Blog from March, 2015

ICANN Weekly Newsletter
News from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

http://www.icann.org/Week ending 27 March 2015
 
Announcements This Week

Notice of Preliminary Determination To Grant Registrar Data Retention Waiver Request
ICANN has made a preliminary determination that it is prepared to grant a data retention waiver request submitted by Registrar COREHUB S.R.L. ("COREHUB") under the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (the "2013 RAA").
27 March 2015
Results Available for 25 March 2015 New gTLD Program Auction
On 25 March 2015, Power Auctions LLC, ICANN's authorized auction service provider, conducted a New gTLD Program Auction to resolve string contention for two new generic top-level domain (gTLD) strings: .PING and .SRL.
25 March 2015
CCWG-Accountability Co-Chairs Statement | Istanbul, 25 March 2015
Members and participants of the Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability (CCWG-Accountability) met in Istanbul, Turkey, on 23-24 March 2015.
25 March 2015
ICANN Grants Data Retention Waiver to Secura GmbH
Secura GmbH ("Registrar") submitted to ICANN a Registrar Data Retention Waiver Request ("Waiver Request") pursuant to Section 3 of the Data Retention Specification of the 2013 RAA, which provides that if a registrar is subject to the same applicable law that gave rise to ICANN's request to grant a previous data retention waiver under the 2013 RAA, a registrar may request that ICANN grant a similar waiver, which request shall be approved by ICANN, unless ICANN provides Registrar with a reasonable justification for not approving such request.
24 March 2015
ICANN Announces 2015 Hardware Security Module Replacement Project for the Root Key Signing Key
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today announced the 2015 Hardware Security Module Replacement Project for the Root Key Signing Key.
23 March 2015
Call for Expressions of Interest to Host ICANN Meetings in 2017 and 2018
ICANN is actively seeking hosts for its public meetings to be held in 2017 and 2018 in Europe, Africa, Asia/Australia/Pacific, North America, and Latin America/Caribbean.
23 March 2015
Call for Expressions of Interest to Host ICANN Meetings in Latin America and North America in 2016
ICANN is actively seeking hosts for its public meetings to be held 27-30 June 2016 in Latin America/Caribbean Islands and 29 Oct - 4 Nov 2016 in North America.
23 March 2015
Upcoming Events

Buenos Aires Logo21-25 June 2015: 53rd International Public ICANN Meeting – Buenos Aires

 

About ICANN

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Our bylaws are very important to us. They capture our mission of security, stability and accessibility, and compel the organization to be open and transparent. Learn more at www.ICANN.org.

Strategic Plan, 2012 - 2015

Adopted FY15 Operating Plan and Budget

News Alert

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-03-29-en

CWG-Stewardship Chairs' Statement | Summary of Istanbul Face-to-Face Meeting
30 March 2015
Lise Fuhr & Jonathan Robinson

The Cross Community Working Group on Naming Related Functions (CWG or CWG-Stewardship) held a face-to-face meeting in Istanbul on 26-27 March 2015. The CWG-Stewardship meeting followed the CCWG-Accountability meeting held on 23-24 March in the same venue. On the last day of the meeting, the Chairs concluded that this was a very effective and constructive week for the CWG. For the CWG-Stewardship, the meeting specifically illustrated the success of the revised working methods, in place since ICANN52 in Singapore in February and whereby; the CWG uses small, expertise-based subgroups, known as Design Teams, to focus on developing the many operational aspects of the proposal. Following the retention of independent legal counsel (Sidley Austin LLP) by the CWG, the commitment to have comprehensive legal input and associated consultation with the group regarding the post-transition arrangements, was also fulfilled in Istanbul.

PREPARING FOR THE FACE-TO-FACE MEETING

On Wednesday 25 March, the Chairs of both the CCWG-Accountability and the CWG-Stewardship held a joint meeting to update each other on progress and to prepare for the further work to be done. In this joint meeting, the CCWG-Accountability Chairs specifically requested input from, and coordination with, the CWG-Stewardship in the following four areas:

ICANN budget (in particular, the requirement for transparency around cost allocation in relation to the IANA functions)
Community empowerment mechanisms (in particular, relating to a confidence vote option)
Review and redress mechanisms (in particular, relating to a 'fundamental bylaw' mechanism)
Appeal mechanisms (especially with regard to ccTLD related issues)
DELIVERING KEY OUTCOMES

Day 1 of the meeting comprised a briefing from the CCWG-Accountability co-chairs, input from several Design Teams and discussion of the key issues in both cases. In addition, a detailed session took place with the legal counsel around their preliminary response to the questions posed by the CWG-Stewardship in its legal scoping document [PDF, 143 KB].

Day 2 continued the work on the post-transition structural arrangements, with ongoing input from the legal professionals. The meeting as a whole therefore addressed both the functional (or operational) aspects and the structural components of the emerging CWG proposal. The Design Teams had delivered their proposals to the CWG in advance of the meeting and this prior work was an essential contribution to the success of the meeting as was the diligent preparation of the legal counsel. Furthermore, the willingness of the lawyers to work openly and interactively with the CWG-Stewardship as a whole, was particularly helpful in the group settling on a clear way forward.

The CWG-Stewardship converged around a plan to have legal counsel focus on further evolving the detail and variants of an 'internal model'. The CWG arrived at this point through a series of discussions, having started the meeting with a set of seven [PPTX, 853 KB] existing variations of structure (or models), all previously proposed by CWG members and participants. While significant progress was made, the work on the post-transition structural arrangements remains in a developmental stage and there are details to resolve. Moreover the proposed structure will need to be reviewed against the CWG-Stewardship principles, amongst other tests and considerations.

