May 2014 - APAC-Discuss - lists.icann.org

Meeting Invitation / PRE-ATLAS II Capacity Building Program: Topic of Rules of Procedure
by At-Large Staff May 23, 2014

May 23, 2014

Español después de la versión Inglés Français en bas de ce message ******** Dear All, This is an invitation to attend the eighth and last PRE-ATLAS II Capacity Building Program webinar on the Topic of Rules of Procedure. The trainers will be C <https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/bios-2013-10-01-en> heryl Langdon-Orr <https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/bios-2013-10-01-en> , Chair of the 2014 NomCom, and Alan Greenberg <https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/Alan+Greenberg+SOI> , ALAC Liaison to the GNSO. This webinar is scheduled on Thursday 29 May 2014 from 21:00 - 22:00 UTC. For other times: http://tinyurl.com/p6pavxy The draft agenda and call details can be found at: https://community.icann.org/x/EkDRAg French ad Spanish interpretation will be provided. Adobe Connect: https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/ <https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/> Conference IDs: EN: 1638 ES: 1738 FR: 1838 http://adigo.com/icann/ If you require a dial-out please contact At-Large staff at staff(a)atlarge.icann.org with your preferred number. All the webinars are listed on the following page: https://community.icann.org/x/ciDRAg IMPORTANT: The attached evaluation sheet will provide us with your valuable feedback. Please fill it in at the end of the webinar session and send it back to staff(a)atlarge.icann.org You can also ask questions related to each session on the Wiki : https://community.icann.org/x/ST-Rag (https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ATLAS+II+Capacity+Building+Webi nars++-+Questions+and+Answers+Workspace) within one week from the session¹s date; The trainer will answer it not later than 2 weeks from the date of the presentation. Thank you. Regards, ******************* Estimados todos, Esta es una invitación para asistir al octava y última webinar del Programa de Desarrollo de Capacidades PRE-ATLAS II. El tema sera Reglas de Procedimiento. Los instructores serán C <https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/bios-2013-10-01-en> heryl Langdon-Orr <https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/bios-2013-10-01-en> , Presidente del Comité de Nominaciones 2014 y Alan Greenberg <https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/Alan+Greenberg+SOI> , ALACEnlace a la GNSO. Este Webinar está programado para el jueves 29 mayo 2014, a las 21:00-22:00 UTC. Para ver las horas en sus respectivos paises vea : http://tinyurl.com/p6pavxy El orden del día y detalles de la llamada se pueden encontrar en: https://community.icann.org/x/EkDRAg Se proporcionará interpretacion en francés y español. Adobe Connect: https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/ ID de la conferencia: ES: 1638 ES: 1738 FR: 1838 http://adigo.com/icann/ Si necesita una llamada a su telefono, por favor póngase en contacto con el personal de At-Large en staff(a)atlarge.icann.org con su número preferido. Todos los seminarios webse enumeran en la siguiente página: https://community.icann.org/x/doPhAg IMPORTANTE: La hoja de evaluación adjunta nos dará una retroalimentación importante. Por favor, sirvase llenarla al final de la session del webinar y enviela staff(a)atlarge.icann.org Tambien puede preguntar respecto a cada session en la pagina Wiki: https://community.icann.org/x/ST-Rag (https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ATLAS+II+Capacity+Building+Webi nars++-+Questions+and+Answers+Workspace) dentro de una semana despues de la sesion. El orador respondera a mas tardar en 2 semanas desde la fecha de la presentación . Gracias. Saludos cordiales, ********************* Chers Tous, Nous vous invitons à assister au huitième et dernier webinar du programme de Renforcement des Capacités PRE-ATLAS II sur le thème de Règles de Procédure. Les formateurs seront , C <https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/bios-2013-10-01-en> heryl Langdon-Orr <https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/bios-2013-10-01-en> , Présidente du Comité de Nomination2014 (NomCom) et Alan Greenberg <https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/Alan+Greenberg+SOI> , Liaison ALACau GNSO. Ce Webinar est prévu le jeudi 29 mai 2014, de 21:00-22:00 UTC. Pour voir votre heure locale: http://tinyurl.com/p6pavxy L'ordre du jour et les détails de l'appel sont disponibles à la page suivante: https://community.icann.org/x/EkDRAg Cet appel sera interprété en français et espagnol. Adobe Connect: https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/ <https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/ > <https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/ > ID pour la conférence: EN: 1638 ES: 1738 FR: 1838 http://adigo.com/icann/ Si vous avez besoin d'un dial-out, merci de le communiquer au personnel At-Large à staff(a)atlarge.icann.org avec votre numéro d'appel préféré. Tous les webinaires sont listés sur la page suivante: https://community.icann.org/x/coPhAg IMPORTANT: La fiche d'évaluation ci-joint nous permettra de recueillir vos commentaires qui nous sont importants. Merci de bien vouloir la remplir à la fin de la session du webinar et de la renvoyer à staff(a)atlarge.icann.org. Vous pouvez également poser des questions liées à chaque session sur le Wiki: https://community.icann.org/x/ST-Rag (https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ATLAS+II+Capacity+Building+Webi nars++-+Questions+and+Answers+Workspace) dans la semaine suivant le webinar; Le formateur y répondra au plus tard deux semaines après la date de la présentation. Merci beaucoup. Cordialement, Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine and Terri Agnew ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC E-mail: staff(a)atlarge.icann.org One World, One Internet

