Tag Archives: transparency and accountability

Domain Name Registrants, Domain Name Registrars, Domain Name Registry, ICANN and Governance

ICANN Commits to Transparency, auDA Despises It

In the ongoing debacle at auDA, it’s hard not to notice what happens in other organisations, even in the domain name industry.

This week ICANN published the results of their “ICANN59 participant survey, and the technical, demographic, and attendance statistics. There are two reports – the Community Feedback report and the By the Numbers report. These reports summarise our findings from ICANN's second Public Forum Meeting of the new meeting strategy. These reports are part of ICANN's commitment to transparency.”

Note that last word. TRANSPARENCY.

OK, in years gone by transparency and accountability weren’t words that leapt into your mind when you thought of ICANN. But over the years with a lot of pushing from the community it learned it was much better to upfront than to hide.

Move over to Australia, and the .au policy and regulatory body defy logic when it comes to transparency and accountability. AuDA in the days prior to March 2016, when then CEO Chris Disspain was unceremoniously booted out in a bit of a boardroom coup that also saw long serving Chair Tony Staley booted a few months later, was consistently good with transparency and accountability. Meeting minutes were published, minutes and goings on for panels reviewing auDA policies were published, historical records were published and annual reports were published.

But in the months following the boardroom coup, new CEO Cameron Boardman and new Chair Stuart Benjamin oversaw the deletion of these historical documents and vowed they’d never return. But a Freedom of Information request to the Freedom of Information Commissioner at the Department of Communication and the Arts organised by former board member Josh Rowe saw auDA forced to make available 115 documents, previously published on their website but deleted under the new management. Some of these have even returned to the auDA website. However going forward auDA has vowed to keep the documents secret, to continue to hide the goings on in the organisation.

This lack of accountability and transparency is one of the main reasons behind a member revolt against the auDA Chair with a motion to be voted on Monday 31 July at a Special General Meeting. Many auDA members are disgusted at the current auDA leadership. Registrars are worried, some even privately disgusted as well.

* Disclaimer: the writer was an auDA Board member (2005 to 2007), served on 3 auDA Names Policy Panels (2007, 2010 and 2015), was a supplier to auDA for 14 years and is now a supplier to AusRegistry proving online media monitoring services and contributing to the Behind the Dot magazine.

ICANN and Governance

ICANN: GNSO Review Supplementary 360 Assessment!

ICANN logoTo provide further input on the GNSO, a Supplementary 360 Assessment has been launched! This Supplementary Assessment will provide survey takers with a mechanism to give valuable input into the GNSO‘s Working Groups. The GNSO Working Groups are one of the cornerstones of the ICANN Policy Development process, proving input on them is vital to a successful review.

Participate in the GNSO Review Supplementary 360 Assessment!

The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) serves an important function – it is responsible for developing and recommending to the ICANN Board substantive policies relating to generic top-level domains.

The GNSO Review is part of ICANN‘s commitment to continuous improvement, accountability and transparency. It uses mechanisms and measures to maintain public confidence in the viability, reliability and accountability of ICANN.

ICANN‘s Bylaws1 require that its structures, including the GNSO, be reviewed on a five-year cycle. The purpose of the review is to evaluate organizational effectiveness of the GNSO, acknowledge areas that are working well, identify areas that need improvement and affect needed changes.

The quality, validity and acceptance of the GNSO Review and the resulting improvements depend on relevant and useful feedback from a diverse and representative group of people. This is the cornerstone of ICANN‘s bottom-up multistakeholder model.

The 360 Supplementary Assessment, a new component within the organizational reviews, is designed to gather data for an independent examiner, Westlake Governance, to use in the review process and may also inform GNSO self-improvement efforts.

The 360 Supplementary Assessment is an easy-to-use online tool for the GNSO community, other ICANN structures and community members, the Board and staff to provide valuable feedback to the independent examiner regarding Working Groups.

To participate in this survey and make your voice heard, please click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GNSO_review_working_group

The 360 Assessment will be live from 27-October-2014 23:59 UTC to 10-November-2014 23:59 UTC.

Please click here to download a PDF copy of the 360 Supplementary Assessment [PDF, 200 KB].

Translated versions of the survey will be posted shortly.

