NCUC Trip Proposal 4 DRAFT

CISCO

GOOGLE

FACEBOOK

OATH

Type of presentation: Lightning Talk - 5min

Topics for presentation: DNS service operation and configuration

Research and education

Presentation title: Content Regulation and Private Ordering at Internet Governance Institutions

Abstract
An attachment with a draft of the presentation slides or an extended summary of the article/work to be presented. This abstract must not exceed one thousand (1000) words.

IMPORTANT: This proposal is similar to  the NCUC session in IGF2017 and will bring authors also remotely for this debate via video.

Private ordering is common in the field of Internet governance, cybersecurity, and cybercrime. Private ordering refers to governance by means of contracts, markets, or voluntary cooperative networks of non-state actors. The Internet relies heavily on private ordering because it is difficult for territorial governments to regulate effectively by traditional methods of intervention.

Private ordering is used in Internet governance institutions such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN implements policies through contractual agreements and develops policies via a multistakeholder process rooted in non-state actors. Nevertheless, ICANN’s control of the root of the Domain Name System (DNS) creates a centralized “choke point” where control over website content and Internet expression can be exerted by regulating domain name registries and registrars (e.g., by taking down domains or withdrawing licenses to register names). Most stakeholders believe that ICANN’s authority to coordinate and make policy for the DNS should not be leveraged to make ICANN a content regulator on the Internet.

As part of ICANN’s reform process, a new mission statement was adopted which expressly forbids ICANN from engaging in content regulation. Some interest groups, however, often put pressure on ICANN to use its power over domains to become an internet regulator. Most notably, this pressure comes from copyright and trademark interests, law enforcement agencies, and some governments.