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Call for Membership to the At-Large Ad-hoc WG on the transition of US government stewardship of the IANA function
by ICANN At-Large Staff May 23, 2014

May 23, 2014

Dear All, Olivier Crépin-Leblond, Chair of the ALAC, has requested a call for membership of the At-Large Ad-hoc Working Group on the Transition of US Government Stewardship of the IANA Function. This Working Group will be responsible for addressing all issues related to the Transition of US Government Stewardship of the IANA function as it relates to At-Large. Interested members from the At-Large community are welcome to join. Please either indicate your interest by commenting on the At-Large Ad-hoc WG on the Transition of US Government Stewardship of the IANA Function Workspace, available at: https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/At-Large+Ad-hoc+WG+on+the+Trans… or by writing At-Large staff at: staff(a)atlarge.icann.org<mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org> by 23.59 UTC on Friday, 30 May 2014. Regards, Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine and Terri Agnew ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC E-mail: staff(a)atlarge.icann.org<applewebdata://68497759-1B04-4F9B-84B7-B9445B8F305F/Regards,%20Heidi%20Ullrich,%20Silvia%20Vivanco,%20Matt%20Ashtiani,%20Ariel%20Liang,%20Gisella%20Gruber,%20Nathalie%20Peregrine%20and%20Julia%20Charvolen%20ICANN%20Policy%20Staff%20in%20support%20of%20ALACmailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org>

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[Atlas-ii-participants] URGENT: ATLAS II Survey / Sondage d'ATLAS II / Encuesta de ATLAS II
by Siranush Vardanyan May 22, 2014

