Hello all, I have been looking to introduce some discussion subjects which are becoming more critical in our space but have been considered off-limits or even taboo by some in the ICANN world. While in BA Glenn and I met with Patrik Falstrom from SSAC to talk about TOR and other topics. For those who do not know The Onion Routing (TOR) is a system that provides additional privacy or obscurity to Internet communications by extending and blurring the network path. The regular DNS, of course, works by using the shortest, best-known traffic paths for quick communication and keeps extensive logs in various places for troubleshooting. While this method makes sense for effective data movement it also exposes Internet users to spying, stalking, interception, etc. TOR works in the opposite way by dropping information using very long network routes to make source identification nearly impossible. This presents challenges as well as opportunities. Most of the media attention about TOR has been on the illicit side, how criminals have used it to conduct illegal commerce in secret. However, there are a large number of people who depend on TOR to protect their identity for completely legitimate reasons. This week I met with Kelley Misata from the TOR Project in Boston who has championed the use of this technology for various victims and people under threat. I think it is important for us as policy-makers to have open discussions about this technology. As far as it relates to ICANN, TOR represents an alternate method of Internet communications. While there is no domain system, TOR issues what it calls "domains" in the form of unique strings which bind to IP addresses and serve content through those unique strings. These "domains" can only be reached with TOR. There is no governing body, registry system, or costs for these "domains." Yes, it is confusing as to how TOR can look like a DNS but not be a DNS, others can explain it much better than me. Additionally, there are other DNS roots out there which ICANN has no authority over. These roots have been created for a variety of purposes and I have complied a list of over 600 "unsanctioned" TLDs which can be accessed with different configurations. I have proposed that at the Singapore meeting we have a session where these topics can be presented and discussed for our benefit and awareness. I will add this as a discussion item on the next NARALO call and propose it be discussed on the next ALAC call. Thanks, Garth ------------------------------------- Garth Bruen gbruen@knujon.com If history is deprived of the Truth, we are left with nothing but an idle, unprofitable tale -Polybius