[tz] Beginner's help request

[Paul Eggert]

On 10/18/2017 07:07 AM, SM wrote:
> Why was ICANN country members or country code domain registrars chosen 
> in the above? 

Anything of this scope would be like the WIPO Internet Treaties, and 
would be a big deal: in the US it would require ratification by 
Congress. It would bind any country signing such a treaty, and 
presumably this would eventually supersede ICANN.

The most recent attempt to formulate such an Internet treaty featured a 
controversial proposal from a group that included China, Russia, Sudan, 
and others. These countries wanted to manage the IANA, and presumably 
this would have included managing the tzdb project. It would have meant 
for a lot more politics and bureaucracy for tzdb. Had this happened, I 
probably would have moved the tzdb project to a safer home outside IANA. 
Luckily, saner heads prevailed and the draft treaty went down in flames.

Where treaties are concerned, be careful what you wish for.

For more, see:

Garber M. How the UN's 'game-changing' Internet treaty failed. The 
Atlantic 2012-12-14. 
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/12/how-the-uns-game-changing-internet-treaty-failed/266263/