May 22, 2014

Dear APRALO members, who are planning to be in London, Please, review the below e-mail from ALAC Chair and please, participate in the short survey where you should select the thematic groups which you are interested in. This is really very URGENT and will take only two minutes of your time, but is very important for the Summit organizers to meet your expectations and interests. The deadline is MAY 22 (TODAY!!!). Thanks a lot for your cooperation. Sincerely, SiranushAPRALO Acting Chair Date: Wed, 21 May 2014 20:48:00 +0200 From: ocl(a)gih.com To: atlas-ii-participants(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org Subject: Re: [Atlas-ii-participants] URGENT: ATLAS II Survey / Sondage d'ATLAS II / Encuesta de ATLAS II Hello everybody, the survey is giving you the choice of what thematic working group you will be assigned to in London. If you do not respond, the Organising Committee will need to choose on your behalf and you might end up in a working group treating a topic that you are not interested in. It is therefore probably better that you make your choice known. Kind regards, Olivier On 21/05/2014 20:33, ICANN At-Large Staff wrote: **VERSION FRANÇAISE À LA SUITE DE LA VERSION ANGLAISE ** **VERSION ESPAÑOL DESPUES DE LA VERSION FRANCESA** **ENGLISH VERSION** Dear all, Only 38 ALS representatives have participated in the survey below. Please complete the survey if you have not done so already. Thank you, ICANN Staff in Support of At-Large *** Bonjour à tous, Seulement 38 représentants d'ALS ont participé au sondage ci-dessous. S'il vous plaît remplir le sondage si vous ne l'avez pas déjà fait. Merci, Personnel d'ICANN à l'appui d'At-Large *** Queridos todos, Sólo 38 representantes de ALS han participado en la encuesta a continuación. Por favor complete la encuesta si no lo ha hecho. Gracias, Personal de ICANN en apoyo de At-Large *** Dear ATLAS II Participants, On behalf of the ATLAS II Events Working Group, please complete this short, NEW survey to assist the ATLAS II Organizing Committee with the formation of the thematic groups during the ATLAS II: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NTLB7J8 For an abstract of each thematic group as well as discussion questions, please refer to the ATLAS II Thematic Group Coordination page. Please complete the survey by 23:59 UTC on 22 May. Thank you, ICANN Staff in support of At-Large **VERSION FRANÇAISE** Cher ATLAS II Participants, Au nom de Groupe de Travail sur les Événements d'ATLAS II, s'il vous plaît remplir un court, NOUVEAU sondage pour assister le Comité d'Organisation ATLAS II avec la formation de groupes thématiques au cours de l'ATLAS II: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NTLB7J8 Pour un résumé de chaque groupe thématique ainsi que des questions de discussion, s'il vous plaît se référer à la page de Coordination de Groupes Thématiques d'ATLAS II. S'il vous plaît remplir le sondage d'ici 23:59 UTC le 22 mai. Merci, Personnel d'ICANN à l'appui d'At-Large **VERSION ESPAÑOL** Estimados Participantes de ATLAS II, En nombre del Grupo de Trabajo de Eventos de ATLAS II, por favor complete una corta, NUEVA encuesta para ayudar al Comité Organizador del ATLAS II con la formación de grupos temáticos durante el ATLAS II: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NTLB7J8 Para un resumen de cada grupo temático, así como preguntas de discusión, por favor consulte la página de Coordinación de Grupos Temáticos de ATLAS II. Por favor complete la encuesta antes de 23:59 UTC el 22 de mayo. Gracias, Personal de ICANN en apoyo de At-Large Regards, Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine and Terri Agnew ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC E-mail: staff(a)atlarge.icann.org -- Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond, PhD http://www.gih.com/ocl.html _______________________________________________ atlas-ii-participants mailing list atlas-ii-participants(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/atlas-ii-participants

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REMINDER / PRE-ATLAS II Capacity Building Program: Topic of Policy Issues
by At-Large Staff May 21, 2014