In addition to advancing considerations of the post-transition structural arrangements, the CWG-Stewardship also assessed the work of its Design Teams, agreed on many their recommendations to date and outlined key next steps for each team to focus on. As the Design Teams continue their productive work, the CWG-Stewardship will move ahead on other key areas of focus including; further development of elements of the draft proposal [PDF, 672 KB] which are dedicated to the implications of post-transition arrangements and also on reviewing the twenty-five stress tests [PDF, 206 KB] from the CCWG-Accountability, as well as the recently received input from direct customers of the IANA function (gTLD and ccTLD registries).

The Chairs recognize that continued and close engagement with the CCWG-Accountability is essential to the elaboration of a complete proposal, since aspects of the CWG proposal will be conditional on the output of the CCWG-Accountability. Giving the CCWG-Accountability the input they have requested a key next step, as will be keeping the CCWG apprised of the evolution of key aspects of the proposal which are linked to their work.

FOCUSING ON CRITICAL PATH AND WAY FORWARD

The next milestone for the CWG-Stewardship is the publication of its 2nd draft proposal for public comment. The original opening date was planned for early April, but the date has now shifted back to 20 April 2015, giving the CWG-Stewardship additional time to finalize Design Team work. Key dates include:

20 April – 20 May: Public Comment (30 days) on the Draft Proposal
8 June: Delivery of the Final CWG Proposal to the Chartering Organizations
25 June: Target to deliver approved Final CWG Proposal to IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG)
The CWG-Stewardship revised its timeline, cognizant of the constraints relating to the broader ICG and IANA Stewardship Transition timelines and recognizing the requirements of the SO/AC chartering organizations to have final sign-off on the proposal, including utilizing the ICANN53 meeting in June 2015.

A video interview CWG co-chairs Lisa Fuhr and Jonathan Robinson can be seen here.

SUMMARY OF WORK TO DATE

The CWG-Stewardship began its work in October 2014, with regular weekly virtual meetings and a working meeting at ICANN 51 in Los Angeles, California. In addition to weekly ICANN supported virtual meetings, and at the request of the Chairs, ICANN agreed to support a two-full-day face-to-face meeting in Frankfurt, Germany on 19-20 November 2014 to advance the work of the group.

On 1 December, the CWG-Stewardship published its draft proposal for a 21-day public comment period. Following the publication of the draft proposal [PDF, 1.7 MB], between 4 – 6 December 2014, the CWG hosted three public webinars to present the draft proposal and engage with the broader community.

At the conclusion of the public comment, the CWG-Stewardship dedicated its time to full review and analysis of the feedback received, in particular during an intensive work weekend on 10-11 January 2015. As part of the outcome, the group began to study a series of alternative models that had not yet been fully considered. These models were presented in two public webinars on 3 February and in a Discussion Document [PDF, 447 KB] that was released for discussion at ICANN 52 in Singapore.

Seeing the need to focus on the operational aspects of the proposal, and limiting further discussion on structural models until independent legal counsel input was available, the CWG-Stewardship shifted into a revised methodology with small, expertise-based subgroups, known as Design Teams (DTs), whose output mapped directly into the draft proposal. With some Design Teams provisionally closed, others in progress, and others to be started, the CWG-Stewardship will continue to drive its work through the use of agile Design Teams in the weeks ahead.

The next CWG-Stewardship working meeting is envisioned as a Design Team update and will take place on 2 April from 11:00-12:00 UTC.

Hello All,
 
Update 1: Thursday added 13:00 UTC: GNSO Translation & Transliteration of Contact information PDP
 
Please find below the list of At-Large and GNSO WG meetings in which At-Large members are participants for the week of 30 March – 03 April 2015
 
Updates will follow as Doodles close.
 
Monday 30 March 2015
14:00 UTC:  At-Large Technology Taskforce https://community.icann.org/x/PhQnAw
14:00 UTC: GNSO New gTLDs Subsequent Rounds Discussion Group https://community.icann.org/x/OrXhAg
15:00 UTC: ALAC Leadership mid monthly https://community.icann.org/x/zRonAw
19:00 UTC:  (GNSO) CWG on country and territory names as TLDs is scheduled  https://community.icann.org/x/X7XhAg
23:00 UTC: Community Briefing: LAC Strategic Plan (GSE group)
 
Tuesday 31 March 2015
06:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
13:00 UTC: At-Large Social Media Working https://community.icann.org/x/zBgnAw
14:00 UTC: GNSO PPSAI WG https://community.icann.org/x/9 iCfAg
19:00 UTC: ALAC monthly https://community.icann.org/x/DhYnAw
20:00 UTC: GNSO Data & Metrics for Policy Making Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/myt-Ag
              
Wednesday 01 April 2015
13:00 UTC: At-Large Capacity Building Program - 2015: 'IANA Functions Stewardship Transition https://community.icann.org/x/kBsnAw
16:00 UTC: GNSO IGO INGO Curative Rights PDP WG https://community.icann.org/x/37rhAg
18:30 UTC: AFRALO Monthly https://community.icann.org/x/bxInAw
19:00 UTC: GNSO Policy and Implementation WG https://community.icann.org/x/y1V-Ag
 
Thursday 02 April 2015
13:00 UTC: GNSO Translation & Transliteration of Contact information PDP WG https://community.icann.org/x/FTR-Ag
 
Friday 03 April 2015
None
Please confirm your dial-out requests

For GNSO calls:

GNSO Secretariats gnso-secs@icann.org

 For At-Large calls:

At-Large Staff : staff@atlarge.icann.org

For CWG IANA Stewardship and CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability:

Brenda.Brewer@icann.org

Thank you,

Regards,
 
Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine and Terri Agnew
ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC
E-mail: staff@atlarge.icann.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/icann.atlarge
Twitter: @ICANN_AtLarge
 
 
 

News Alert

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-03-27-en

Notice of Preliminary Determination To Grant Registrar Data Retention Waiver Request
27 March 2015
ICANN has made a preliminary determination that it is prepared to grant a data retention waiver request submitted by Registrar COREHUB S.R.L. ("COREHUB") under the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (the "2013 RAA"). Section 2 of the Data Retention Specification (the "Specification") of 2013 RAA provides that prior to granting any exemption under the Specification, ICANN will post its determination on the ICANN website for a period of thirty (30) calendar days.

