALAC: Advice to the ICANN Board on Subsequent Procedures (R-03B)AL-ALAC-ST-0421-02-01-EN (R-03B)

CLOSED



  1. Phase 1 Receive
  2. Phase 2 Understand
  3. Phase 3 Evaluate
  4. Phase 4 Implement
  5. Phase 5 Close
  6. Closed


DESCRIPTION

The ALAC opines that a new application round represents a carrot and a more immediate avenue to draw contracted parties to negotiate improvements to their own DNS Abuse mitigation efforts; absent this incentive, such improvements are likely perceived as merely expensive new regulation.


DEPENDENCIES

Progress pending the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Final Report.


STATUS UPDATES

DatePhaseTypeStatus Updates

 

ClosedPhase ChangeThis Advice Item is now Closed

 

Phase 2Board UpdateA letter (https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/correspondence/sinha-to-zuck-22may23-en.pdf) was sent to the RSSAC regarding the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) Advice to the ICANN Board on the Subsequent Procedures (SubPro) Policy Development Process (PDP) Recommendations. Following the adoption of the Resolution and with the considerations described below, the Board believes that there is no further action required to address those aspects of the ALAC’s Advice relating to the Board’s decision on the Final Report, as these have already been taken One World, One Internet icann.org into account during its deliberations. Therefore, the Board regards these Advice items to have been fully considered.

 

Phase 2Phase UpdateThe ICANN Board and Org are currently reviewing and considering this advice. In December 2022, ICANN org delivered the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Operational Assessment to the Board, which identified the ALAC's advice as an item that may need a decision or action be taken before the next round is to proceed. On 16 March 2023, the Board adopted 98 recommendations contained in the New Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Subsequent Procedures (SubPro) Policy Development Process Final Report (Final Report). The Board's 16 March 2023 resolution acknowledged the ALAC's contributions on the Final Report, which was used to inform the Board's deliberations on the Final Report recommendations. The Board continues to review and consider the ALAC advice to determine whether there are actionable items that may require Board action now that the Board has taken action on a substantial number of SubPro policy recommendations. The Board anticipates that this exercise will be completed in the first half of 2023 and that a response to the advice would come before the Board takes action on the remaining SubPro policy recommendations.

 

Phase 2Phase UpdateAs noted at the joint Board-ALAC session at ICANN75, the Board greatly appreciates the ALAC's responses to the Board's questions. The Board continues to review and consider the ALAC advice, to determine whether, in addition to informing the Board’s deliberations, there are actionable items that may require Board action before (or after) the Board takes action on the SubPro policy recommendations. The Board anticipates that this exercise will be completed in the first half of 2023 and that a response to the advice would come at the time of action on the SubPro Final Report – or shortly thereafter.

 

Phase 2AP FeedbackWithout question, discussions surrounding DNS Abuse, within the ICANN community, have intensified considerably since ICANN66. The ALAC have endeavored to take a leadership role in these discussions and engage constructively with the rest of the community. There have also been some very promising voluntary efforts including the Framework for Domain Generation Algorithms and the Framework for Trusted Notifiers. ICANN org too has engaged in valuable efforts including the DAAR and direct efforts regarding Conflicker. A new plan for DAAR is pending and the ALAC anticipates that the next version will prove more actionable. It is a certainty that efforts to combat DNS Abuse will be ongoing and never reach anything close to perfection. The ALAC wishes to clarify that perfection is not our goal but rather the establishment of official metrics, related to DNS Abuse, goals established for improvement and measurement of efforts against those goals. Again, to be clear, the ALAC does not suggest that the Board dictate the substance of these objectives, but instead demand that such metrics and objectives be put in place, by the community, including measurable objectives that precede the launch of a new round. It would be the intention of the ALAC to participate in the community discussions around what might represent reasonable objectives. The ALAC looks forward to discussing this further with the Board to achieve the most possible clarity because creating an impossible task, to prevent a new round is most certainly not the objective of the Advice. Instead, the ALAC take a new round to be a given and are looking to accomplish as much as possible, with regards to DNS Abuse, before a new round is initiated. Definition of DNS Abuse The At-Large community have not yet reached consensus on a definition of DNS Abuse. Consequently, the ALAC has no intention to endorse the CPH definition per se. Instead, the ALAC wishes to table the discussion of definition and simply work with the CPH definition as it is the only definition around which there is community consensus. The ALAC believes there is plenty that can be done to combat DNS Abuse, as defined by the CPH, in the near term, and that those efforts should be the priority. As the ALAC believes that the landscape of DNS Abuse will continue to evolve, thus expanding the definition of DNS Abuse in some way, corresponding anti-abuse measures must be continuously updated to also recognize and address new forms of harm being perpetrated by bad actors.

 

Phase 2Clarifying QuestionThe Board seeks recognition that efforts are taking place and that, by necessity, such efforts will be ongoing and never truly complete. Additionally, the Board has asked if the ALAC agrees with the CPH definition of DNS Abuse.

 

Phase 2Phase ChangeNow Phase 2

 

Phase 1Phase UpdateAcknowledgment sent to ALAC.

 

Phase 1Phase UpdateALAC published AL-ALAC-ST-0421-02-01-EN: Advice to the ICANN Board on Subsequent Procedures: https://atlarge.icann.org/advice_statements/13823.