Implementation Plan for the GNSO Consensus Policy Relating to the Protection of Certain Red Cross Names
As a worldwide internationally recognized humanitarian aid organization, and one that has been regularly the target of those seeking to fraudulently extract donations, the ALAC believes that the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (incorporating National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross) should be given the benefit of protection to its various identifiers, designations and/or acronyms as intended by the policy changes proposed for implementation in the said updated consensus policy. This includes the proposed action to recognize changes to the official names of the Red Cross Society entities, including component names, in Eswatini and Macedonia, respectively, an action we view as necessary.

Registration Directory Service (RDS-WHOIS2) Review Team Final Report
The ALAC finds the report to include very useful information that should be used to guide the development of relevant policies, and appreciates the team's effort and supports the provided recommendations.

The ALAC highlights the importance of the recommendations related to the accuracy of data, and it strongly advises its acceptance by the ICANN Board. In light of the GDPR, the ALAC noted the importance of several other recommendations in the WHOIS Report encouraging a more proactive position of contractual compliance, especially in regards to DNS Abuse, as well as the team's findings with regard to law enforcement needs.

Public Comment for Decision

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The ALAC noted that ICANN has been striving to be more inclusive in an effort to engage more volunteers with diverse backgrounds. ICANN acknowledges the difficulty in getting new people to join and engage within ICANN and to increase the diversity of participants. The Multistakeholder Model Work Plan takes note of the importance to ICANN to develop pathways to enable effective participation. One of the more practical ways for ICANN to facilitate participation is for ICANN Org, to be more aware of and to avoid clashing with important holidays and religious days observed by volunteers who work countless hours to improve ICANN’s multistakeholder advisory work. By avoiding these dates as much as possible it is showing all volunteers that ICANN Org understands their concerns and does its best to avoid conflicts.

The ALAC made several other suggestions regarding ICANN meeting dates in 2022 and from 2024-2028.

Third Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT3) Draft Report
The ALAC noted the ATRT review has produced a considerable amount of work in little time and this is laudable. Nevertheless, from an end-user perspective, ATRT should consider deliberating the following questions: (1) How can ICANN better address conflicts of interest? The ICANN community is relatively small, with relatively few actors involved in the process. Conflicts of interest, perceived or real, can impact negatively on ICANN’s standing; (2) How can transparency be increased? (3) How can ICANN ensure that in cases where issues persist, processes are initiated to correct trajectory? (For example, if multiple reviews identify the same issue or if they find implementation to be lacking, how can this be fast-tracked transparently and effectively?) (4) Might it be necessary to “silo off” or ring-fence certain functions, including reviews, compliance, and other types of community oversight? (5) How can ICANN improve their responsiveness to community and review team questions and affairs, and what policies should be created to ensure these are dealt with? The ALAC also suggested taking several noted options into consideration, emphasizing from an end user perspective, more, not less, accountability and transparency is required from the ICANN community and org.

Overall, the ALAC supports the suggested changes to the ICANN Public Comment, public input as well as the accountability indicators. We believe those changes would make the Public Comments more effective and show better transparency. We strongly believe that a wide, open and inclusive process should be maintained in policy development process especially with input representing the multistakeholder environment. Policy development must be transparent, efficient and should not be biased or skewed towards a group.

ALAC Advice to the ICANN Board on ISOC/PIR Issue
The ALAC noted the proposed sale of PIR to Ethos Capital has, understandably, created quite a stir, prompting commentary from many perspectives within the ICANN community, and applauds the efforts by the ICANN Board to clarify and make transparent, as much as possible, the process regarding the deal and to take the time to encourage the best possible result.

The ALAC Advice to the ICANN Board suggested (8) recommendations: (1) The Registry for .ORG must be organized as either a charitable non-profit [501c(3) in the US] or a “Benefit Corporation” (B Corporation); (2) One-third of the Registry Corporate Board must be representatives of charitable nonprofits; (3) One Board member selected by the ALAC; (4) The Registry for .ORG must enshrine in its bylaws that the principal focus of the domain is nonprofits and individuals and not commercial interests; (5) The Registry must enshrine in its bylaws a commitment to free speech and a resistance to takedown demands with a political basis; (6) The Registry must provide 6 months prior written notice to its registrants of any increase in wholesale price of their domain names registration renewal fees and the option of a 20-year renewal thereof at the pre-increase price; (7) The Registry Agreement must enshrine PIR prohibited practices such a bulk sales to commercial registrars; and (8) The Registry Agreement must establish a “DNS Abuse Ceiling”.

Additional:

See ISOC/PIR Update (13 February 2020): A letter from Maarten Botterman to the Chair, Internet Society (ISOC), A letter from Jones Day to Public Interest Registry (PIR).
"At-Large Valentine" submitted to the ICANN Board regarding Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement.
ICANN Public Comment Update: See https://alpha.icann.org/en/public-comment and provide feedback by 13 March 2020 to public-comment@icann.org.