Pursuant to Section 2 of the Specification, COREHUB submitted to ICANN a Registrar Data Retention Waiver Request ("Waiver Request") on the basis of COREHUB's contention that compliance with the data retention requirements of the Specification violates applicable law in Spain.

The Waiver Request concluded that there are no legal grounds for the data retention requirements imposed under the Specification and that, therefore, the compliance with these data retention requirements could imply a breach of Spanish data protection law. The Waiver Request cited articles 4.5 and 16.3 of the Organic Law 15/1999 of 13 December on the Protection of Personal Data ("Law 15/1999") and article 8.6 of Royal Decree 1720/2007 of 21 December, which approves the regulation implementing Organic Law 15/1999 of 13 December on the Protection of Personal Data.

These articles provide as follows (the following is an unofficial English translation from Spanish):

Article 4.5: "Personal data shall be cancelled when they have ceased to be necessary or relevant for the purpose for which they were obtained or recorded. They shall not be kept in a form which permits identification of the data subject for longer than necessary for the purposes for which they were obtained or recorded."

Article 16.3 "Cancellation shall lead to the data being blocked and maintained solely at the disposal of the public administrations, judges and courts, for the purpose of determining any liability arising from the processing, and for the duration of such liability. On expiry of such liability, they shall be deleted."

Article 8.6. "Personal data shall be cancelled when they are no longer necessary or relevant for the purposes for which they were collected or recorded. The aforesaid notwithstanding, they may be stored for the duration of any kind of liability arising from legal relations or obligations or the execution of a contract or the application of pre-contractual measures requested by the data subject. On the expiry of such liability as stated above, data may only be stored following their dissociation, without prejudice to the obligation of blocking set out herein and Organic Law 15/1999, of 13 December."

The Waiver Request was accompanied by a written legal opinion from a Spanish law firm, a copy of Law 15/1999 and two letters from the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party to ICANN, dated 8 January 2014 and 6 June 2013, respectively.

Following receipt of the Waiver Request and in accordance with the 2013 RAA, ICANN through its legal counsel, and COREHUB discussed the matter in good faith in an effort to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the matter.

The main outcome of those discussions is that COREHUB is seeking a waiver with respect to Sections 1.1.1 through 1.1.8 of the Specification that would reduce from two (2) years to one (1) year the period for which these specified data elements must be retained after the Registrar's sponsorship of the Registration ends.

ICANN has determined on a preliminary basis that it is prepared to grant the Waiver Request. ICANN is posting this preliminary determination for a period of thirty (30) days to seek feedback and input from the community on the proposed data retention waiver ("Waiver"). After the thirty (30) day period following this posting has expired, ICANN will consider all feedback and input received before making a final determination on whether to grant the Waiver Request.

The scope of the proposed Waiver would be to permit COREHUB to maintain the information specified in Sections 1.1.1 through 1.1.8 of the Specification for the duration of its sponsorship of the Registration and for a period of one (1) additional year thereafter rather than two (2) additional years thereafter. In all other respects, the terms of the Specification would remain AS-IS.

The specific change to the Specification would be that, for the duration of the Waiver, the retention requirement of Section 1.1 of the Specification be changed from "two additional years" to "one additional year."

If ICANN does make a final determination to grant the Waiver Request sought by COREHUB, the provisions of Section 3 of the Specification would apply to similar waivers requested by other registrars located in Spain and subject to Spanish law. Section 3 of the Specification provides as follows:

If (i) ICANN has previously waived compliance with the requirements of any requirement of this Data Retention Specification in response to a Waiver Request from a registrar that is located in the same jurisdiction as Registrar and (ii) Registrar is subject to the same applicable law that gave rise to ICANN's agreement to grant such wavier, Registrar may request that ICANN to grant a similar waiver, which request shall be approved by ICANN, unless ICANN provides Registrar with a reasonable justification for not approving such request, in which case Registrar may thereafter make an Wavier Request pursuant to Section 2 of this Data Retention Specification.

A public comment period will remain open until 5:00 p.m. PDT/California, 26 April 2015. Public comments will be available for consideration by ICANN staff and the ICANN Board.

The Registrar's Waiver Request and supporting documents are available here: COREHUB S.R.L. Data Retention Waiver Request and Supporting Materials [PDF, 9.08 MB]

Comments can be posted to: comments-corehub-srl-27mar15@icann.org

Comments can be viewed at: http://forum.icann.org/lists/comments-corehub-srl-27mar15/

Hello All,
 
Please find below the list of At-Large and GNSO WG meetings in which At-Large members are participants for the week of 30 March – 03 April 2015
 
Updates will follow as Doodles close.
 