To contact the Independent Examiner with any questions or comments, please email Westlake Governance at the following email address: gnsoreview@westlakegovernance.com

Additional Information – GNSO Review 2014

Participation Opportunities

Interested SOs/ACs Interested Individuals
GNSO Review Working Party
360 Assessment Participate in the 360 Assessment https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GNSOREVIEW360SURVEY Participate in the 360 Assessment https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GNSOREVIEW360SURVEY
Independent Examiner Provide feedback to Westlake Governance gnsoreview@westlakegovernance.com Provide feedback to Westlake Governance gnsoreview@westlakegovernance.com
Public Comment Public comment period in November 2014-January 2015 Public comment period in November 2014-January 2015
Structural Improvements Committee Provide feedback here Provide feedback here
Staff Provide feedback – larisa.gurnick@icann.org or matt.ashtiani@icann.org Provide feedback – larisa.gurnick@icann.org or matt.ashtiani@icann.org
The Domain Name Industry

For users wishing to view the survey before completing it, a copy of the English version of the survey can be downloaded in PDF format by clicking here [PDF, 1.03 MB].

1Article X of ICANN Bylaws provides further detail. ICANN‘s Bylaws require that its structures, including the GNSO, be reviewed on a five-year cycle. According to the Bylaws, the goal of the review is “to determine (i) whether that organization has a continuing purpose in the ICANN structure, and (ii) if so, whether any change in structure or operations is desirable to improve its effectiveness.”

This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2014-10-27-en

ICANN and Governance

ICANN: Second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT 2) Draft Report & Recommendations: Announcement of Correction

ICANN logoA correction was issued on 7 November 2013 by the Second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT2) to their report dated 15 October 2013.

A section was added to the Executive Summary, Recommendation 6 (page 3). These recommendations are included in the body of the Report that was issued for Public Comment on 21 October 2013 and were inadvertently excluded from the Executive Summary. For purposes of clarity and to be certain that the public had an opportunity to view all Recommendations of ATRT2, they are being published as part of the Executive Summary in this erratum.

The correction and the ATRT2 Draft Report body (without Appendices) are now available in French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic languages.

This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-17nov13-en.htm
ICANN and Governance

ICANN: Audited Financial Statements Posted Within 120 Days After the Fiscal Year End

ICANN logoICANN continues to provide accountability and transparency regarding its financial results, with another unqualified audit report from independent auditors, Moss Adams LLP, for the fiscal year ended June 30th, 2013. The Report of Independent Auditors and Financial Statements for ICANN for the years ending 30 June 2013 and 2012 is available on the “Financial Information for ICANN” page of the ICANN.org site and also included in this announcement.

An unqualified opinion means that the financial statements are presented fairly in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

In accordance with Article XVI of ICANN‘s Bylaws, the audited financial statements are to be posted within 120 days following the close of the fiscal year, or by 28 October 2012. ICANN‘s FY12 Audited Financial Statements are now posted [PDF, 1.08 MB] and are available to the community. The Community is invited to review ICANN‘s audited financials and to provide commentaries and/or questions.

This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-23oct13-en.htm

ICANN and Governance

ICANN: Second Accountability and Transparency Review Team Draft Report & Recommendations

ICANN logoPurpose (Brief): To inform its work, ATRT 2 seeks input on its Draft Report & Recommendations.
Current Status: ATRT 2 is completing its analysis and preparing to hold consultations with Community, staff and Board, with the goal of issuing final recommendations and report by 31 December 2013.
Next Steps: ATRT 2 seeks public comments and will hold consultations during ICANN 48 in Buenos Aires.
Detailed Information
Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose: 
With the goal of producing final recommendations by 31 December 2013, the Second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT 2), mandated by paragraph 9.1 of the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC), is completing its analysis and holding consultations with Community, staff and Board. To inform its work, the ATRT 2 now seeks input from the Community on its Draft Report & Recommendations [PDF, 2.89 MB] compiled for the Community’s consideration. Community participation is essential to the success of the review, and all input will be carefully considered. The ATRT 2 welcomes any additional feedback.
Section II: Background:

The Second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT2) issues this request for Public Comment on a set of Draft Proposed Recommendations [PDF, 2.89 MB] that it has developed as part of its review of ICANN‘s execution of its commitments to accountability and transparency under the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC). The ATRT2 will provide final recommendations to the ICANN Board no later than December 31, 2013.

ATRT 2, mandated by paragraph 9.1 of the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC), commenced its activities in February 2013. The Review Team has collected feedback from the Community by means of a questionnaire as well as numerous consultations during the past six months. ATRT 2 has considered this feedback carefully in drafting its preliminary recommendations. With the goal of producing final recommendations by 31 December 2013, the Review Team is currently in the process of completing its analysis and preparing to hold consultations with Community, staff and Board.

