Join us for ICANN54 in Dublin from October 18 to 22 Jean-Jacques Sahel -VP ICANN, Europe |
As I write this, the heat is increasing across much of Europe this summer. Similarly, it also feels like the heat is on for ICANN54 in Dublin. Advanced proposals by the ICG concerning the IANA functions
stewardship transition and the parallel CCWG Accountability promise engaging discussions for the upcoming meeting, which many are already billing as a key milestone in the history of the Internet. This could indeed be the meeting, which marks approval, or at least the firming up, for the set-up by which ICANN becomes independent, with the Internet's global 'multistakeholder' community truly in
charge of the destiny of the Domain Name System and Associated Protocols and Numbers. ICANN54 will also be eventful with important work ranging from covering IDNs to privacy and proxy services, from Internet Governance to Human Rights and Public Safety - and much, much more. All that with the backdrop of charming glorious Dublin, one of Europe's most successful 'mini Silicon Valleys' and home to the glorious Dubliners. Look forward to seeing you there!
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Bringing it All Back Home; ICANN Dublin 2015 By Maria Farrell, ICANN civil society (NCSG) and InterConnect Communications The Irish Internet community is as vibrant and varied as they come, with a mix of multinationals and home-grown
talent.
Because of our educated population and rather convenient location, many global tech firms have made Dublin their European HQ. When the ICANN community touches down in Dublin this October, they will be right across the river Liffey from Dublin's tech centre, 'Silicon Docks', which houses operations from Google, Twitter, Facebook, and, most recently, AirBnB.
This roll call of big box names shows Ireland's long-requited love affair with all things American, though some economists worry that we spend too much time (and money) attracting firms from abroad, and not enough building our own native
tech
sector. But the tech community is busy ensuring that our current success lasts. INEX, IP peering association and the host of the Dublin meeting, brings together professionals from across the sector for regular and lively meetings.
Digital
Rights Ireland is an all-volunteer organisation fighting to ensure a positive impact of the Internet on individuals and our future. The
Irish Internet Association brings together people from all over the sector and the country for training, networking, lobbying and, of course, networking. It also works with the
.IE
registry on an annual 'Dot IE Net Visionary Award', won in 2014 by Blacknight registrar founder, Michele Neylon.
Which brings us to Irish people in ICANN. A friend who works in the European Commission says Irish people have never yet encountered an international organisation they don't want to get involved in and also pull in all their
family and friends, too. From small beginnings, the number of active ICANN community members from Ireland is growing. That includes former Board Director Dennis Jennings, Registrar Constituency Chair Michele Neylon of BlackNight, former staffer and GNSO NCSG
Councillor; yours truly, and rising NCUC star James Gannon. You can expect to see us and a great Irish contingent at the Dublin meeting and yes, the national stereotypes are pretty much all true; we will be the ones at the bar talking to anyone and
everyone, delighted to finally be hosting our life-long ICANN friends.
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ICANN EMEA HUB ACTIVITIES & REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS |
Global Support Team Expands -
We're happy to welcome two new Global Support hires Seda Akbulut and
Koray Nicolas Namer to our hub in Istanbul. Languages now covered from the Hub support will be English, French, German and Turkish. Visit our global support website here
or contact the team via email globalsupport@icann.org. |
10th International Electronic Communications Regulators Conference: Future of Mobile: 4G and Beyond - May 7-8 The event kick started with the Chairman of the Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA), Dr. Tayfun Acarer, welcoming the attendees.David Olive was invited to be on a panel
with international experts, where he described the role of ICANN and shared the results of two important studies conducted for ICANN by the Boston Consulting Group on reducing
friction in the Internet economy and suggested policies to follow to harness the Internet as a pervasive, growing economic force. |
| | Meeting with Law Students at Bahcesehir University On May 5, Professor Elif Kuzeci of the Faculty of Law of Bahcesehir University in Istanbul invited David Olive as a guest lecturer to talk about ICANN and Internet
Governance to the ICT law students. | TÜTED - Celebrating Information Technology & Telecommunications Day - May 29 - TÜTED, a leading Telecommunications Industry Association in Turkey, invited ICANN VP and General Manager David Olive to be a keynote speaker, where he noted Dr. Acarer's work with ICANN and
the ICT Community in Turkey since the hub offices opened two years ago. More on the event is here. |
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ISOC's InterCommunity 2015 Conference- July 7-8
ICANN attended InterCommunity 2015, the Internet Society's (ISOC)
first virtual meeting of its entire community, where the 2015
Global Internet Report was released by ISOC. Key Takeaways from the report:* 3
billion Internet users were likely by May 2015. * Mobile
Internet penetration is forecasted to reach 71% by 2019. * Usage
per device is forecasted to more than triple by 2019. * 192
countries have active 3G mobile networks, which cover almost 50% of the global population. * Smartphone
sales are the majority of mobile handsets sold worldwide; tablet sales will soon exceed total PC sales. * While
there are at least five mobile platforms, Android has an 84% share of smartphones, and 72% of tablets. * There
are well over 1 million apps available, which have been downloaded more than 100 billion times. |
SEEDIG and EuroDIG: An eventful and successful 'Bulgaria DNS week' in June
Bulgaria became the European Internet capital this year, starting June 1 with a 'roadshow' in cities such as Varna to beat the DNS industry's drum with the local business community.