May 21, 2014

Español después de la versión Inglés Français en bas de ce message ******** If you require a dial-out please contact At-Large staff at staff(a)atlarge.icann.org with your preferred number. Si necesita una llamada a su telefono, por favor póngase en contacto con el personal de At-Large en staff(a)atlarge.icann.org con su número preferido. Si vous avez besoin d'un dial-out, merci de le communiquer au personnel At-Large à staff(a)atlarge.icann.org avec votre numéro d'appel préféré. ******** Dear All, This is an invitation to attend the seventh PRE-ATLAS II Capacity Building Program on the Topic of Policy Issues. The trainer will be Avri Doria <https://community.icann.org/x/WYdEAg> , ex GNSO Chair and NCSG representative in the GNSO Council. This webinar is scheduled on Thursday 22 May 2014 from 21:00 - 22:00 UTC. For other times: http://tinyurl.com/nylqlkz The draft agenda and call details can be found at: https://community.icann.org/x/_T-RAg French ad Spanish interpretation will be provided. Adobe Connect: https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/ <https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/> Conference IDs: EN: 1638 ES: 1738 FR: 1838 http://adigo.com/icann/ If you require a dial-out please contact At-Large staff at staff(a)atlarge.icann.org with your preferred number. All the webinars are listed on the following page: https://community.icann.org/x/ciDRAg IMPORTANT: The attached evaluation sheet will provide us with your valuable feedback. Please fill it in at the end of the webinar session and send it back to staff(a)atlarge.icann.org You can also ask questions related to each session on the Wiki : https://community.icann.org/x/ST-Rag (https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ATLAS+II+Capacity+Building+Webi nars++-+Questions+and+Answers+Workspace) within one week from the session¹s date; The trainer will answer it not later than 2 weeks from the date of the presentation. Thank you. Regards, ******************* Estimados todos, Esta es una invitación para asistir al séptimo webinar del Programa de Desarrollo de Capacidades PRE-ATLAS II. El tema sera Tema de Politica. El instructor será Avri Doria <https://community.icann.org/x/WYdEAg> , exPresidente de la GNSO y representativo NCSG en elConsejo de la GNSO. Este Webinar está programado para el jueves 22 mayo 2014, a las 21:00-22:00 UTC. Para ver las horas en sus respectivos paises vea : http://tinyurl.com/nylqlkz El orden del día y detalles de la llamada se pueden encontrar en: https://community.icann.org/x/_T-RAg Se proporcionará interpretacion en francés y español. Adobe Connect: https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/ ID de la conferencia: ES: 1638 ES: 1738 FR: 1838 http://adigo.com/icann/ Si necesita una llamada a su telefono, por favor póngase en contacto con el personal de At-Large en staff(a)atlarge.icann.org con su número preferido. Todos los seminarios webse enumeran en la siguiente página: https://community.icann.org/x/doPhAg IMPORTANTE: La hoja de evaluación adjunta nos dará una retroalimentación importante. Por favor, sirvase llenarla al final de la session del webinar y enviela staff(a)atlarge.icann.org Tambien puede preguntar respecto a cada session en la pagina Wiki: https://community.icann.org/x/ST-Rag (https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ATLAS+II+Capacity+Building+Webi nars++-+Questions+and+Answers+Workspace) dentro de una semana despues de la sesion. El orador respondera a mas tardar en 2 semanas desde la fecha de la presentación . Gracias. Saludos cordiales, ********************* Chers Tous, Nous vous invitons à assister au septième webinar du programme de Renforcement des Capacités PRE-ATLAS II sur le thème de Questions de Politique Générale. La formatrice sera Avri Doria <https://community.icann.org/x/WYdEAg> , ex Présidentedu GNSO et représentante du NCSG au conseil du GNSO. Ce Webinar est prévu le jeudi 22 mai 2014, de 21:00-22:00 UTC. Pour voir votre heure locale: http://tinyurl.com/nylqlkz L'ordre du jour et les détails de l'appel sont disponibles à la page suivante: https://community.icann.org/x/_T-RAg Cet appel sera interprété en français et espagnol. Adobe Connect: https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/ <https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/ > <https://icann.adobeconnect.com/preatlas2cb/ > ID pour la conférence: EN: 1638 ES: 1738 FR: 1838 http://adigo.com/icann/ Si vous avez besoin d'un dial-out, merci de le communiquer au personnel At-Large à staff(a)atlarge.icann.org avec votre numéro d'appel préféré. Tous les webinaires sont listés sur la page suivante: https://community.icann.org/x/coPhAg IMPORTANT: La fiche d'évaluation ci-joint nous permettra de recueillir vos commentaires qui nous sont importants. Merci de bien vouloir la remplir à la fin de la session du webinar et de la renvoyer à staff(a)atlarge.icann.org. Vous pouvez également poser des questions liées à chaque session sur le Wiki: https://community.icann.org/x/ST-Rag (https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ATLAS+II+Capacity+Building+Webi nars++-+Questions+and+Answers+Workspace) dans la semaine suivant le webinar; Le formateur y répondra au plus tard deux semaines après la date de la présentation. Merci beaucoup. Cordialement, Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine and Terri Agnew ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC E-mail: staff(a)atlarge.icann.org One World, One Internet

