February 2026 - Gnso-ssc - lists.icann.org

CLOSED: 48-HOUR CONSENSUS CALL - Deadline Tuesday, 17 February 2026, at 14:30 UTC - DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 Chair
by Saewon Lee Feb. 17, 2026

Feb. 17, 2026

Dear SSC members, Per the message below, as no objections were received, the SSC will consider this to be a Full Consensus recommendation and submit it to the GNSO Council with a motion for confirmation at its meeting on 11 March 2026. To enable the DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 WG to begin their preparatory work for the ICANN85 sessions as soon as possible, the preliminary decision will be communicated to Paul prior to its formal confirmation date, upon the Council Leadership’s approval. Thank you. Kind regards, Saewon From: Saewon Lee via Gnso-ssc <gnso-ssc(a)icann.org> Reply-To: Saewon Lee <saewon.lee(a)icann.org> Date: Friday, February 13, 2026 at 9:14 AM To: "gnso-ssc(a)icann.org" <gnso-ssc(a)icann.org> Subject: [Gnso-ssc] 48-HOUR CONSENSUS CALL - Deadline Tuesday, 17 February 2026, at 14:30 UTC - DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 Chair Dear SSC members, Thank you again for all the helpful comments to help SSC’s process improve in the future. As a follow-up to today’s call, the SSC has reached preliminary agreement to recommend Paul McGrady as the DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 Chair. (See the candidate materials here [icann-community.atlassian.net]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/M4C…>.) If you object to this recommendation, please respond on the mailing list no later than Tuesday, 17 February 2026, at 14:30 UTC. If no objections are received, the SSC will consider this to be a Full Consensus recommendation and submit it to the GNSO Council by 1 March 2026 with a motion for confirmation at its meeting on 11 March 2026. Happy Weekend to you all! Kind regards, Saewon Saewon Lee Policy Development Support Manager for GNSO Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Mobile: +1 (310) 463-5541 Email: saewon.lee(a)icann.org<mailto:saewon.lee@icann.org> Skype: saewon.lee.icann Website: www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org>

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Recurring and Ad Hoc Processes
by Saewon Lee Feb. 13, 2026

Feb. 13, 2026

Dear SSC, Thank you again for all your participation and a great call today. As Jeff noted at the close of today’s call, his torch to Sebastien Ducos for the GNSO Liaison to the GAC role was formally passed at the ICANN81 Annual General Meeting in November 2024; as the saying goes, it only seemed like yesterday/last year (the whole process + Jeff leaving us), but while it may feel as though this occurred only last year, I would like to clarify for the record that this transition took place 2 calendar years ago, not 1. Please refer to the GNSO Council Resolutions Page for this appointment<https://gnso.icann.org/en/council/resolutions/2020-current#202408> and also the SSC wiki page<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/GSSC/pages/97585143/GAC+L…> which documents the selection process at the time. Given that the current position is set for a 2-year term, this would ordinarily indicate that the SSC may be tasked with the next GAC Liaison selection process in July of this year; however, as the GAC Liaison role can be extended for another 2 years (term limit of 2 consecutive 2-year terms), it is possible that a new selection process may not be required at this stage. (See GNSO Laison to the GAC description guidelines here<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy/2024/draft/final-gnso-lia…>) That said, while the annual ICANN Fellowship Mentor selection process has now been completed and any further work for SSC this year may arise on an ad hoc basis, I thought it would be prudent to outline the recurring work for SSC, given that this matter has already been raised on two separate occasions. Please see the recurring work for SSC below: * ICANN Fellowship Program: * GNSO-appointed Mentor selection: Every January * GNSO-appointed Selection Committee Member: Every Other January (Next selection: 2027) * GNSO Liaison to the GAC: Every 2 or 4 years in July (Next selection: possibly 2026 OR 2028) * GNSO Non-Registry Liaison and Alternate to the CSC: TBC (The updated CSC Charter is currently under Public Comment<https://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/proceeding/fundamental-bylaws-amend…> until April 2026; Normally, the roles are appointed for a 2-year period with the option to renew for up to 2 additional 2-year terms, and the most recent selection, conducted in 2025, took place following a five-year interval) As noted during the calls, all activities for SSC at this stage are ad hoc in nature, and the SSC will reconvene only if and when work is formally tasked by the GNSO Council. This may, at times, involve urgent requests with correspondingly short turnaround periods, like this time. I hope this provides greater clarity regarding the anticipated scope of work for 2026. Please also check the SSC wiki page here<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/5B7RBQ> outlining the recurring processes<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/2QDyMg> and the ad hoc processes<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/gYDxMg>, all of which provide additional context on each selection process. Should any work for the SSC arise, we will provide you with an update promptly. Hope you all have a great weekend! Kind regards, Saewon Saewon Lee Policy Development Support Manager for GNSO Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Mobile: +1 (310) 463-5541 Email: saewon.lee(a)icann.org<mailto:saewon.lee@icann.org> Skype: saewon.lee.icann Website: www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org>

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Proposal to Consider Reviewing EOI and PDP Charter Template Language
by Jeff Neuman Feb. 13, 2026