ATRT 2 has three fundamental tasks under the AoC:

  1. to assess ICANN‘s implementation of Recommendations of the three prior AoC Review Teams;
  2. to offer new Recommendations to the ICANN Board to further improve ICANN‘s accountability and transparency ; and
  3. to offer Recommendations concerning improvements to the Review process itself.

ATRT 2 has organized the work into four work streams:

  • ATRT1 – review of implementation of ATRT1 Review Team recommendations and offer any follow-on recommendations – AoC 9.1 (a)-(e);
  • Security, Stability and Resiliency – review of implementation of SSR Review Team recommendations – AoC 9.2(a)-(c);
  • WHOIS – review of implementation of WHOIS Review Team recommendations AoC 9.3.1;
  • Consider the extent to which assessments and actions undertaken by ICANN have been successful in ensuring that ICANN is acting transparently, is accountable for its decision-making, and acts in the public interest.

To inform its work, the ATRT 2 now seeks input from the Community on Proposed Draft Recommendations [link to document] compiled for the Community’s consideration. Community participation is essential to the success of the review, and all input will be carefully considered. The ATRT 2 welcomes any additional feedback.

Comment / Reply Periods

  • Comment Open Date: 21 October 2013
  • Comment Close Date: 22 November 2013 – 11:59 UTC
  • Reply Open Date: 23 November 2013
  • Reply Close Date: 13 December 2013 – 11:59 UTC

Important Information Links

 

ICANN and Governance

ICANN: Affirmation of Commitments Accountability and Transparency Review: Independent Expert – Request for Proposals – Extension of Deadline

ICANN logoThe Affirmation of Commitments (AOC) signed by ICANN establishes ongoing reviews of ICANN‘s Accountability and Transparency – www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/aoc/affirmation-of-commitments-30sep09-en.htm. Review of ICANN‘s execution of core tasks is undertaken by “review teams.” The second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT2) is examining ICANN‘s activities to ensure they are accountable, transparent, and undertaken consistent with the public interest.1

Deadline: 19 July 2013

The ATRT2’s activities are focused on paragraph 9.1 of the AoC where ICANN commits to maintain and improve robust mechanisms for public input, accountability, and transparency so as to ensure that the outcomes of its decision-making will reflect the public interest and be accountable to all stakeholders. The ATRT2 will make recommendations, as needed, to the ICANN Board for improvements by December 31, 2013.

As part of its review effort, the ATRT 2 issued a Request for Proposals [PDF, 93 KB] (RfP) on 2 July 2013 in order to appoint an independent expert. The purpose of this assignment is to assess the effectiveness of ICANN Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Policy Development Process (PDP) and whether the current GNSO PDP process satisfies the needs of the multi stakeholder model and Internet users.

On 2 July, interested parties were invited to provide relevant background material, written methodology for execution of this task, views on the tentative timeline, a proposed budget, resumes, references and financial information about the party by 15 July 2013 -23:59 UTC to Alice E. Jansen, ICANN, Strategic Initiatives Manager at alice.jansen@icann.org. To provide bidders with sufficient time to prepare and compile their responses, the Review Team now extends the response deadline to 19 July 2013 – 23:59 UTC.

The ATRT 2 will conduct conference calls with candidates on 25-26 July 2013 and expects to make its final selection of the independent expert on 26 July 2013.

In its examination of ICANN‘s activities, the ATRT 2 recently published Questions to the Community for Public Comment. The questions and the responses are available at www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/atrt2-02apr13-en.htm

1 For information on the membership of ATRT and its activities including meeting schedules, agendas, minutes, etc. see https://community.icann.org/x/mQllAg.

This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-13jul13-en.htm

ICANN and Governance

Questions to the Community on Accountability and Transparency within ICANN

ICANN logoPurpose (Brief): With the goal of producing final recommendations by 31 December 2013, the second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT 2), mandated by paragraph 9.1 of the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC), is currently in the process of defining its scope, roadmap and work program. To inform its work, the ATRT 2 now seeks input from the Community on a set of questions [PDF, 129 KB] compiled for the Community’s consideration. Community participation is essential to the success of the review and all input will be carefully considered. The ATRT 2 welcomes any additional feedback.

Current Status: Questions to the ICANN Community

Next Steps: Public comments are requested to inform Accountability and Transparency Review Team 2 (ATRT 2) actions.

Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose:

The second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT 2), mandated by paragraph 9.1 of the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC), commenced its activities in February 2013. With the goal of producing final recommendations by 31 December 2013, the Review Team is currently in the process of defining its scope, roadmap and work program. To date, the Review Team has identified issues, projects to review in light of the AoC requirements and divided the work into four work streams:

  1. ATRT1 – review of implementation of ATRT1 Review Team recommendations + any new recommendations – AoC 9.1 (a)-(e);
  2. Security, Stability and and Resiliency – review of implementation of SSR Review Team recommendations – AoC 9.2(a)-(c);
  3. WHOIS – review of implementation of WHOIS Review Team Team recommendations AoC 9.3.1;
  4. Consider the extent to which assessments and actions undertaken by ICANN have been successful in ensuring that ICANN is acting transparently, is accountable for its decision-making, and acts in the public interest.

To inform its work, the ATRT 2 now seeks input from the Community on a set of questions [PDF, 129 KB] compiled for the Community’s consideration. Community participation is essential to the success of the review and all input will be carefully considered. The ATRT 2 welcomes any additional feedback.

Section II: Background:

As prescribed by the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC), ICANN is to organize a review of its accountability and transparency commitments no less frequently than every three years. The first Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT) was launched in early 2010, delivered its final report on 31 December 2010, and ICANN‘s Board approved implementation of the report’s recommendations on 24 June 2011 (for further information, refer to: www.icann.org/en/about/aoc-review/atrt). On 5 October 2012, ICANN invited interested individuals to apply for a position of Volunteer Review Team Member, representing a Supporting Organization or Advisory Committee, or for a position of Independent Expert on the second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT 2), consistent with the AoC timeframe. The ATRT 2 composition was announced on 15 February 2013 and held its first face-to-face meeting in Los Angeles on 14-15 March 2013.

Section III: Document and Resource Links:

Section IV: Additional Information:

Please submit your comments to comments-atrt2-02apr13@icann.org by 2 May 2013. The reply period will open on 3 May 2013 and will close on 24 May 2013. The ATRT 2 activities and materials may be viewed on the Team’s public wiki. The ATRT 2 invites the Community to share their unique feedback with them in Beijing on Wednesday, 10 April – 11:00-12:30 (Grand Hall A) – please refer to session details for full information: beijing46.icann.org/node/37175

Comment / Reply Periods

  • Comment Open Date: 2 April 2013
  • Comment Close Date: 2 May 2013
Important Information Links
This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/atrt2-02apr13-en.htm

 

ICANN and Governance

ICANN: Composition of the Accountability & Transparency Review Team 2

ICANN logoBackground: To help ensure ICANN‘s multi-stakeholder model remains transparent and accountable, and to improve its performance, ICANN organizes community reviews of its accountability and transparency commitments no less frequently than every three years, consistent with section 9.1 of the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC).

The Accountability and Transparency reviews are performed by volunteer Community members and include the following (or their designated nominees): the Chair of the GAC, the Chair of the Board of ICANN, the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the DOC, representatives of the relevant ICANN Advisory Committees and Supporting Organizations, and independent experts.

On 5 October 2012, ICANN invited interested individuals to apply for a position of Volunteer Review Team Member, representing a Supporting Organization or Advisory Committee, or for a position of Independent Expert on the second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT 2).

Selection

The AoC designated Selectors of the ATRT 2 –Steve Crocker, Chairman of the ICANN Board of Directors, and Heather Dryden, Chair of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC)—wish to thank the applicants for their dedication and interest in this key project. In selecting the ATRT 2, multiple factors were considered, including experience with governance issues, understanding of ICANN’s working practices, consensus-building and analytical skills, ability to draw evidence-based conclusions, aptitude to build metrics and balances of geography, gender, consistency, etc.

The overall number of applications received for the ATRT 2 – 36 – necessitated difficult choices. After careful review of the applications against these criteria, the following individuals were selected to participate in the ATRT 2:

Volunteer Review Team Members in Representation of ICANN Supporting Organizations/ Advisory Committees
  • Alan Greenberg (ALAC)
  • Avri Doria (GNSO)
  • Brian Cute (GNSO)
  • David Conrad (SSAC)
  • Demi Getschko (ccNSO)
  • Fiona Asonga (ASO)
  • Jørgen Andersen (GAC)
  • Lise Fuhr (ccNSO)
  • Olivier Crépin-Leblond (ALAC)
  • Stephen Conroy (GAC)
  • Xinsheng Zhang (GAC)
Independent Experts
  • Carlos Raúl Gutierrez
  • Michael Yakushev

(Please refer to http://www.icann.org/en/about/aoc-review/atrt/2/composition to view Review Team Members’ information)

Ex-officio Members on the Accountability and Transparency Review Team 2 (ATRT 2) are:

  • Heather Dryden, Chair of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC);
  • Lawrence Strickling – Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the US Department of Commerce (DOC);
  • Steve Crocker, Chair of the ICANN Board of Directors.