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Welcome to At-Large!
by ICANN At-Large Staff May 21, 2014

May 21, 2014

Dear Walid, ICANN's At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) is pleased to inform you that (199) ISOC Yemen been certified as an At-Large Structure (ALS). The ALAC greatly appreciates your group's interest in involving individual users in ICANN and looks forward to working with you and your colleagues. The purpose of ALS certification is to recognize that your organization meets the necessary criteria to involve individual Internet users at the local or issue level in ICANN activities, and that your organization will support its individual members' informed participation in ICANN efforts that affect end-users. The ALAC is eager to promote a productive working relationship between your organization, other ALS, and the ALAC (and ICANN in general), and your input on how we can make this a success would be greatly appreciated. We would like to offer some initial tools to help your organization keep its members informed (about significant news from ICANN and information on ICANN policy-development efforts) and engaged in activities of interest: - Point of Contact for your Organisation: Please send an email to <mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org> staff(a)atlarge.icann.org<mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org> identifying the names and email addresses of one or two individuals who will be the point of contact for information and correspondence regarding ICANN At-Large. If this changes, please let us know. - At Large Mailing Lists. There are many At Large email lists, for each region; you can sign up for them and manage your subscriptions at: <http://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo> http://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo . The points of contact you identify will automatically be added to your region's list just for accredited ALSes to discuss regional issues and to the mailing list for Staff announcements (only Staff can post messages to that list); you are invited to join others as you wish. - ALS information. Information about your organization will be shared with the At-Large community to enable individuals interested in your group's activities to contact you, and to encourage cooperation with other groups interested in ICANN activities in your geographic region. Please complete and email the form at the bottom of this note to <mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org> staff(a)atlarge.icann.org<mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org>. - ALAC website. The ALAC website ( <http://www.atlarge.icann.org> www.atlarge.icann.org<http://www.atlarge.icann.org>) is a good source for ICANN news and information of interest to individual Internet users. We encourage you to provide your members with a link. The ALAC relies on volunteers to translate information into multiple languages. Translations of documents on the website are welcome and should be sent to <mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org> staff(a)atlarge.icann.org<mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org>. - At-Large Regional Websites. Regional wiki webpages also have been created to distribute information (including in local languages) on activities, events and issues of particular interest to people in each region. These are maintained by the community. They are: African Region: <http://www.afralo.org> www.afralo.org<http://www.afralo.org> Asia/Australia/Pacific Region: <http://www.apralo.org> www.apralo.org<http://www.apralo.org> European Region: <http://www.euralo.org> www.euralo.org<http://www.euralo.org> Latin America/Caribbean Region: <http://www.lacralo.org> www.lacralo.org<http://www.lacralo.org> North American Region: <http://www.naralo.org> www.naralo.org<http://www.naralo.org> We have included an ALS Starter Kit that includes key information on ALAC and At-Large communication tools. We have also included the Beginners Guide to Participating in At-Large which explains the organization of the At-Large community and how to participate in its activities. We look forward to working with you and your organization's members to advance individual Internet users' interests within ICANN. If you have any questions, or need additional information, please contact us at <mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org> staff(a)atlarge.icann.org<mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org>. Sincerely, The At-Large Advisory Committee <http://www.atlarge.icann.org> www.atlarge.icann.org<http://www.atlarge.icann.org> <mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org> staff(a)atlarge.icann.org<mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org> --------------------------- Name: Location (city/country/region; whatever is relevant to your membership): Mission: Member benefits: Contacts (name/s and email address/es -- title/s optional): Website: Other (additional informational you would like included):

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New ALS Application received
by ICANN At-Large Staff May 21, 2014

May 21, 2014

Dear All, This is to inform you that we received an ALS application from ISOC Yemen. It is based in Sanaa, Yemen and would be a member of APRALO if accepted. Please find the application form attached. Staff are preparing the Due Diligence. -- -- Regards, Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine and Terri Agnew ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC Email: staff(a)atlarge.icann.org<mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org>