Monday 30 March 2015
14:00 UTC:  At-Large Technology Taskforce https://community.icann.org/x/PhQnAw
14:00 UTC: GNSO New gTLDs Subsequent Rounds Discussion Group https://community.icann.org/x/OrXhAg
15:00 UTC: ALAC Leadership mid monthly https://community.icann.org/x/zRonAw
19:00 UTC:  (GNSO) CWG on country and territory names as TLDs is scheduled  https://community.icann.org/x/X7XhAg
23:00 UTC: Community Briefing: LAC Strategic Plan (GSE group)
 
Tuesday 31 March 2015
06:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
13:00 UTC: At-Large Social Media Working https://community.icann.org/x/zBgnAw
14:00 UTC: GNSO PPSAI WG https://community.icann.org/x/9 iCfAg
19:00 UTC: ALAC monthly https://community.icann.org/x/DhYnAw
20:00 UTC: GNSO Data & Metrics for Policy Making Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/myt-Ag
              
Wednesday 01 April 2015
13:00 UTC: At-Large Capacity Building Program - 2015: 'IANA Functions Stewardship Transition https://community.icann.org/x/kBsnAw
16:00 UTC: GNSO IGO INGO Curative Rights PDP WG https://community.icann.org/x/37rhAg
18:30 UTC: AFRALO Monthly https://community.icann.org/x/bxInAw
19:00 UTC: GNSO Policy and Implementation WG https://community.icann.org/x/y1V-Ag
 
Thursday 02 April 2015
None
 
Friday 03 April 2015
None
Please confirm your dial-out requests

For GNSO calls:

GNSO Secretariats gnso-secs@icann.org

 For At-Large calls:

At-Large Staff : staff@atlarge.icann.org

For CWG IANA Stewardship and CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability:

Brenda.Brewer@icann.org

Thank you,

Regards,
 
Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine and Terri Agnew
ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC
E-mail: staff@atlarge.icann.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/icann.atlarge
Twitter: @ICANN_AtLarge
 
 

News Alert

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2015-03-25-en

Results Available for 25 March 2015 New gTLD Program Auction
25 March 2015
On 25 March 2015, Power Auctions LLC, ICANN's authorized auction service provider, conducted a New gTLD Program Auction to resolve string contention for two new generic top-level domain (gTLD) strings: .PING and .SRL. Applicants for each string were unable to resolve contention among themselves; thus their contention set proceeded to auction, which is the method of last resort to resolve string contention as prescribed in Module 4 of the New gTLD Program Applicant Guidebook. Subject to payment of the winning price and meeting all other criteria for eligibility, the winner will enter ICANN's contracting process to sign a Registry Agreement to operate the gTLD.

Two applicants participated in the auction for PING. Ping Registry Provider, Inc. prevailed with a winning price of $1,501,000.

Two applicants participated in the auction for SRL. mySRL GmbH prevailed with a winning price of $400,000.

All proceeds from the Auction are being segregated and withheld from use until ICANN's Board of Directors define a plan for an appropriate use of the funds through consultation with the community.

More Information

Contention Set Status: 197 of 233 contention sets are now resolved. The majority have self-resolved, but 13 sets resolved via Auction (method of last resort).
Auction Results: Auction reports on this page of the New gTLD Microsite provide additional information on each Auction outcome.
Auction Proceeds and Costs: A detailed summary of the proceeds and costs of each Auction through February 2015. This information will be updated to within 7 days of each Auction.
Auction Schedule [PDF, 251 KB]: Subsequent auctions are scheduled to occur on a monthly basis through mid-2015.
General New gTLD Program Auctions information.
About ICANN

ICANN's mission is to ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet's unique identifiers. ICANN doesn't control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn't deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet's naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please visit: www.icann.org

Dear All,
 
This is an invitation to attend the fourth Webinar of the At-Large Capacity Building Program - 2015 on the Topic of 'IANA Functions Stewardship Transition’. The presenters will be Olivier Crépin-Leblond, Vice Chair of the ALAC and Chair of the At-Large Ad-hoc WG on the Transition of US Government Stewardship of the IANA Function, Mohamed El Bashir and Jean-Jacques Subrenat, both members of the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group, representing the ALAC.
 
This webinar is scheduled on Wednesday 1 April 2015 from 13:00 – 14:30 UTC (90 minutes) .
 
For other times:
http://tinyurl.com/p26t4pr

The draft agenda (to be updated) and call details are available at:
https://community.icann.org/x/kBsnAw
 
French and Spanish interpretation will be provided.
 
Adobe Connect:
https://icann.adobeconnect.com/alcb2015/
 
Conference IDs:
EN: 1638
ES: 1738
FR: 1838
http://adigo.com/icann/
 
If you require a dial-out please contact At-Large staff at staff@atlarge.icann.org with your preferred number.
 
At-Large Capacity Building Program 2015: wiki workspace
 
Thank you.
Regards,
 
Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine and Terri Agnew
ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC
E-mail: staff@atlarge.icann.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/icann.atlarge
Twitter: @ICANN_AtLarge
 
One World, One Internet
 

News Alert

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-03-25-en

CCWG-Accountability Co-Chairs Statement | Istanbul, 25 March 2015
25 March 2015
Thomas Rickert, León Sánchez, Mathieu Weill

Members and participants of the Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability (CCWG-Accountability) met in Istanbul, Turkey, on 23-24 March 2015.

The meeting was attended in-person by 42 members and participants. A number of participants and observers joined the meeting remotely using the virtual meeting room. Three Advisors also participated.

Guided by the four basic building blocks identified at ICANN 52 in Singapore, the group further discussed and refined accountability mechanisms that need to be either implemented or, at least, committed to before the transition of the IANA stewardship can take place.

The meeting made progress on three main areas:

Enhancing ICANN's Mission and Core Values;
Strengthening the existing independent review process;
Mechanisms for community empowerment.
Specifically, the group discussed changes that should be made to the Mission and Core Values in ICANN's Bylaws. For example, the group discussed how key provisions of the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC) could be reflected into the Bylaws.

