Re: [NA-Discuss] Forward motion on the Egyptian Internet shutdown
OK, let's put something on paper and vote on it. I don't have time today to draft something, but could probably do so tomorrow morning, unless someone else wants to take a stab in the meantime. Since I have not personally heard anything from ALAC members on this issue (except for Evan), I'm guessing we are intending to make a general NA statement that could be adapted by the at-large, and encourage the at-large to do so? BB -----Original Message-----
From: Marc Rotenberg <rotenberg@epic.org> Sent: Jan 31, 2011 12:23 PM To: Beau Brendler <beaubrendler@earthlink.net> Cc: Thomas Lowenhaupt <toml@communisphere.com>, Gareth Shearman <shearman@victoria.tc.ca>, NA Discuss <na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org> Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] Forward motion on the Egyptian Internet shutdown
But it's not paternalistic is we generalize from this recent event and if we cite the mission of ALAC, ICANN, and universal values . . .
Marc.
On Jan 31, 2011, at 12:21 PM, Beau Brendler wrote:
yes, that was my point -- not that cutting off access is a regional problem, but rather wanting NA to avoid looking unduly paternal
-----Original Message-----
From: Marc Rotenberg <rotenberg@epic.org> Sent: Jan 31, 2011 10:30 AM To: Beau Brendler <beaubrendler@earthlink.net> Cc: Thomas Lowenhaupt <toml@communisphere.com>, Gareth Shearman <shearman@victoria.tc.ca>, NA Discuss <na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org> Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] Forward motion on the Egyptian Internet shutdown
I take Beau's point to be that it would be better if the statement emerged from the RALO closest to the immediate problem. But in some respects that could also lead to further politicization. And the relevance for NA-RALO is clear -- one of key cyber security proposals before the US Congress is the creation of an "Internet kill switch."
This is why we should try to generalize: cutting off access to the Internet is not simply a regional problem.
Marc.
On Jan 31, 2011, at 8:42 AM, Beau Brendler wrote:
OK, since this discussion took place on the NA list, help me with the next step, if there is one.
Is the consensus that NA should draft a short statement? I would urge against it. Though I personally believe something should be said, it is for ALAC to make the move, and leadership of AF-RALO should take the lead -- and whether that means creating a statement, or urging ICANN as an organization to do something should also be specified.
So the choices are:
a) Make a short NA statement. b) Make no NA statement but vociferously tell the ALAC to make a statement and/or advise ICANN to do so. c) What?
Beau
-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Lowenhaupt <toml@communisphere.com> Sent: Jan 31, 2011 12:36 AM To: Gareth Shearman <shearman@victoria.tc.ca> Cc: NA Discuss <na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org> Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] Fwd: The Internet Society on Egypt’s Internet shutdown
+1
On 1/31/2011 12:32 AM, Gareth Shearman wrote:
+ 1
Gareth
On 2011-01-30, at 8:45 PM, Avri Doria wrote:
> Hi, > > Well then we disagree. > > For the more we discuss it, the more convinced I become that ICANN should make a statement declaring, at the very least, this sort of behavior to be incompatible with the well being of the Internet and contrary to international covenants related to freedom of information. > > If ICANN is going to have credibility in its role as a steward of the Internet, it must not let this pass uncommented. If it does, then it will share responsibility for all future such action by virtue of its silence. > > John, I thank you for helping me see the issue more clearly. > > a. > > On 30 Jan 2011, at 23:30, John R. Levine wrote: > >>> But certainly I think ICANN can describe what sorts of behavior is and is not appropriate and certainly I think that allocation policy can look at taking such behaviors into account. >> I am unalterably opposed to any proposal in which ICANN would purport to tell any government what to do. That just makes us look silly. >> >> It's not like the Egyptian government is unaware of what they've done, after all. >> >> Regards, >> John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies", >> Please consider the environment before reading this e-mail. http://jl.ly >> > > ------ > NA-Discuss mailing list > NA-Discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org > https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/na-discuss > > Visit the NARALO online at http://www.naralo.org > ------ >
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On 31 January 2011 12:35, Beau Brendler <beaubrendler@earthlink.net> wrote:
Since I have not personally heard anything from ALAC members on this issue (except for Evan), I'm guessing we are intending to make a general NA statement that could be adapted by the at-large, and encourage the at-large to do so?