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The Problem of IDNs
by Rinalia Abdul Rahim May 21, 2014

May 21, 2014

Colleagues, This is the link to a recent APTLD Report on a survey involving ccTLDs regarding use of IDNs - http://aptld.org/system/files/survey_report_-_launch_and_use_of_idns_2014.p…. It has statistics from the Asia Pacific and European regions. End user awareness is scored lowest and there is feedback on barriers that limit broad adoption by end users. At the basic level, the problem is that IDNs are not available for use in email, browsers and other applications used by users. Efforts to address the problem are distributed among many parties and they are un-coordinated. There has been some discussions at ICANN on what needs to be done and the role of ICANN. The challenge for ICANN is that it doesn't deal with application level problems. Nevertheless, the successful adoption of IDN TLDs is arguably a success measure for ICANN's TLD programme, so ICANN has a stake in seeing IDNs succeed. Various suggestions have been made on ICANN's role including convene meetings on the topic, raise awareness about the problem through communications channels, gather and centralize information on efforts underway to inform the community, and coordinate the disparate efforts of un-connected parties, etc. *If there are thoughts on what the role of ICANN should be vis-a-vis the role of the community to address the problem of IDN adoption (as part of solving the Universal Acceptance problem), please share.* *APRALO and APTLD: Perhaps a collaboration on way forward to enhance end user awareness and encourage applications developers to meet the market demand? * Best regards, Rinalia <http://aptld.org/system/files/survey_report_-_launch_and_use_of_idns_2014.p…>

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Report on APTLD Workshop on IDN Universal Acceptance
by Rinalia Abdul Rahim May 20, 2014

May 20, 2014

FYI: Report on the APTLD workshop on IDN Universal Acceptance held 11 May 2014 in Muscat, Oman. Rinalia

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PLEASE IGNORE: New ALS Application received
by Nathalie Peregrine May 20, 2014

May 20, 2014

Dear all, My apologies for the confusion due to a typo, this is of course an AFRALO ALS application and not an APRALO one. Kindest regards Nathalie ICANN Policy Staff in support of At-Large -----Original Message----- From: ICANN At-Large Staff Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2014 10:09 PM To: ALAC Internal List Cc: apac-discuss(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org Subject: New ALS Application received Dear All, This is to inform you that we received an ALS application from ISOC Chad. It is based in Salam, Chad and would be a member of AFRALO if accepted. Please find the application form in French attached. The application in English will be posted to the At-Large website upon reception from the Translation Services. Staff are preparing the Due Diligence. -- -- Regards, Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine and Terri Agnew ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC Email: staff(a)atlarge.icann.org<mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org>

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Universal Acceptance of All TLDs
by Rinalia Abdul Rahim May 20, 2014