Additionally, the group worked on strengthening the existing independent review process suggesting improvements to its accessibility and affordability, and discussed process design including establishment of a standing panel with binding outcomes and panel composition (diversity etc.). The IRP panel decisions would be guided by ICANN's Mission and Core Values.

With regards to mechanisms for community empowerment, the group identified powers and associated mechanisms including the ability to:

recall the ICANN Board of Directors;
approve or prevent changes to the ICANN Bylaws, Mission and Core Values;
reject Board decisions on Strategic Plan and budget, where the Board has failed to appropriately consider community input.
The CCWG-Accountability supported the concept of a Fundamental Bylaw that would provide additional robustness to key provisions. The Fundamental Bylaw would apply to:

the mission;
the independent review process;
the power to veto Bylaw changes;
new community powers such as recall of the Board and the right of the community to veto certain Board actions.
Changes to the Fundamental Bylaws would require high standards for approval by the community.

The notion of an empowered community involved discussion of community representation, i.e. who constitutes the community. The CCWG-Accountability is also aware that to wield these new powers, the community, however it is constituted, must itself meet high standards of accountability. ICANN's accountability would also be enhanced by ensuring its operations and processes are more globally inclusive.

The group has engaged two law firms to provide independent legal advice and confirm feasibility of the suggested frameworks. The firms are Adler & Colvin and Sidley & Austin.

As work progresses, all recommendations will be subject to the stress tests against contingencies already identified. The stress test methodology has been successfully tested against the draft accountability mechanisms.

The CCWG-Accountability is confident that their proposed mechanisms will satisfy the needs of the CWG-Stewardship1 as they look to stronger accountability protections. The CCWG-Accountability and CWG-Stewardship Co-Chairs met to update and fully brief each other on the progress made so far. They outlined key areas of accountability that the CCWG-Accountability Co-Chairs considered are most relevant for the current and ongoing work of the CWG-Stewardship. The CCWG-Accountability Co-Chairs will brief the CWG-Stewardship in the opening part of their face-to-face meeting on Thursday, 26 March.

Next Steps:

The CCWG-Accountability will continue refining its recommendations. The community is expected to provide feedback during a public comment period to be held before ICANN 53, Buenos Aires meeting. The results of the public comment period will inform further deliberations during that meeting.

The group is developing an engagement plan to ensure its proposals are widely known and understood, and to encourage comprehensive response to proposals during the public comment period.

The CCWG-Accountability Co-Chairs recognize the outstanding volunteer work that has produced these substantive proposals in a very short period of time. The community's effort has been exceptional.

About the CCWG-Accountability

The CCWG-Accountability was established to ensure that ICANN's accountability and transparency commitments to the global Internet community are maintained and enhanced in the absence of the historical relationship with the U.S. Government.

The group has divided its work into two work streams (WS):

WS1 is focused on identifying mechanisms enhancing ICANN accountability that must be in place or committed to within the timeframe of the IANA Stewardship Transition;
WS2 is focused on addressing accountability topics for which a timeline for developing solutions and full implementation may extend beyond the IANA Stewardship Transition.
The CCWG-Accountability consists of 177 people, organized as 26 members, appointed by and accountable to chartering organizations, 151 participants, who participate as individuals, and 46 mailing list observers. The group also includes one ICANN Board liaison, one ICANN staff representative, and one former ATRT member who serves as a liaison. In addition, there are 4 ICG members who participate in the CCWG-Accountability, including two who serve as liaisons between the two groups.

Seven Advisors have also been appointed to contribute research and advice, and to bring perspectives on global best practices to enrich the CCWG-Accountability discussion.

The CCWG-Accountability is an open group: anyone interested in the work of the CCWG-Accountability, can join as a participant or observers. Participants or observers may be from a chartering organization, from a stakeholder group or organization not represented in the CCWG-Accountability or currently active within ICANN, or self-appointed.

For more information on the CCWG-Accountability or to view meeting archives and draft documents, please refer to their dedicated wiki.

A video interview with CCWG-Accountability Co-Chair Thomas Rickert can be seen here.

1 Cross Community Working Group (CWG) to Develop an IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal on Naming Related Functions

ICANN Grants Data Retention Waiver to Secura GmbH
24 March 2015
DATA RETENTION WAIVER
Secura GmbH

Secura GmbH ("Registrar") submitted to ICANN a Registrar Data Retention Waiver Request ("Waiver Request") pursuant to Section 3 of the Data Retention Specification of the 2013 RAA, which provides that if a registrar is subject to the same applicable law that gave rise to ICANN's request to grant a previous data retention waiver under the 2013 RAA, a registrar may request that ICANN grant a similar waiver, which request shall be approved by ICANN, unless ICANN provides Registrar with a reasonable justification for not approving such request.

Registrar's Waiver Request cites the previous data retention waiver granted by ICANN to 1API GmbH, on the basis of its contention that compliance with the data collection and/or retention requirements of the Data Retention Specification in the 2013 RAA violates applicable law in Germany.

See <https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-4-2014-08-07-en>

Registrar and 1API GmbH are both Gesellschaften mit beschränkter Haftung domiciled in Germany and subject to German law, and ICANN has determined that it is appropriate to grant Registrar a data retention waiver similar to the waiver previously granted to 1API GmbH.

ICANN hereby grants Registrar a limited waiver from compliance with certain provisions of the 2013 RAA on the following terms:

ICANN agrees as follows:

(a) The Registrar shall remain obliged to retain all data elements specified in Articles 1.1.1 through 1.1.8 of the Specification for the duration of its sponsorship of the Registration and for a period of two (2) additional years thereafter; however, Registrar will be permitted to block the data elements specified in Articles 1.1.1 through 1.1.8 of the Specification in accordance with blocking requirements under applicable law (see Sec. 35 para. 3 German Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz – BDSG) at the earliest after one year following the end of the Registrar's sponsorship of the Registration, provided that the rights of data subjects under Sec. 35 para 2 second sentence BDSG shall remain unaffected.

