Background Materials
ICANN
Affirmation of Commitments
3. This document affirms key commitments by DOC and ICANN, including commitments to: (a) ensure that decisions made related to the global technical coordination of the DNS are made in the public interest and are accountable and transparent; (b) preserve the security, stability and resiliency of the DNS; (c) promote competition, consumer trust, and consumer choice in the DNS marketplace; and (d) facilitate international participation in DNS technical coordination.
4. DOC affirms its commitment to a multi‐stakeholder, private sector led, bottom‐up policy development model for DNS technical coordination that acts for the benefit of global Internet users. A private coordinating process, the outcomes of which reflect the public interest, is best able to flexibly meet the changing needs of the Internet and of Internet users. ICANN and DOC recognize that there is a group of participants that engage in ICANN’s processes to a greater extent than Internet users generally. To ensure that its decisions are in the public interest, and not just the interests of a particular set of stakeholders, ICANN commits to perform and publish analyses of the positive and negative effects of its decisions on the public, including any financial impact on the public, and the positive or negative impact (if any) on the systemic security, stability and resiliency of the DNS.
GNSO NCSG Charter - DRAFT
1.1 Mission.
The purpose of the Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG) is to represent, through its elected representatives and its interest groups, the interests and concerns of non-commercial registrants and non-commercial Internet users of generic Top-level Domains (gTLDs).
It provides a voice and representation in ICANN processes to: non-profit organizations that serve non-commercial interests; nonprofit services such as education, philanthropies, consumer protection, community organizing, promotion of the arts, public interest policy advocacy, children's welfare, religion, scientific research, and human rights; public interest software concerns; families or individuals who register domain names for noncommercial personal use; and Internet users who are primarily concerned with the noncommercial, public interest aspects of domain name policy.
Proposed Consumer Constituency
The intended purpose of the Consumers Constituency is to serve as the conduit for consumer interests as they relate to the safety and stability of the Internet at the juncture where they fall into the remit of ICANN. The major areas of consumer interest related to the Internet pertain to transactions of some kind, buying and selling; therefore, issues such as fraud, spam, phishing, identity theft, network neutrality, privacy, WHOIS, and new gTLDs are of major consumer concern. While “cybercrime” issues do not directly fall within ICANN’s remit, none of this activity is possible without using the DNS for abusive and fraudulent activity. Thus, the focus of the Consumers Constituency will be to ensure that consumers’ safety, security and stability concerns regarding the DNS are adequately represented within ICANN policy development.
ALAC
ICANN’s At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) is responsible for considering and providing advice on the activities of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), as they relate to the interests of individual Internet users (the “At-Large” community). ICANN, as a private sector, non-profit corporation with technical management responsibilities for the Internet’s domain name and address system, relies on the ALAC and the broader At-Large community to involve and represent in ICANN a broad set of individual Internet user interests.
GAC
The GAC plays a key role within the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), particularly with regard to public policy issues, as the Internet continues to expand and command greater influence within all our societies.
The Committee is committed to engaging more directly with all ICANN constituencies to ensure that public policy perspectives can be factored into their work at a constructive stage. Recently the GAC adopted a set of general principles guiding the introduction of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs), a set of principles concerning gTLD WHOIS services, and an advice concerning the ICANN draft procedure for handling potential conflicts between WHOIS requirements and privacy laws The focus of the GAC is turned to Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), which will mark a rapid expansion of the Internet space into a more global resource but which also come with significant public policy considerations. During the most recent ICANN meeting which was held in New Delhi, India in February 2008, the GAC together with other ICANN's supporting organizations and advisory committees discussed the 'fast track' IDN ccTLD deployment modalities, as well as possible GAC's contribution to the IDN ccTLD policy development process which was initiated by the ccNSO.
ISOC – The Internet Society
Principles - http://www.isoc.org/pubpolpillar/principles.shtml
The Internet Society's Public Policy Principles and activities are based upon a fundamental belief that the Internet is for everyone. We envision a future in which people in all parts of the world can use the Internet to improve their quality of life because standards, technologies, business practices, and government policies sustain an open and universally accessible platform for innovation, creativity, and economic opportunity.
The Internet Society's core values guide all of our activities. These are the beliefs and commitments on which our mission is based.
· The quality of life for people in all parts of the world is enhanced by their ability to enjoy the benefits of an open and global Internet.
· Well-informed individuals and public and private policy makers are the essential foundation of an open and global Internet society.
· The genius of the Internet is that its decentralized architecture maximizes individual users’ power to choose (or create) and use the hardware, software, and services that best meet their needs, and if the Internet is to continue to be a platform for innovation and creativity, its open, decentralized nature must be preserved.
· Enduring and sustainable progress toward our vision is best achieved by a combination of global initiatives and activities at a local level that engage people in their home regions.
· Technical standards and Internet operating procedures should be developed and asserted through open and transparent processes, with minimal barriers to participation or access to information.
· The social, political, and economic benefits of the Internet are substantially diminished by excessively restrictive governmental or private controls on computer hardware or software, telecommunications infrastructure, or Internet content.
· Rewarding and productive use of the Internet depends on the ability to trust critical services.