The ATRT 2 is anticipated to commence its activities imminently with the goal of producing final recommendations by 31 December 2013. ICANN Staff will support the Review Team throughout its mandate.

Mandate

The AoC sets the following mandate for Accountability and Transparency reviews:

ICANN commits to maintain and improve robust mechanisms for public input, accountability, and transparency so as to ensure that the outcomes of its decision-making will reflect the public interest and be accountable to all stakeholders by: (a) continually assessing and improving ICANN Board of Directors (Board) governance which shall include an ongoing evaluation of Board performance, the Board selection process, the extent to which Board composition meets ICANN‘s present and future needs, and the consideration of an appeal mechanism for Board decisions; (b) assessing the role and effectiveness of the GAC and its interaction with the Board and making recommendations for improvement to ensure effective consideration by ICANN of GAC input on the public policy aspects of the technical coordination of the DNS; (c) continually assessing and improving the processes by which ICANN receives public input (including adequate explanation of decisions taken and the rationale thereof); (d) continually assessing the extent to which ICANN‘s decisions are embraced, supported and accepted by the public and the Internet community; and (e) assessing the policy development process to facilitate enhanced cross community deliberations, and effective and timely policy development.

Resulting recommendations of the reviews will be provided to the Board and posted for public comment. The Board will take action within six months of receipt of the recommendations.

Schedule and Operations

The ATRT will conduct its activities primarily online and through conference calls. Face-to-face meetings also are anticipated.

For more information on the work of the ATRT 2, please visit the newly created WIKI page at https://community.icann.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=40176025 which will be updated as the ATRT 2’s work progresses to keep the ICANN community apprised of the latest information.

This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-15feb13-en.htm

ICANN and Governance

ICANN: Accountability & Transparency Review Extension of Deadline – Call for Volunteer ATRT Members

ICANN logoTo ensure ICANN‘s oversight of the multi-stakeholder model remains transparent and accountable (and to improve its performance), ICANN organizes independent reviews of its accountability and transparency commitments no less frequently than every three years in accordance with section 9.1 of the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC).

The first ATRT was launched in early 2010 and delivered its final report on 31 December 2010. For further information, refer to: www.icann.org/en/about/aoc-review/atrt

The reviews are performed by volunteer community members and include the following (or their designated nominees): the Chair of the GAC, the Chair of the Board of ICANN, the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the DOC, representatives of the relevant ICANN Advisory Committees and Supporting Organizations and independent experts.

On 5 October 2012, ICANN invited interested individuals to apply for:

  • a position of Volunteer Review Team Member, representing a Supporting Organization (SO) or Advisory Committee (AC), or
  • a position of Independent Expert on the second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT 2); or
  • both positions while requesting that candidates specify their preference.

Please read the Call for Applicants to find details on the application procedure, mission, timeline, mandate, desired skillset etc.

The stated deadline of 5 December 2012 for applications is drawing to a close. In consideration of the low number of applications received to date (please refer to the repository at www.icann.org/en/about/aoc-review/atrt/2/applications), the deadline to apply for a position of volunteer Review Team Member representing an ICANN SO or AC, or for a position of independent expert on the ATRT 2 is now extended to 14 January 2013 – 23:59 UTC.

The calendar is deferred as follows:

  • 28 January 2013 – SO/AC declarations of endorsed candidates
  • 15 February 2013 – Selection of the Team (composition of the Review Team will be determined jointly by the Chair of the GAC and the Chair of the ICANN Board)
  • Early March 2013 – kick-off meeting

Please consider volunteering for this important work. Email your application to rtcandidatures@icann.org by 14 January 2013 – 23:59 UTC.

Please refer to the Call for Applicants for further information on the application procedure.

This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-03dec12-en.htm

Domain Name Registrants, Domain Name Registrars, Domain Name Registry

AuDA Seeks Comments on .AU Accountability and Transparency Framework

AuDA, the .AU policy and regulatory body, is seeking public comment on a draft Accountability and Transparency Framework from members, stakeholders and other interested parties.

In April 2011 the auDA Board commissioned Westlake Consulting Ltd (WCL) to conduct an independent review into the governance of .AU. WCL provided its final report to the Board in December 2011, and the Board published its response in February 2012.

One of WCL’s recommendations was for auDA to “develop and publish an Accountability and Transparency Framework, broadly similar to that developed by ICANN.” The Board accepted the recommendation and charged its Governance, Board Succession and Remuneration Committee to oversee the implementation.

The Committee has approved a draft Accountability and Transparency Framework for public consultation.

The closing date for comments is 31 July 2012.