(b) Registrar may exclude from the data retention obligation in the Specification any data elements specified in Articles 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 of the Specification which constitute usage data in the meaning of Sec. 13 para. 4 no. 2 German Telemedia Act (Telemediengesetz – TMG), unless those data are subject to retention periods prescribed by law or statutes or agreed by contract between Registrar and registrant and retained in accordance with Sec. 13 para. 4 no. 2, sentence 2 TMG.

(c) Registrar may block the data elements specified in Articles 1.2.1, 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 in accordance with blocking requirements under applicable law (see Sec. 35 para. 3 BDSG) at the earliest after one year following the end of the Registrar's sponsorship of the Registration, provided that the rights of data subjects under Sec. 35 para 2 second sentence BDSG shall remain unaffected.

(d) It is acknowledged that a transfer of any retained blocked data elements without consent of the data subject is permissible, if the requirements of the exception in Sec. 35 para. 8 BDSG are met.

In all other respects the terms of the Specification will remain AS IS. The waiver granted to Registrar applies only to the post-sponsorship period of retention of the data listed in Articles 1.1.1 through 1.1.8 and Articles 1.2.1 through 1.2.3 inclusive of the Specification, and it does not constitute a waiver of any other provisions of the 2013 RAA or other ICANN policies applicable to registrars. Without limiting the foregoing, nothing in this waiver limits Registrar's obligation to comply with Consensus Policies or Temporary Policies developed and adopted in accordance with ICANN's Bylaws ("ICANN Policies") or limits Registrar's obligation to comply with any amendment, supplement or modification of the 2013 RAA approved and adopted in accordance with the terms of the 2013 RAA ("RAA Amendments"). In the event of any inconsistency between this waiver and the terms of any ICANN Policy or RAA Amendment, the terms of the ICANN Policy or RAA Amendment will control.

The waiver granted to Registrar shall remain in effect for the duration of the term of the 2013 RAA signed by Registrar.

ICANN notes that the provisions of Section 3 of the Specification will apply to similar waivers requested by other registrars that are located in Germany and subject to German law.

News Alert

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-3-2015-03-23-en

ICANN Announces 2015 Hardware Security Module Replacement Project for the Root Key Signing Key
23 March 2015
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today announced the 2015 Hardware Security Module Replacement Project for the Root Key Signing Key. An overview of the project and related information is below.

Overview

As part of securely maintaining the Root Zone Key Signing Key (KSK), ICANN utilizes specialized devices known as Hardware Security Modules (HSMs). These HSMs store the private key material for the Root Zone KSK, and are powered by batteries that have a limited lifespan. While the batteries are currently in good condition and have an expected shelf life of 10 years, the manufacturer warrants the first five years of operation. Out of an abundance of caution, ICANN is planning to replace the existing units during 2015 after five years of service.

Background

The Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) provides a way for software to validate that Domain Name System (DNS) data has not been modified during Internet transit. This is done by incorporating public key cryptography into the DNS hierarchy to form a chain of trust originating at the root zone.

In accordance with its role as IANA Functions Operator, ICANN is the Root Zone Key Signing Key Operator performing the function of securely generating and storing the Root Zone KSK. ICANN uses HSMs to store the KSK. HSMs are secure crypto-processors that manage cryptographic keys and perform cryptographic operations while providing physical protection of the private keying material through tamper evident mechanisms. ICANN has two duplicate HSMs for each secure ICANN Key Management Facility (KMF) — one facility on the U.S. East Coast and another facility on the U.S. West Coast. In the event that one HSM or KMF should fail, the other redundant devices and locations would be available for use. Beyond these options there are further recovery procedure details that are documented in the KSK Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan.

Unlike many other electronic devices, the battery for an HSM is typically built into the unit and cannot be replaced individually. The batteries in these HSMs have a life expectancy of 10 years from the manufacture date, with the manufacturer warranty covering five years of support from the date of first use.

Replacement Process

The HSMs currently in production were first used in 2010. With the warranty period ending, and as a conservative approach to the battery’s expected lifetime, ICANN intends to bring into service new HSMs during calendar year 2015. The contents of the existing HSMs will be imported into the new HSMs, which can perform the same functions as the existing set. This process will be performed during quarterly events at the KMFs known as key signing ceremonies. Scripts will be written to include the commissioning of new HSMs during regularly scheduled key signing ceremonies in 2015.

ICANN plans to augment the existing four HSMs with an additional four HSMs such that the new HSMs are placed into parallel production with the 2010 HSMs for a transitional period to guarantee the security and availability of KSK operations.

Once the relevant parties are confident that the new HSMs are functioning correctly and the continuity of KSK operations will not be compromised, a secure method of decommissioning and destroying the existing modules will be designed to adhere to the most current industry specifications.

Key Risks

The following list represents the key identified risks and their mitigations:

Risk: All four production HSMs fail to perform cryptographic operations due to a battery failure thus impacting the continuity of operations.

Mitigation: There are currently four duplicate HSMs, plus additional backups that can be activated by the disaster recovery process. The failure rate of a battery in a single HSM is easily mitigated by the redundancy resulting from the three other HSMs. The expected shelf life of the battery is around 10 years, and each unit reported their battery condition as good. That said given the similar production dates, it is possible that the batteries in all HSMs could fail around the same time. To maintain the continuity of operation and mitigate the risk of all HSMs ceasing to function, we consider it prudent to perform the HSM replacement in 2015 and use HSMs with differing battery lot and production dates.

