On Sunday 14 August 2016 10:06 PM, John Curran wrote:
snip
More people do not use cars, or guns, or ...... the list is endless. Does not mean that rules around them are not to be considered issues of 'public governance' just for that reason. The Internet today impacts practically everyone, whether one uses it or not. Just as laws of international trade effects everyone, whether one is directly carrying out trade or not.. Excuse me to say it, but this is a very weak argument. Ah, you’ve transition now into actual laws, and I do agree that such is the realm of public governance. Note that it is also the case that laws are made by governments – something that ICANN is not.
ICANN makes considerable number of important laws of our online existence. It, for instance, tells me that I cannot register the domain name cocacola.biz even if it be yet unregistered ... It tells a betting company in Antigua not to risk a gTLD in its name bec betting is illegal in the US and its online business conducted under such a gTLD can suddenly be brought down any day (bec ICANN insists of staying subject to the US jurisdiction) .... A thousand such examples can be cited of laws that ICANN makes and enforces with regard to our online existence. Just by not calling them laws it does not make them not laws.. BTW, ICANN does call them policies, and enforceable policies are laws... That thing about if it quacks like a duck..... As I said in the last email, hidden powers are to be feared even more than the declared ones.... parminder
Thanks, /John
disclaimer: my views alone.