On Wednesday 3 June, the 'premiere' of the South Eastern Europe Dialogue on Internet Governance (SEEDIG) started with the first ever roundtable discussions taking place just before the start of EuroDIG,
which itself was yet another success this year, with hundreds of participants, a flurry of exciting topics and increasingly strong discussions and outcome documents.
This series of events and the formal birth of SEEDIG marked an important anniversary: It brought us back to just 12 months before, when a handful of ICANN 'regulars' from the region met informally during
the ICANN 50 London meeting. We've all known for a while that the SEE community in ICANN is vibrant and full of dynamic, dedicated characters, but we all knew that more could be done to strengthen it. So we created what started as a simple mailing list: ICANN-SEE.
It grew from an initial 10 members to close to 100 today, and has helped members exchange ideas, promote events, recruit speakers and panelists for public meetings, events and so on. The result? An increasingly growing number of activities, networks and contacts
across the region, with events growing larger in attendance, from Belgrade to Bucharest, from Varna to SEEDIG in Sofia. Suffice to say, the simple mailing list grew to so much more. Going forwards, we are excited to see many more such activities being lined
up: the first Bosnian IGF, the Domain Name Forum reconvening in Sofia in December (see details below), and we are already looking forward to events in Bucharest, Belgrade, Skopje and more in 2016.
Help us grow and strengthen the Internet community in the SEE region: join the mailing list at
icann-see@rnids.rs to get started!
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By
Andrea Beccalli ICANN participated at DomainFest,
a commercially focused content, networking, and sessions that focus on the innovation, opportunity, and the business of the domain name industry. The
DomainForum during that week, organized by Iliya Bazlyankov, Chair of the Executive committee at CORE, gathered a panel of industry experts and other stakeholders from the community. The event
was a perfect example of the multistakeholder nature of the DNS industry and a great opportunity to share our expertise and interact with the vibrant and growing Internet community from South Eastern European.
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"The importance of fostering initiatives for the local DNS industry" By Iliya Bazlyankov, CORE Association Our team has the honor of contributing to the national and regional development of the Internet by broadening the understanding of topics like the impact of the new gTLDs, a multilingual Internet
and Internet governance. Organizing or hosting events like the ICANN-Studienkreis in 2014, EuroDIG, DOMAINfest, Bulgarian Internet Week, SEEDIG in 2015 and the annual Domain Forum (since 2011) is being done with the goal
of presenting to the local community highly popular topics from ICANN and other international meetings. Additionally, they serve the purpose of introducing the community to international specialists; and also present an opportunity for people from the region
to attend events that are usually far away and not really accessible to them. This way, without travelling, people are able to share their points of view and discuss in an informal and open manner the current and emerging Internet-related issues that are relevant
to them. We will continue to work on more events with more international attendees, and perhaps even one-day work on hosting an ICANN meeting! We all do our best for the goal of having an accessible and convenient
Internet for people all over the world! |
New Domains - New Business ProspectsThe Meeting of Domain Industry Representatives from Eastern Europe - Central Asia region (DOMINO-2015), which has become a tradition, was held near Moscow. It was organized by the Russian Technical Center of Internet. It was both pleasant (as always, organizers
brought...  |
| | ICANN Media Briefing in Dubai, UAE In May, we hosted a key media briefing in Dubai, focused on the development of the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) in the Middle East. Participants in the panel discussion included
the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Etisalat and Domain Name sector companies ARI Registry Services, CentralNIC Group and AEServer. Coverage can be seen
here. | Middle East and Adjoining Countries School on Internet Governance - May 25-29, 2015 The 2 nd edition of the regional school on Internet Governance (AKA MEAC-SIG) was held in Tunisia and hosted by ISOC
Tunisia Chapter. The 5-day agenda covered Internet governance topics such as history, DNS, IP Addressing, Human Rights, Privacy, Security, Social Media,
and the top IG related events and discussions of this year. The school attracted 30 students from 13 different countries. More information can be found
here. |
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L-Roots deployed in Pakistan ICANN has successfully joined effort with partners in Pakistan to increase the Domain Name System's (DNS) overall stability and resiliency against certain types of cyber threats, such as Distributed
Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. As a result, three L-Root instances have been deployed to date. Read more:
NAYAtel |
DNS Operations and DNSSEC Workshop - July 27-30, 2015 This workshop was the first novice technical workshop to be held under the helm of the DNS Entrepreneurship Center (DNS-EC) in Cairo, Egypt. The 4-day workshop covered DNS technicalities and how to
deploy DNSSEC. The workshop attracted more than 20 students from 7 different countries in the Middle East and Africa, and was co-trained by three trainers two of which were trained as part of the DNS-EC train-the-trainers program. More information can be found
here. |
Middle East DNS Study Launched EURid was selected by ICANN in mid June to develop the DNS study in the Middle East and adjoining countries.
