[Gac-gnso-cg] Overview of Active GNSO Working Groups

Mon Feb 17 12:44:06 UTC 2014

Dear All,

As requested during the last meeting, please find below an overview of the
currently active GNSO PDP and non-PDP Working Group. For further details on
each of the PDP WGs, please see also the monthly one-pagers that are
provided to the GAC which are focused on identifying upcoming engagement
opportunities (see 
https://gacweb.icann.org/display/gacweb/GAC+Early+Engagement+Policy+Document
s). For additional information about the other activities, please see
http://gnso.icann.org/en/group-activities/active.

Please let me know should you have any questions.

Best regards,

Marika

Overview of Active GNSO Working Groups

1.     Privacy & Proxy Services Accreditation Issues (PPSAI) Policy
Development Process

A number of high priority topics were identified by the ICANN community for
the RAA negotiations. One of these was the accreditation of providers of
privacy and proxy services for domain name registrations. A privacy service
is one in which a domain name is registered in the registrant¹s name, but
other contact details displayed in the publicly-accessible Whois gTLD
registration data directory are those given by the privacy service provider
and not those of the registrant. A proxy service is one in which the
registered name holder licenses use of the domain to the customer who
actually uses the domain, and the contact information displayed in the Whois
system is that of the registered name holder. The Whois system is a form of
Internet data directory service, utilizing a protocol that permits public
lookup of a domain name, including certain contact and technical information
about the registrant and the domain.

The topic of privacy and proxy services accreditation was not addressed in
the 2013 RAA negotiations. As such this PDP will examine the issues related
to the provision and accreditation of privacy and proxy services, with a
view toward assisting ICANN with developing an accreditation program for
such services (see PDP WG Charter for further details -
https://community.icann.org/x/pCifAg).
Status: WG commended in November 2013. Input has been requested to help
inform its deliberations from all SO/ACs.

2.     Translation and Transliteration of Contact Information Policy
Development Process
This PDP WG is expected to make recommendations to the GNSO Council on
whether it is desirable to translate or transliterate contact information.
In this context "contact information" is a subset of Domain Name
Registration Data and thus the information that enables someone using a
Domain Name Registration Data Directory Service (such as WHOIS) to contact
the domain name registration holder. It usually includes the name,
organization, and postal address of the registered name holder, technical
contact, as well as administrative contact. Translation is defined as the
translation of a text into another language and transliteration is the
writing of a word using the closest corresponding letters of a different
alphabet.

Status: WG commenced in December 2013. Input has been requested to help
inform its deliberations from all SO/ACs.

3.     Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP) Part D Policy Development
Process 

The Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP) Part D PDP Working Group is
chartered by the GNSO Council to answer six questions in relation to the
IRTP: 1) whether reporting requirements for registries and dispute providers
should be developed; 2) whether to amend the Transfer Dispute Resolution
Policy on how to handle disputes when multiple transfers have occurred; 3)
whether dispute options for registrants should be developed; 4) whether
registrars should be required to make information on transfer dispute
resolution options available to registrants; 5) whether additional penalties
for IRTP breaches should be introduced, and; 6) whether the universal
adoption and implementation of EPP AuthInfo codes has eliminated the need
for FOAs.

Status: The Working Group is expected to publish its Initial Report for
public comment prior to the ICANN meeting in Singapore. Input was requested
at the early stages of the WG¹s deliberations to help inform its
deliberations from all SO/ACs.

4.    Amending the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and Uniform
Rapid Suspension (URS) procedure to enable access to them by protected
International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) and International
Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs)  Preliminary Issue Report

At its meeting on 20 November 2013, the GNSO Council unanimously adopted all
the consensus recommendations made by the GNSO¹s Policy Development Process
(PDP) Working Group on the Protection of International Organization Names in
All gTLDs (IGO-INGO WG). One of these recommendations was for the GNSO
Council to request an Issue Report, to assist in determining whether a PDP
should be initiated in order to explore possible amendments to the Uniform
Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS)
procedure, to enable access to and use of such curative rights protection
mechanisms by protected International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) and
International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs). The GNSO Council also
adopted the IGO-INGO WG consensus recommendations for varied protections at
the top and/or second level for certain specified names and acronyms of IGOs
and INGOs (including certain emblems and names of the Red Cross movement and
the International Olympic Committee).

Status: Preliminary Issue Report is expected to be published for public
comment by the end of February 2014.

5.     Policy & Implementation Non-PDP Working Group

Mainly as a result of discussions stemming from implementation related
issues of the new gTLD program, there is increased focus on which topics
call for policy and which call for implementation work, including which
processes should be used, at what time and how diverging opinions should be
acted upon. Following several discussions by the GNSO Council on this topic,
the GNSO Council formed a Working Group which has been tasked to provide
concrete recommendations on how to address some of these issues from a GNSO
perspective.

The WG started its deliberations in August and has been tasked to provide
the GNSO Council with recommendations on:
1.     A set of principles that would underpin any GNSO policy and
implementation related discussions, taking into account existing GNSO
Operating Procedures.
2.     A process for developing gTLD policy, perhaps in the form of "Policy
Guidance", including criteria for when it would be appropriate to use such a
process (for developing policy other than "Consensus Policy") instead of a
GNSO Policy Development Process;
3.     A framework for implementation related discussions associated with
GNSO Policy Recommendations;
4.     Criteria to be used to determine when an action should be addressed
by a policy process and when it should be considered implementation, and;
5.     Further guidance on how GNSO Implementation Review Teams, as defined
in the PDP Manual, are expected to function and operate.

Status: The WG started its deliberations in August 2013 and aims to publish
an Initial Report for public comment by October 2014. Input was requested to
help inform its deliberations from all SO/ACs.

6.     Cross Community Working Groups Non-PDP Drafting Team

The ICANN community has recognized that there may periodically be issues
that cut across and are of interest to more than one of ICANN¹s Supporting
Organizations and Advisory Committees. Cross-community working groups have
been created previously, including the Joint DNS Security & Stability
Analysis Working Group (DSSA) involving At Large, ccNSO, GNSO, NRO, and
SSAC, and the Joint IDN Working Group (JIG) involving the ccNSO and GNSO.
Many ICANN community members have highlighted the need for a set of
principles that would guide the formation and working processes of these
cross-community working groups. This CWG Drafting Team, co-chaired by the
GNSO and ccNSO, is a renewed effort to develop a charter for a WG tasked to
develop a framework of operating principles that would allow for the
effective and efficient functioning of future CWGs.

Status: the DT is expected to submit the charter for consideration by the
GNSO and ccNSO Council in Sinapore. Following adoption of the charter, a
call for volunteers will be circulated to the community for participation.

7.     Data & Metrics for Policy Making Non-PDP Working Group

This effort allows for a review in how the community can collaborate with
contracted parties and other reporting service providers in the sharing of
complaint and abuse data that may also further educate Registrants and
Internet users in submission of complaints to the appropriate party. It will
also investigate how metrics can benefit the policy development process and
improve fact-based decision-making.

Status: The GNSO Council adopted the charter for the working group in
January 2014 and a call for volunteers has been launched (open to anyone
interested to join).

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