Risk: The new production HSMs do not function correctly when powered up for the first time.

Mitigation: As part of installing the new HSMs, acceptance testing will be performed to verify the function of the units prior to the ceremonies in which they are put into production. For a period after the new HSMs are placed into service, the existing HSMs will continue to be stored in the secure facilities allowing for more options for remediation in the case of new HSM failure.

Risk: All new production HSMs share a common defect.

Mitigation: It is possible that if all four HSMs are from the same production batch, they may have common flaws (such as bad battery composition) that would compromise the redundancy in place. To mitigate this risk, ICANN worked with the vendor to ensure the HSM units are comprised of models with different manufacture dates and contain batteries that were built in different production runs.

Questions and Answers

Q1: Why do the HSMs need to be replaced, and not just the batteries?

A1: While the HSMs can be reconditioned with new batteries, they must be returned to the vendor to perform that procedure. ICANN will replace the HSMs, rather than recondition the units, to ensure the cryptographic key material does not leave the secure Key Management Facilities.

Q2: How does this project involve a future rollover of the Root KSK?

A2: This project is distinct from the project to replace the existing Root KSK with a new Root KSK (known as a “rollover”). HSM issues relating to the rollover will be considered by the Root KSK Rollover Design Team.

Separation of the HSM replacement project from a Root KSK rollover is considered beneficial to allow time for the Rollover Design Team to fully develop their approach without being influenced by operational pressures relating to HSM replacement.

Q3: What consideration was made in selecting the replacement HSMs?

A3: ICANN procured the most recent HSM model, the AEP Keyper Plus, from the vendor used to provide the HSMs that are currently in production. This model meets FIPS 140-2 Level 4 security certification, which is a requirement for the Root KSK in the IANA Functions contract. This model also allows for the importing of the Root KSK from the older models without needing to regenerate the Root KSK. The newer HSM model was selected rather than the current HSM model in ICANN’s production model as the expected lifetime of support from the vendor is greater.

Q4: How many trusted community representatives are needed to replace the HSMs?

Q4: ICANN has determined that three trusted community representatives is the minimum number needed to export the root KSK from the existing production devices, and import them into the new devices. This process does not require generation of a new set of “SO” and “OP” cards, and therefore does not require the entire set of Cryptographic Officers to be present. The existing Recovery Key Share Holders’ credentials will continue to work with the new HSMs.

About ICANN

ICANN's mission is to ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer — a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet's unique identifiers. ICANN doesn't control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn't deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet's naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.

News Alert

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-03-23-en

Call for Expressions of Interest to Host ICANN Meetings in Latin America and North America in 2016
23 March 2015
ICANN is actively seeking hosts for its public meetings to be held 27-30 June 2016 in Latin America/Caribbean Islands and 29 Oct - 4 Nov 2016 in North America. Those in the geographic regions are invited to submit expressions of interest for specific locations to hold the events. These recommended venues, along with others in the region that meet the selection criteria, will be considered. The final location for the ICANN Meetings will then be selected through the evaluation of both community-recommended and ICANN-identified locations.

2016 will mark the first year of implementation for the new ICANN Meeting Strategy approved by the Board last November. The new strategy includes a unique format for each meeting throughout the year defined as Meeting A, Meeting B, and Meeting C.

Interested parties are encouraged to review the Meeting Selection Criteria and space requirements for Meeting B [PDF, 124 KB] and Meeting C [PDF, 204 KB], which will be used to guide the evaluation of both community-recommended and ICANN-identified meeting locations. Elements such as cost of the meeting for ICANN and the community, convenience to international airports, availability of sufficient hotel guest rooms in or near the venue, meeting facilities, network infrastructure, personal safety of meeting participants, and total level of financial support will be considered by ICANN in making its final selection of a meeting site.

Those interested in hosting an ICANN Meeting in 2016 are encouraged to submit proposals by 1 May 2015 via the online form, Expression of Interest to Host an ICANN Meeting.

Hosting Opportunities 2016

Event    Dates    Geographic Region    Submission Deadline
ICANN56    27-30 June 2016 (Meeting B [PDF, 124 KB])    Latin America/Caribbean    1 May 2015
ICANN57    29 Oct - 4 Nov 2016 (Meeting C [PDF, 204 KB])    North America

ICANN
News Alert

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2015-03-23-en

Call for Expressions of Interest to Host ICANN Meetings in 2017 and 2018
23 March 2015
ICANN is actively seeking hosts for its public meetings to be held in 2017 and 2018 in Europe, Africa, Asia/Australia/Pacific, North America, and Latin America/Caribbean. Those in the geographic regions are invited to submit expressions of interest for specific locations to hold the events. These recommended venues, along with others in the region that meet the selection criteria, will be considered. The final location for the ICANN Meetings will then be selected through the evaluation of both community-recommended and ICANN-identified locations.

Meetings in 2017 and 2018 will follow the new ICANN Meeting Strategy approved by the Board last November. The new strategy includes a unique format for each meeting throughout the year defined as Meeting A, Meeting B, and Meeting C.

Interested parties are encouraged to review the Meeting Selection Criteria and space requirements for Meeting A [PDF, 194 KB], Meeting B [PDF, 124 KB] and Meeting C [PDF, 204 KB], which will be used to guide the evaluation of both community-recommended and ICANN-identified meeting locations. Elements such as cost of the meeting for ICANN and the community, convenience to international airports, availability of sufficient hotel guest rooms in or near the venue, meeting facilities, network infrastructure, personal safety of meeting participants, and total level of financial support will be considered by ICANN in making its final selection of a meeting site.

