Dear Marika and SOI-TF Colleagues:

I have consulted with the Registrar Stakeholder Group and RrSG ExCom, and confirm that our position has not changed:  Registrars support the draft recommendations, and do not support any exemptions from disclosure requirements for designated individuals, groups, or categories of participants (Recommendation 5(a)).

Registrars maintain that transparency is an essential component of the multistakeholder model, and necessary for ICANN policy development to function effectively.  And that this commitment and obligation should be shared equally by all stakeholder participants.  Rules requiring disclosure of paid advocacy relationships already exist for governments and policy-making bodies around the world, including in the United States, Europe, and other countries, and equivalent rules should be adopted by ICANN as well. 

Hired advocates operating under professional, ethical, or contractual rules that require them to obtain consent from their clients prior to disclosing their identities should endeavor to get this consent.  If a client refuses to consent, then they and their advocate(s) should be excluded from participating in ICANN/GNSO policy development.  This scenario is not a problem to be solved; rather it is the policy working as intended.  Just as ICANN and the GNSO would not accept anonymous submissions to a public comment, it should not permit anonymous participation in policy development.

Thank you,

J.

From: GNSO-SOI-TF <gnso-soi-tf-bounces@icann.org> on behalf of Marika Konings <marika.konings@icann.org>
Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 06:41
To: gnso-soi-tf@icann.org <gnso-soi-tf@icann.org>
Subject: [GNSO-SOI-TF] REMINDER - deadline for input on draft recommendations report Friday 21 April

Caution: This email is from an external sender. Please do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Forward suspicious emails to isitbad@.

Reminder, please provide any input you may have on the recommendations report by Friday 21 April at the latest.

Thanks,

Julie & Marika

From: GNSO-SOI-TF <gnso-soi-tf-bounces@icann.org> on behalf of Marika Konings <marika.konings@icann.org>
Date: Thursday, 13 April 2023 at 09:54
To: Julie Hedlund <julie.hedlund@icann.org>, "gnso-soi-tf@icann.org" <gnso-soi-tf@icann.org>
Subject: Re: [GNSO-SOI-TF] Action Items & Notes: SOI TF Meeting 12 April 2023 at 14:00 UTC

Dear All,

Per the discussion yesterday, please find attached an updated version of the recommendations report that includes the updates suggested during the meeting as well as a typo that was spotted. Please use this version for your review. As a reminder, the timeline for finalizing the report is as follows:

• Deadline for review of draft recommendations report – Friday 21 April
• Placeholder TF meeting to resolve any outstanding issues in report – Wednesday 26 April
• Submit recommendations report to CCOICI – Friday 28 April

Best regards,

Julie & Marika

From: GNSO-SOI-TF <gnso-soi-tf-bounces@icann.org> on behalf of Julie Hedlund <julie.hedlund@icann.org>
Date: Wednesday, 12 April 2023 at 16:42
To: "gnso-soi-tf@icann.org" <gnso-soi-tf@icann.org>
Subject: [GNSO-SOI-TF] Action Items & Notes: SOI TF Meeting 12 April 2023 at 14:00 UTC

Dear All,

Please see below the action items and brief notes from today’s SOI Task Force meeting on Wednesday, 12 April 2023 at 14:00 UTC.  These also are posted to the wiki at: https://community.icann.org/x/yYXOCg.

Kind regards,

Marika and Julie

GNSO SOI TF Meeting on Wednesday 12 April at 14:00 UTC

ACTION ITEMS:

1. TF members to review the attached draft report and send comments if any to staff via the list.
2. Staff to schedule a placeholder meeting for 26 April.

Notes: 

1. Welcome

2. Further comments and/or suggestions to resolve current stalemate on exemption language, if any

• Question: Is the plan to send the report to council with or without the redlines and highlights that we have today? Answer: Some redlines will be kept to indicate changes to the SOI language.
• Position statements will be included.
• Do seem to have agreement on the other proposed changes, but without agreement on the exemption language we can’t move forward on the other changes.

3. Consider proposed timeline for finalization of report:  See attached document.

a. Deadline for review of draft recommendations report – 21 April

b. Placeholder TF meeting to resolve any outstanding issues in report – 26 April

c. Submit recommendations report to CCOICI – 28 April

• Encourage TF members to review and appreciate any comments.
• TF members to let staff know on the list if more time is needed beyond the deadlines suggested above.

Report:

3. Consensus Designations: Line at the top of page 5, consider how to make this more clear – suggest instead of “essential elements” change to “exemption language”.  Update to be more specific that the reference is to the exemption language as being essential.

2. SOI Recommendations:

Page 7: Yellow highlight of latest language.

3.0 Proposed Updates to the GNSO Operating Procedures

• Redlines reflect agreed proposed changes, but these cannot move forward unless the issues with the exemption language is resolved.

Annex A: Statements

• Make sure TF members who represent groups have sent in their statements for inclusion.

ACTION ITEM: TF members to review the attached draft report and send comments if any to staff via the list.

4. AOB: Confirm next steps & action items

• Timing – how long will the CCOICI need to deliberate?  Need to reconvene and they will need to decide how they want to deal with this issue, then we can see how long that might take to get it to Council.  May consider bringing in a facilitator, or look at other suggestions.
• Legal analysis: Never got a specific question and agreement that it would help move the conversation forward.  Did not have agreement on that, although the CCOICI and/or Council could consider that approach.
• Staff to schedule a placeholder meeting for 26 April.

ACTION ITEM: Staff to schedule a placeholder meeting for 26 April.