AT-LARGE GATEWAY
At-Large Regional Policy Engagement Program (ARPEP)
At-Large Review Implementation Plan Development
Page History
Draft Advice Letter on Consumer Trust, Consumer Choice, and Competition
Comment/Reply Periods (*) | Important Information Links* Public Comment Announcement | ||
Comment Open: | 23 February 2012 | ||
Comment Open: | 23 February 2012 | ||
Comment Close: | 17 April 2012 | ||
Close Time (UTC): | 23:59 | ||
Reply Open: | 18 April 2012 | ||
Reply Close: | 8 May 2012 | ||
Close Time (UTC): | 23:59 | ||
Brief Overview |
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Originating Organization: | GNSO Council Consumer Metrics Working Group | ||
Categories/Tags: | ICANN Board/Bylaws; Transparency/Accountability | ||
Purpose (Brief): | The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council's Consumer Metrics (CCTC) Working Group requests community input on the draft Advice Letter | ||
Current Status: | This Public Comment solicitation represents an opportunity to share perspectives on the proposed definitions of Consumer, Consumer Trust, Consumer Choice, and Competition with in the draft Advice Letter. The CCTC Working Group will host a public session in Costa Rica and the close of the comment period will extend after the meeting to allow the community adequate time for comment. | ||
Next Steps: | The CCTC Working Group will consider the comments received as part of their deliberations and creation of the final Advice Letter. The final version will be submitted to the GNSO Council for consideration. If it is approved the GNSO Council will submit the Advice Letter to the ICANN Board. | ||
Staff Contact: | Julie Hedlund | ||
Email: | |||
Detailed Information |
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Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose | The Consumer Metrics Working Group produced a draft Advice Letter defining Consumer, Consumer Trust, Consumer Choice, & Competition at the request of the ICANN Board Resolution (2010.12.10.30) to Supporting Organizations (SOs) and Advisory Committees (ACs). The Working Group is seeking community feedback on the draft, which will be considered by GNSO Council. If it is approved the GNSO Council will submit the Advice Letter to the ICANN Board. | ||
Section II: Background | The GNSO Council chartered the CCTC Working Group on 22 September 2011. It was intended that the Charter | ||
Section III: Document and Resource Links |
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Section IV: Additional Information | None |
(*) Comments submitted after the posted Close Date/Time are not guaranteed to be considered in any final summary, analysis, reporting, or decision-making that takes place once this period lapses.
Click here to download a copy of the draft Statement in PDF format.
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(April 2012 / Wolf Ludwig and Yrjö Länsipuro for EURALO)
--- Second Draft (Final) / 16 April 2012)
Click here to download a copy of the draft below in PDF format
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The At-Large Advisory Committee fully supports the recommendations of the Consumer Trust, Consumer Choice and Competition Working Group, noting that several of its members were active members of the Working Group.
While it is understood that the use of the term "Consumer" was made by the Board using an expression from the "Affirmation of Commitments", the ALAC emphasizes the problem that the use of such a term causes for our community, especially in some of our regions.
To illustrate the its inadequacy of this term, please find the following case example:
Reservations regarding the "consumer“ term in German
The notion of “consumer” or “Konsument” (or “Verbraucher”) in German language offers divers connotations, depending on context and circles where it is used. Many of EURALO’s German (or germanophone) ALSes may challenge this term because it offers a dichotomous and rather traditional understanding particularly if adopted for the Internet age. And we have learned that this ambiguous perception is shared by member ALSes in other European countries.
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When you refer to consumer choice, trust, protection and the like, you imply conventional commerce, consumption and markets but not obviously Online and the Internet. As this notion in a German language context and further European perceptions doesn’t offer much specification or clarification but more likely nebulisation, our community prefers and mostly uses the Internet user notion (“Internetnutzer”). The Internet user won’t reconcile him/herself with a role of conventional passive consumption but insists on inter-activity, surfing, commenting, down/uploading, and the whole variety of options provided by the Internet. To our understanding, the “Internetnutzer” is comparably younger with certain skills for the use / Nutzung of the Internet (factor of empowerment) and showing a certain political sensitivity when key issues and principles of the Internet like access or openness etc. are at stake. In related terms, we also talk about Internet-Nutzung (usage), Nutzungsgewohnheiten (habits) and more of such user specifications, whereas “consumption of the Internet” simply sounds strange and dissociated in German. These are some brief reflexions explaining our reservations regarding the “consumer” term.Recommendation
Recommendation
Although the report of the Working Group clearly defines the term "Consumer" as "actual and potential Internet users and registrants", the ALAC believes that the correct term to use in all publications instead of "Consumer" should be "Internet User" and "Consumers" as "Internet Users" whether they are registrants or not. The recommendation of the ALAC is that for the ICANN Board uses to use the term "Internet User" in future work and communication referring to "actual and potential Internet users".
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