Those interested in hosting an ICANN Meeting in 2017 or 2018 are encouraged to submit proposals by June 30th 2015 via the online form, Expression of Interest to Host an ICANN Meeting.

Hosting Opportunities 2017-2018

Event    Dates    Geographic Region    Submission Deadline
ICANN58    12-17 March 2017 (Meeting A [PDF, 194 KB])    Europe    30 June 2015
ICANN59    26-29 June 2017 (Meeting B [PDF, 124 KB])    Africa
ICANN60    28 Oct - 3 Nov 2017 (Meeting C [PDF, 204 KB])    Asia/Australia/Pacific
ICANN61    11-16 March 2018 (Meeting A [PDF, 194 KB])    North America
ICANN62    18-21 June 2018 (Meeting B [PDF, 124 KB])    Latin America/Caribbean
ICANN63    20-26 October 2018 (Meeting C [PDF, 204 KB])    Europe

Hello All,
 
Update 1: Thursday and Friday added CWG IANA calls
 
Please find below the list of At-Large and GNSO WG meetings in which At-Large members are participants for the week of 23-27 March 2015
 
Updates will follow as Doodles close.
 
Monday 23 March 2015
07:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
09:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
12:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
14:30 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
 
Tuesday 24 March 2015
07:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
09:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
12:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
14:30 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
15:00 UTC: GNSO PPSAI WG https://community.icann.org/x/9 iCfAg
              
Wednesday 25 March 2015
20:00 UTC: Policy and Implementation WG https://community.icann.org/x/y1V-Ag
 
Thursday 26 March 2015
06:00 UTC: APRALO Monthly call https://community.icann.org/x/SAQnAw
07:00 UTC: CWG IANA Stewardship  https://community.icann.org/x/37fhAg
09:00 UTC: CWG IANA Stewardship  https://community.icann.org/x/37fhAg
12:00 UTC: CWG IANA Stewardship  https://community.icann.org/x/37fhAg
14:30 UTC: CWG IANA Stewardship  https://community.icann.org/x/37fhAg
 
Friday 27 March 2015
07:00 UTC: CWG IANA Stewardship  https://community.icann.org/x/37fhAg
09:00 UTC: CWG IANA Stewardship  https://community.icann.org/x/37fhAg
12:00 UTC: CWG IANA Stewardship  https://community.icann.org/x/37fhAg
14:30 UTC: CWG IANA Stewardship  https://community.icann.org/x/37fhAg
Please confirm your dial-out requests

For GNSO calls:

GNSO Secretariats gnso-secs@icann.org

 For At-Large calls:

At-Large Staff : staff@atlarge.icann.org

For CWG IANA Stewardship and CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability:

Brenda.Brewer@icann.org

Thank you,

Regards,
 
Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine and Terri Agnew
ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC
E-mail: staff@atlarge.icann.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/icann.atlarge
Twitter: @ICANN_AtLarge
 
 
 

ello All,
 
Please find below the list of At-Large and GNSO WG meetings in which At-Large members are participants for the week of 23-27 March 2015
 
Updates will follow as Doodles close.
 
Monday 23 March 2015
07:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
09:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
12:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
14:30 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
 
Tuesday 24 March 2015
07:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
09:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
12:00 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
14:30 UTC: CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg
15:00 UTC: GNSO PPSAI WG https://community.icann.org/x/9 iCfAg
              
Wednesday 25 March 2015
20:00 UTC: Policy and Implementation WG https://community.icann.org/x/y1V-Ag
 
Thursday 26 March 2015
06:00 UTC: APRALO Monthly call https://community.icann.org/x/SAQnAw
 
Friday 27 March 2015
None
Please confirm your dial-out requests

For GNSO calls:

GNSO Secretariats gnso-secs@icann.org

 For At-Large calls:

At-Large Staff : staff@atlarge.icann.org

Thank you,

Regards,
 
Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine and Terri Agnew
ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC
E-mail: staff@atlarge.icann.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/icann.atlarge
Twitter: @ICANN_AtLarge
 
 
 

News Alert

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2015-03-19-en

Request for Proposal for LGR Tool Set
19 March 2015
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN") is seeking a provider to design and develop software for creating, using and managing Label Generation Rulesets (LGRs) based on a new machine readable format based on the formal representation available at https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-davies-idntables.

ICANN anticipates a contract to be signed and work to begin no later than May 5th 2015.

ICANN hosts a repository of language and script specific data through its IANA department which is used by registries to generate labels, generally known as IDN tables and now being referred to as Label Generation Rulesets (LGRs). A new machine readable XML-based format is currently being designed to organize and represent the LGR data. This format will also be used for the LGR for the Root Zone, for validating prospective top-level domain (TLD) labels and determining the variants of existing and prospective labels. The Root Zone LGR is currently being developed with the collaboration of various script communities (organized as script based Generation Panels).

ICANN intends to release this software with open source license for community use and also utilize it for internal operations.

For additional information and instructions for submitting responses please click here [ZIP, 994 KB].

Proposals should be submitted to LGRToolset-rfp@icann.org by 23:59 UTC on 5 April 2015.

RFP timeline at a glance:

Activity    Dates
RFP released to participants on    19 March 2015
Participants provide their intent to bid    25 March 2015 by 23:59 UTC
Participants submit any questions to ICANN    25 March 2015 by 23:59 UTC
ICANN responds to participant questions by    31 March 2015
Participant RFP proposals due    5 April 2015 by 23:59 UTC
Preliminary evaluation of responses    Week of April 6th
Target for participant presentations (finalists)    Week of April 13th
Target for Final evaluations and selection of Provider (includes contracting and award to participant)    Weeks of April 20th & 27th
Estimated start of implementation    5 May 2015