The Internet Society’s public policy programs uphold and defend these core values in local, national, and international public policy forums, where decisions that affect the ability of people throughout the world to enjoy the benefits of the Internet are made. The following Public Policy Principles or “Abilities” capture the spirit of the core values and guide our policy work:
The Ability to Connect. The edge-dominant end-to-end architecture of the Internet is essential to its utility as a platform for innovation, creativity, and economic opportunity. To preserve this quality, we will oppose efforts to establish standards or practices that would make it difficult or impossible for some users of the Internet to use the full range of Internet applications of all kinds.
The Ability to Speak. The Internet is a powerful mass medium for self-expression which depends on the ability of its users to speak freely. We believe that the Internet must support private--and, where appropriate, anonymous--means of communication and collaboration among individuals and groups, and will oppose efforts to restrict the type or content of information exchanged on the Internet.
The Ability to Innovate. The remarkable growth of the Internet and the limitless variety of Internet applications follow directly from the open model of Internet connectivity and standards development. Any individual, organization, or company can develop and distribute a new Internet application that can be used by anyone. We recognize the enormous value of this innovation, and oppose governmental or nongovernmental restrictions on the evolution and use of Internet technology.
The Ability to Share. The many-to-many architecture of the Internet makes it a powerful tool for sharing, education, and collaboration. It has enabled the global open source community to develop and enhance many of the key components of the Internet, such as the Domain Name System and the World-Wide Web, and has made the vision of digital libraries a reality. To preserve these benefits we will oppose technologies and legislation that would inhibit the freedom to develop and use open source software or limit the well-established concept of fair use, which is essential to scholarship, education, and collaboration.
The Ability to Choose. Government regulation and the economic power of incumbent telecommunication monopolies can delay or prevent the growth of the Internet by limiting the ability of competitors to provide new, better, cheaper, or more innovative Internet-related services. We advocate policies that promote competition in telecommunications, Internet services, Internet-related software, and e-commerce applications.
The Ability to Trust. Everyone’s ability to connect, speak, innovate, share, and choose depends on the Internet’s ability to support trustworthy internetworking---ensuring the security, reliability, and stability of increasingly critical and pervasive applications and services.
In pursuing our public policy objectives, we operate collaboratively and inclusively, working with governments, national and international organizations, Civil Society, the private sector and other parties to reach decisions about the Internet that conform to our core values.
OECD Committee on Consumer Policy - (see: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/6/28/43283318.pdf)
CCP MISSION
The CCP seeks to enhance the development and enforcement of effective consumer policies. It does so by (i) carrying out research and analysis on topics of common interest, (ii) exchanging information on current and emerging issues and trends, (iii) developing guidelines for addressing problematic areas, and (iv) examining ways to strengthen policy outcomes through law enforcement co-operation between governments and with other stakeholders. It is the only intergovernmental forum addressing a broad range of consumer issues.
OECD Policy Guidance for Protecting and Empowering Consumers…..
Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/49/38/40878993.pdf
The emphasis on creating competition in communication markets has been mainly through supply side measures but, in recent years, there has been more recognition that informed and empowered consumers can, through demand-side choices, stimulate firms to innovate, improve quality and compete in pricing. By making well-informed choices between suppliers, consumers not only benefit from competition, but they drive and sustain it.
The OECD policy guidance is aimed at:
1. Encouraging the development of services that provide consumers with a range of quality products at competitive prices.
2. Informing consumers about potential security and privacy risks in using communication services and available measures to limit these risks.
3. Enhancing consumer awareness of the availability and benefits of available services and suppliers, and consumer rights.
4. Improving the transparency of contracts and ensuring that they are not unfair to consumers.
5. Minimising the costs associated with switching services.
6. Facilitating timely, inexpensive, easy to use, effective and fair settlement of consumer complaints.
7. Ensuring that services be widely accessible to everyone, and, in particular, disadvantaged and vulnerable consumers.
Australian Communications Consumer Action Network - (see: http://www.accan.org.au/about_us.php)
ACCAN Goals and Activities
- Improved accessibility, affordability and availability of communications services to all consumers;
- Better informed consumers with access to Australian information and communications technology resources;
- A strong, co-ordinated voice which uses our diversity as a point of strength for communications consumers, nationally and internationally;
- Effective advocacy for consumers to Government, regulators and the industry in the development of policy, legislation and industry practices;
- Inclusive consultation with stakeholders to identify areas and priorities for industry and/or regulatory responses;
- Robust research to support evidence based policy development and consumer education programs;
- Meaningful participation in regulatory and co-regulatory activities including industry codes, standards and guidelines
- Outreach, campaigns and activities that involve consumers in the communications arena
- Enhanced capacity for consumer representatives through information seminars, training and international engagement
- Openness, transparency and inclusion of all parties interested in representing consumers on communications issues
BEUC – The European Consumers Organisation
(see: http://www.beuc.eu/BEUCNoFrame/Docs/1/NBHNLIGBNLBJCKLLGLMKCGBJPDWD9DBYBK9DW3571KM/BEUC/docs/DLS/2010-00204-01-E.pdf)
10 Principles that will empower consumers in their Digital Life
1. Consumer empowerment by default
2. Respect consumers’ fundamental rights
3. Competitive ICT markets to benefit consumers
4. Access to telecommunications networks
5. Fair access to goods and services online
6. Fair use of digital copyright
7. Right not to be criminalized
8. Sustainability
9. Health and environment risks
10.Enforcement and consumer redress
