Hello Colleagues -
Following up from our discussions in Morocco, the next phases of AOC Reviews for Accountability and Transparency (ATRT3) and WHOIS (WHOIS2) will be kicking off this year. (See attached slide for schedule).
During our weekend sessions in Marrakech, we discussed the challenges & wisdom of launching these reviews now, given that substantial work on both topics is already in progress. Also, our update from ICANN Staff made it clear that Staff would not act unilaterally to delay or postpone any scheduled AOC review, particularly in the absence of consistent guidance from the Community.
We did not reach any decision at ICANN55. In my view, our options are:
(1) Take no action. The likely outcome is that the AOC Reviews (ATRT3 and WHOIS2) will commence as planned.
(2) Consult informally with other SO/ACs and the Board to get a sense of similar concerns shared by other organizations in the Community.
(3) Draft a letter to the Board/Staff, copying other SO/ACs, outlining our concerns about potential overlap/redundancy of upcoming AOC reviews with ongoing work on Accountability and WHOIS.
We can flag this topic for discussing during out next Council call (14 APR). However, the agenda for this meeting is starting to fill up, so it would be immensely helpful if we could discuss on the list and arrive at a decision.
Thank you,
J.