Feb. 13, 2026

Dear SSC and Council Leadership, First, I would like to thank you for the adjustments that were made in the recent selection process — including holding the SSC call in public, publishing the survey results, seeking candidate consent to release the EOIs, and making the Council guidance available. I appreciate the willingness to revisit aspects of the process and increase transparency. It is in light of those positive steps that I am writing. I am writing as an active member of the community and the SSC to respectfully offer an observation and proposal for your consideration. This is provided in my personal capacity. Based on my review of the materials and discussions over the past week — and recognizing that I may not have every fact or historical detail exactly right — it appears that some of the recent concerns I have had in the selection process for the chair of the DNS Abuse PDP 1 Working Group may have stemmed from legacy template language used in certain PDP Working Group charters and in EOI documents for the selection of Working Group Chairs. That template language references Council Leadership involvement in the selection process (with matters referred to the SSC) and states that EOI submissions will remain confidential. In practice, that language can have the effect of requiring the SSC process to be conducted privately. From what I can see, that templated approach may have been used in a relativelt small number of earlier instances (for example, in 2018 and 2020), but not in the vast majority of SSC-led selections, which have generally followed the SSC Charter process — conducted transparently and without Council Leadership involvement in the selection decision itself. Again, I may not have the full historical context, but it seems possible that the closed-process language and confidentiality expectations in this instance resulted from reliance on legacy template provisions rather than from a specific, affirmative policy determination by the Council. I also want to be clear that I am *not* suggesting that all Working Group Chair selections should go through the SSC. In many PDPs, the Working Group itself selects its leadership team, and that model has worked well. My suggestion applies only in circumstances where the Council determines that the SSC will be used for a particular selection. With that in mind, I respectfully suggest that the SSC and Council Leadership consider asking staff to review and, if appropriate, update: - The PDP Charter template language addressing Chair selection; and - The standard EOI template used for Working Group Chair selections. The aim would be to ensure that transparency is the default approach when the SSC process is used, consistent with the SSC Charter and established SSC practice, while preserving flexibility to conduct deliberations in private* where a clear and articulated rationale supports doing so.* I offer this simply as a constructive proposal from a community perspective, and in the spirit of the transparency improvements already demonstrated in this recent process. Thank you again for your leadership and for considering this suggestion. Sincerely, Jeff

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Post Call | GNSO SSC Meeting | Friday, 13 February 2026
by Terri Agnew Feb. 13, 2026

Feb. 13, 2026

Dear all, All recordings for the GNSO Standing Selection Committee call held on Friday, 13 February 2026 at 13:30 UTC can be found on the agenda wiki page <https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AQA-MQ> (attendance included) and the GNSO Master Calendar<https://gnso.icann.org/en/group-activities/calendar/2026>. These include: * Attendance (please let me know if your name has been left off the attendance list) * Audio recording * Zoom recording (including audio, visual, rough transcript & chat) * Transcript * Agenda & Notes/Action Items (if applicable) For additional information, you may consult the mailing list archives<https://lists.icann.org/hyperkitty/list/gnso-ssc@icann.org/> and the main wiki page<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/CADRBQ>. Thank you! Kind regards, Terri Policy Team Supporting the GNSO

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48-HOUR CONSENSUS CALL - Deadline Tuesday, 17 February 2026, at 14:30 UTC - DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 Chair
by Saewon Lee Feb. 13, 2026

Feb. 13, 2026

Dear SSC members, Thank you again for all the helpful comments to help SSC’s process improve in the future. As a follow-up to today’s call, the SSC has reached preliminary agreement to recommend Paul McGrady as the DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 Chair. (See the candidate materials here<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/M4CLM>.) If you object to this recommendation, please respond on the mailing list no later than Tuesday, 17 February 2026, at 14:30 UTC. If no objections are received, the SSC will consider this to be a Full Consensus recommendation and submit it to the GNSO Council by 1 March 2026 with a motion for confirmation at its meeting on 11 March 2026. Happy Weekend to you all! Kind regards, Saewon Saewon Lee Policy Development Support Manager for GNSO Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Mobile: +1 (310) 463-5541 Email: saewon.lee(a)icann.org<mailto:saewon.lee@icann.org> Skype: saewon.lee.icann Website: www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org>

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CORRECTION_[Re: Fwd: Guidance for the SSC from Council Leadership on the DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 Chair Selection Process:
by Saewon Lee Feb. 12, 2026

Feb. 12, 2026

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Survey Result | SSC - Selection Process for the DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 WG Chair
by Saewon Lee Feb. 12, 2026