Read
More
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The Middle East Strategy two years Later |
Africa DNS Forum By Pierre Dandjinou - ICANN VP, Africa |
| ICANN Receiving a thank you Award for Sponsoring the Africa DNS Forum |
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The third edition of the Africa DNS Forum was an absolute success, demonstrating how this event has grown over the past three years. Throughout the event, there was consistent attendance, and rich
debates that highlighted the potential for cooperation, that the Nairobi gathering made possible. The dialogue between African registrars and registries started in Durban in 2013, with the Kenyan DNS Forum moving it to yet another level as other stakeholders in the DNS industry joined and shared
their perspectives. Key discussions on the DNS took place with reflections on costing strategies, marketing ideas and technical solutions, in addition to touching upon a critical area - the availability and accurateness of statistics and data pertaining to
African DNS industry. The potential for developing strategic partnerships in this field are immense. ICANN, through its Africa strategy and the support of all its departments, will continue the journey with current partners and look forward to expanding the group of partners. Our DNS entrepreneurship
centre in Cairo is ready to proceed with capacity building workshops and events in both technical and business areas, and we hope to launch other centers in Sub-Saharan Africa and partner with existing incubators and accelerators to deploy special programmes
on DNS entrepreneurship for young entrepreneurs interested in venturing and seizing the potential of this under-utilized industry in Africa.
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| | | ICANN Media Briefing in Nairobi, Kenya We hosted a press briefing in Nairobi to discuss Africa's role in helping shape the future of the organisation, the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) and the African Domain Name Market. A key focus
of the briefing was the opportunities these changes will afford businesses, entrepreneurs and Internet users across Africa. The event was well attended by leading media houses in East Africa. Pierre Dandjinou interview on CNBC Africa can be seen
here
and other coverage here. | The DNSSEC Journey Continues to Advance In Africa Developing the domain name industry in Africa is an important and central objective of the ICANN AFRICA Strategy. Focusing on the importance of the Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC), a direct contributor to the security
of the Internet, and providing mechanisms to help prevent DNSdata spoofing and tampering. This is how the "DNSSEC roadshow project" was conceived. Through it, we have lead efforts to drive awareness and understanding of the importance of the DNSSEC, as well
as building capacity toward ccTLD DNSSEC adoption in AFRICA. | DNS today without DNSSEC is a "forgiven" system "Forgiven system" may sound too rude but it seems to be the reality. The title of this blog is from a statement made by one of the participants during a breakout session
on DNSSEC during the 2015 edition of the AfricaDNS Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. |
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Section Heading H
Building Capacity Other events the Africa ICANN team participated in include: ere |
| | | Training of trainers' workshop on Internet Governance Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: 27-31 July A 'premiere' in francophone Africa, this workshop was an opportunity for deepening concepts and strategies around the global Internet governance ecosystem. Pierre and Yaovi from ICANN were key contributors. | Connect to Connect Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where Bob presented the
BCG report discussing e-friction and also hosted a workshop on the IANA Stewardship Transition. For more information visit here. | Highway Africa 2015, Grahamstown, S. Africa 29-31 August ICANN held two main sessions, one on the future of Internet Governance and the Role of Africa in the Internet Ecosystem and the other on the Domain Name System (DNS) Economy in Africa. Awareness on
these topics is key. This is one of the many ways we are reaching out to the media in Africa through these sessions, providing more background information, briefing on the current situation with the challenges and opportunities ahead in the regional market
and how to participate and become an active part of the community and Internet ecosystem. |
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IANA STEWARDSHIP TRANSITION UPDATE |
The transition of IANA's stewardship is now another step nearer as two key proposals are opened for public comment: To stay updated on the IANA Stewardship Transition and Enhancing ICANN Accountability Public Comment Periods and the latest news click here. Must Watch: Watch
Theresa Swinehart's video update on NTIA's Announcement to Extend the
IANA Functions Contract
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IANA Stewardship Transition Timeline: As shown by Fadi Chehadé, ICANN President and CEO, during the opening ceremony of the ICANN53 meeting in Buenos Aires in June this year, these are the three identified phases of
the IANA Stewardship Transition.