May 20, 2014

FYI > http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140519_universal_acceptance_of_all_tlds_now/ > > > > A piece by Stéphane Van Gelder on Universal Acceptance of TLDs. > > > > > > Universal acceptance of top level domains hasn't really meant much to most Internet users up until now. As long as .COM was basically the default TLD, there wasn't much of an issue. > > > > No longer. With 263 delegated strings (according to ICANN's May 12, 2014 statistics) adding to the existing 22 gTLDs that were already live on the net after the 2004 round of Internet namespace expansion, the problem of universal acceptance gets very real. > > > > What is the issue? Being able to use any TLD with any browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox...) or email client (outlook, Apple mail...), no matter what the environment (Mac, Windows...). Non-ASCII Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) have made the issue even more crucial because universal acceptance is needed to fulfil their promise: giving millions of people who use different keyboards and scripts access to an "own language" Internet use they've never been able to experience up until now. > > > > Non-Latin script TLDs are considered one of the most important Internet naming innovations of the last decade because they are key to reducing the digital divide between those who are comfortable typing ASCII web addresses and those who are not. Those whose native alphabets are Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic or others have jumped at the chance to type their own scripts into the address bars. The high registration volumes reached by IDN ccTLDs like .рф (Romanised as .RF for Russian Federation) or more recently the Chinese character new gTLDs launched by TLD Registry .在线 (.ONLINE) and .中文网 (.WEBSITE) are clear indications of the pent-up demand for non-Latin script web addresses. > > > > > > Ensuring new web addresses can be used everywhere, by everyone > > > > Because they are that important, ICANN's new gTLD program has given deliberate priority to IDNs. The 104 applications for non-Latin script TLDs were allowed a faster track through the evaluation and delegation process if they wanted it. > > > > Despite that, most new gTLDs that have gone live so far are of the traditional ASCII kind. But as TLD Registry's suffixes show, the Internet is not going to stay all-Latin for long. Others also have ambitious plans to bring Internet navigation to new audiences using different alphabets. Stable Tone is one such registry operator. It will soon be launching 世界, (.WORLD in Chinese) with an innovative plan to bring international brands to Chinese audiences. > > > > Without universal acceptance, those plans will suffer. The products will be out there, but their intended audiences won't actually be able to use them. Why? Because in many ways, the Internet still works as if there had never been an expansion of its namespace. There are 3 main issues. > > > > Internet browsers tend to carry out summary checks when a destination is typed into their address bars. Some browsers will actually filter out anything that doesn't resemble the "classic" TLDs. Type www.example.guru, one of the new TLDs that is already proving very popular, and browsers expecting .COM or something similar will either tack that suffix on the end and search for www.example.guru.com, or take the user to a search engine to try and "help". > > > > The rate of expansion is also an issue. In 2004, only a very limited number of TLDs were added to the Internet root. So as suffixes like .BIZ and .INFO came online, browser developers had time to adjust. But the new gTLD program means an increase of several orders of magnitude for the number of TLDs becoming valid Internet namespaces. How can developers of browser, email and other Internet services keep up? > > > > IDNs have brought a third universal acceptance issue. Users must be able to type, and see, their URLs in the intended native script. If it's a Chinese address, you should be able to type that in as easily as if it was ASCII. Having to resort to some kind of encoder to get the Chinese script complicates the user experience to such an extent that there's a risk users simply won't bother. And that could ultimately mean the failure of IDN TLDs that, ironically, Internet users actually want. > > > > There's a fourth, slightly separate but equally important issue: mobile device use. Browsing and emailing environments tend to be even more technically limited on smartphones and tablets than they are on desktop computers. Yet those are the devices which the next billion Internet users, those that stand to benefit from new TLDs and especially IDNs, are most likely to use. > > > > All that leads to a situation where currently, there is a lack of universal acceptance for these new TLDs. Take those mentioned earlier. A web address like 房地产.在线 (RealEstate.online) simply isn't reachable using the majority of web browsers running on PCs and mobile devices in China. A part-ASCII address like nic.在线 has the same issues. > > > > Chinese data shows that around 50% of the browsers used in the country are not compatible with Chinese IDN gTLDs and that on mobile devices, tha vast majority of the browsers available aren't compatible. > > > > > > Single focus > > > > So what to do? Awareness of the problem isn't new. ICANN, for instance, has been working on it since 2004, when it opened a discussion forum on universal acceptance, and even before. Technically there are no major hurdles to universal acceptance. For example, the technology needed to correctly render IDN web addresses was developed even before the new gTLD program, when work was being done on the IDN ccTLD program designed to give a path to non-ASCII country codes to countries such as Russia, where .рф is considered the second national suffix after the ASCII .RU. > > > > The major stumbling block for universal acceptance today is probably coordination. And let's face it, that's an area where organisations like ICANN have traditionally not been very strong. ICANN, the technical community's IETF, and others, are very good at taking on a variety of problems at once. They are not so good at focusing their collective energies on a single problem. > > > > Yet that's exactly what's needed to guarantee universal acceptance. Across-the-board efforts targeting all aspects of this one problem. For example, if technical operators such as browser developers are not made sufficiently aware of new gTLDs by the governance community, then how can they be expected to adapt their products to suit? > > > > It's incumbent on the technical and governance communities to ensure that demand is met. Disappoint these non-ASCII hopefuls now, and new gTLDs as a whole will suffer the consequences.

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