Feb. 12, 2026

Dear SSC Members, The proposed agenda has been shared with you all in a separate email. Please find attached your survey results: * The “Data_All” file: Ranking summary is in p.5, where I have marked in red the top 2 with the yellow highlights/red outlined box being our #1. * The “Responses_All” file: This file includes individual responses with comments to provide a bit more context for the discussions/selection process and as always, I have redacted the individual responders. A few things to note from the survey result: * We received 9 responses in total through the survey, all representing each SG/C. Thank you, all! * As always, though the rankings indicate a winner, it serves as an initial indication and can still be up for discussion. The survey results are for your reference only and intended to facilitate tomorrow’s discussion; final decision may be adjusted following tomorrow’s meeting. Thank you everyone for your prompt attention to this process. Kind regards, Saewon Saewon Lee Policy Development Support Manager for GNSO Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Mobile: +1 (310) 463-5541 Email: saewon.lee(a)icann.org<mailto:saewon.lee@icann.org> Skype: saewon.lee.icann Website: www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org>

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Proposed Agenda | GNSO Standing Selection Committee Meeting | Friday, 13 February 2026, at 13:30 UTC
by Saewon Lee Feb. 12, 2026

Feb. 12, 2026

Dear SSC, Please find below the proposed agenda for Friday, 13 February 2026, at 13:30 UTC: 1.⁠ ⁠Welcome & SOIs 2.⁠ DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP1 Chair Candidates Evaluation a. Review of Survey Results and Discussion b. Selection of Candidates 3.⁠ ⁠Next Steps - Timing of Consensus Call & GNSO Council Confirmation 4.⁠ ⁠AOB The survey results will be shared with you soon in a separate email. Kind regards, Saewon Saewon Lee Policy Development Support Manager for GNSO Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Mobile: +1 (310) 463-5541 Email: saewon.lee(a)icann.org<mailto:saewon.lee@icann.org> Skype: saewon.lee.icann Website: www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org>

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Fwd: Guidance for the SSC from Council Leadership on the DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 Chair Selection Process:
by Johan Helsingius Feb. 12, 2026

Feb. 12, 2026

Here is the Guidance from Council Leadership, this time on the public list. Julf -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Guidance for the SSC from Council Leadership on the DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 Chair Selection Process: Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2026 17:24:27 +0000 From: Susan Payne <susan.payne(a)comlaude.com> To: Johan Helsingius <julf(a)julf.com>, Vivek Goyal <vivekg(a)ldotr.red> CC: Saewon Lee <saewon.lee(a)icann.org>, Jennifer Chung <jen(a)dot.asia>, Akinremi Peter Taiwo <compsoftnet(a)gmail.com>, Caitlin Tubergen <caitlin.tubergen(a)icann.org> Dear Julf and Vivek I am resending the Guidance from Council Leadership. I would be grateful if you would post this to the SSC mailing list. GNSO Council Leadership is seeking the recommendation of the SSC on the selection of a Chair for DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1. As noted below, while the candidate names can be shared publicly, their EOI’s will not be shared. The basis of the private selection is 1) explicit mention of that in the EOI announcement; and 2) per the SSC charter a private/public process can be directed by the Council. Often, in past experience, there has only been one EOI for PDP WG chairs and in those cases the GNSO Council leadership is able to propose the sole candidate to the Council to affirm or reject without the SSC input. Additionally, in the case where there are two candidates and one is clearly unqualified and another is clearly qualified according to the criteria, the Council leadership may again propose the qualified candidate to the Council to affirm or reject without the SSC input. In this particular case, there are three candidates and the Council leadership would like the input of the SSC to aid in the selection process for this Chair. *Guidance for the SSC* In considering the potential chair selection, the SSC should familiarize themselves with the leadership criteria as outlined pp.11-14 of the DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP 1 Charter [gnso.icann.org] <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/polic…>. The Leadership would like to especially emphasize the importance of the chosen candidate having a recent proven track record of leadership, neutrality, and ability to efficiently reach consensus, particularly on contentious issues with diverse divergent interests. The most important elements to consider given the high-profile nature of this PDP is that the recommended Chair needs to have considerable experience in chairing working groups or Council small teams, direct experience seeing a PDP process throughout its lifecycle, and leadership skills necessary to build consensus on an aggressive timeline. Finally, as stated in the Charter, knowledge of and preferably direct experience in DNS Abuse related work at ICANN is a crucial qualification. We appreciate your prompt attention to this selection. Susan Payne Head of Legal Policy <https://comlaude.com/> 28 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HN, UK *T* +44 (0) 20 7421 8250 *D* +44 (0) 20 74218 255 *comlaude.com <http://comlaude.com>* /Follow us on //LinkedIn <https://t-uk.xink.io/Tracking/Index/pRkAAA98AADw_RQA0>// and//Youtube <https://t-uk.xink.io/Tracking/Index/ZxkAAA98AADw_RQA0>/ ** <https://www.linkedin.com/company/com-laude>**** <https://twitter.com/comlaude?lang=en>**** <https://www.facebook.com/ComLaude/>**** <https://www.youtube.com/@comlaude> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The contents of this email and any attachments are confidential to the intended recipient. They may not be disclosed, used by or copied in any way by anyone other than the intended recipient. If you have received this message in error, please return it to the sender (deleting the body of the email and attachments in your reply) and immediately and permanently delete it. 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No SSC meeting today (10 Feb)
by Johan Helsingius Feb. 10, 2026

Feb. 10, 2026

Due to sudden unforeseen circumstances the SSC meeting has been rescheduled to Friday. Julf

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