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| The second batch of new gTLD case studies (.INK, .ORGANIC, .REALTOR, .XYZ) is now
available.
This is part of ICANN's global efforts to raise awareness of and interest in new gTLDs. These case studies tell the story of a TLD, including its background and business objectives. They are intended for
use as educational resources. We will continue to publish new case studies on this webpage on an on-going basis. All registries are invited to partner with us to develop case studies. | Resolving the Release of Two-Character ASCII Labels with Comments Since ICANN launched the Authorization Process for the Release of Two-Character ASCII Labels, over 249,000 letter/letter two-character domains have been authorized across approximately
560 new generic top-level domains, and the numbers are growing weekly. However, approximately 3 percent of requested labels have not yet been authorized for release due to concerns expressed by governments. In mid-August, ICANN published a draft process to
fully consider comments received and evaluate the labels that have been withheld thus far.
Learn
more |
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DEVELOPMENT & PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY DEPARTMENT (DPRD) |
ICANN's Development
and Public Responsibility Department (DPRD) is proud to announce the launch of the NextGen@ICANN 55 application for Marrakech. This highly successful
program has helped bring together 18-30 year olds from the ICANN meeting's region in an effort to help inspire and engage members of the next generation. Participants in the program have gone on to organize unique outreach events, join the Fellowship program,
create online courses and get more deeply involved with the ICANN Community. The
NextGen@ICANN 55 application is open as of September 4, 2015 - please share and contact nextgen@icann.org with
any questions or comments you may have. |
At-Large Onboarding Program Launches The aim of this new staff-initiated program is to facilitate At-Large Structure (ALS) and
individual member participation within the Regional At-Large Organizations (RALOs) and to promote policy development activity within At-Large and ICANN. To learn more please visit this
page.
ASO Address Council Selects Ron da Silva to Serve on Board Seat 9 The ASO Address Council has selected Ron da Silva to replace Ray Plzak on seat 9 of the Board of Directors. Mr. da Silva will serve a three-year term beginning after the Annual General Meeting at ICANN54.
Learn more here.
GNSO Council Adopts Translation and Transliteration of Contact Information Final Report
On 24 June 2015, the GNSO Council
adopted
the Translation and Transliteration of Contact Information Policy Development Process Working Group's Final Report, containing seven recommendations. The recommendations include the conclusion that it is not desirable to make transformation of contact information
mandatory due to the costs outweighing the benefits. Read the Final Report here. Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) Publishes SAC070
The SSAC has published SAC070: SSAC Advisory on the Use of Static TLD/Suffix Lists. This advisory investigates the security and stability needs surrounding the growing use of Public Suffix Lists (PSLs) on the Internet. Read the advisory here.
Get Involved: The full list of issues open for public comment, plus recently closed and archived public comment proceedings can always be found on the
Public
Comment web page. Also check the
Upcoming
Public Comment page, which provides information about potential future public comment opportunities. The page is updated after every ICANN public meeting
to help individuals and the community set priorities and plan future workloads.
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KEY UPCOMING EVENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN: For a more detailed look at where we've been and will be participating in, please see here. |
 | | | 17 September | ICANN54 pre-event for Irish Internet community
| Dublin, Ireland |
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| | | 30 September | Second Edition "Internet Today and Tomorrow" Workshop | Warsaw, Poland |
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| | | 1 October | Bosnia and Herzegovina IGF
| Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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| | | 7-8 October | Cybersecurity Event | Lisbon, Portugal |
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| | | 4-5 November | International Domain Name Conference (RNIDD)
| Paris, France |
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| | | 4 December | Domain Name Forum | Sofia, Bulgaria |
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| | | 13-16 September | GCC Cybersecurity Summit 2015
| Abu Dhabi, UAE |
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| | | 7-8 December | e-AGE 2015
| Rabat, Morocco |
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| | | 14 - 15 September | CTO Forum
| Nairobi, Kenya |
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| | | 24 September | DEMO Africa
| Lagos, Nigeria |
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| | | 24 - 25 September | East Africa IGF
| Kampala Uganda |
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| | | 8-9 October | ATP 2015
| Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire |
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| | | 18-21 October | SMART Africa
| Kigali, Rwanda |
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| | | 28 Nov -4 December | AFRINIC
| Brazaville, Congo |
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