Um, all ALAC members from the region (Gareth, Marc and myself) have weighed in. - Evan
a draft text === Text begins === Dear Chairman Dengate-Thrush and CEO Beckstrom, Concerning the Egyptian Internet shutdown, as volunteers participating in the North American At Large Regional Organization who have studied network policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the security and stability of the Internet. As contributors to the ICANN community, we expect our Chairperson and CEO to uphold those values. As the IESG and the IAB observed in draft-iab-raven, published as RFC 2804, accommodating the legal intercept requirements of states in network devices would make the system less secure, increase system complexity, and the risk of unintended security failure. The considered technical judgment was, and remains, that wiretapping, even when it is not being exercised, lowers the security of the system. We believe this concern applies also to accommodating endpoint unreachable requirements of states in systems of network devices, as well as flow filter and other disruptive technology requirements. We are also concerned by the possibility of error by national actors attempting to interrupt regional routing. The routing alternatives to the Alexandria - Suez corridor are simply inadequate to support the requirements for Europe - Asia data communications. In addition to these systemic concerns, the proper concern of the entity tasked with the technical coordination of unique endpoint identifiers, we have the following further concerns. Articles 12 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, pertaining to privacy and freedom of expression, appear to be the specific targets of intentional violation by the Egyptian government. This should not pass without comment. Significant regional economic activity relies upon the availability of CityNet (Ramadan City), ECC (6 October City), EgyptNetwork (Mansura), and ECC, MEIX, LINKdotNET (Cairo) data centers. The direct economic loss due to governmental action is easy to calculate. The greater loss of the reputation and competitive ability of these data centers, and their operators is harder to calculate, and likely to be much greater than N zero revenue days. However, the economic consequence of abruptly transforming Egypt to a sparse 56kb and VSAT connectivity regime extends far beyond the data centers and access providers. It is profoundly disruptive of the information economy, and of ordinary transaction services. It will result in diminished stability and certainty of commodity prices and availablities. It will raise the price of bread. It will cause hardship, impoverishment, increased morbidity, and mortality, far beyond the social identities of "authority" and "counter-authority". These concerns are not unique to the withdrawal of prefixes at 16:00 UTC on January 27, and 09:00 UTC on January 28 -- the "Egyptian Disconnection". Opportunistic and endemic network partition, rate limiting, and filtering are practiced by some governments. The practices which directly reduce the security and stability of the Internet must not be allowed to pass without comment because they are perpetrated by governments. Sincerely, the undersigned === Text ends ===
Another possibility. Also, is there any reason this could not be open for signature to all ALAC members? Marc. ---- Dear Chairman Dengate-Thrush and CEO Beckstrom, We are writing to you regarding the recent developments in Egypt concerning the Internet. As of this evening, the Noor Group, the last ISP providing connectivity to Internet users in Egypt, has gone dark. As members of the At Large Advisory Advisory Committee, whose mission is to provide advice on the activities of ICANN, insofar as they relate to the interests of individual Internet users, we believe we have an obligation to call to your attention this recent development and to recommend specific actions. As the Bylaws of the ICANN make clear, it is a core value that guides the decisions of actions of ICANN, to preserve and enhance "the operational stability, reliability, security, and global interoperability of the Internet." The recent actions by the Egyptian government threaten this central mission of ICANN. Moreover, the decision by a government to suspend the operation of a communications infrastructure implicates fundamental human rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human RIghts and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It is also clear that significant economic activity is impacted by the decision to sever Internet connectivity We therefore urge you to: (1) Communicate ICANN's concerns to the Egyptian government insofar as the government has taken steps that limit access to the Internet; (2) Remind all governments, through the GAC, of the obligations to uphold the Core Values of ICANN; and, (3) Begin the development of technical methods to prevent such "outages" in the future, including the deployment of secondary servers to promote continuity of service as well as DNS stability We recognize that ICANN has limited competence in the policy realm and also that the situation that arose in Egypt could arise elsewhere. Nonetheless, it is our view that central to the mission of ICANN is to ensure the operational stability and reliability of the Internet. When parties take steps that threaten this interest, ICANN is obligated to respond. Sincerely, On Jan 31, 2011, at 7:54 PM, Eric Brunner-Williams wrote:
a draft text
=== Text begins ===
Dear Chairman Dengate-Thrush and CEO Beckstrom,
Concerning the Egyptian Internet shutdown, as volunteers participating in the North American At Large Regional Organization who have studied network policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the security and stability of the Internet. As contributors to the ICANN community, we expect our Chairperson and CEO to uphold those values.
As the IESG and the IAB observed in draft-iab-raven, published as RFC 2804, accommodating the legal intercept requirements of states in network devices would make the system less secure, increase system complexity, and the risk of unintended security failure. The considered technical judgment was, and remains, that wiretapping, even when it is not being exercised, lowers the security of the system.
We believe this concern applies also to accommodating endpoint unreachable requirements of states in systems of network devices, as well as flow filter and other disruptive technology requirements.
We are also concerned by the possibility of error by national actors attempting to interrupt regional routing. The routing alternatives to the Alexandria - Suez corridor are simply inadequate to support the requirements for Europe - Asia data communications.
In addition to these systemic concerns, the proper concern of the entity tasked with the technical coordination of unique endpoint identifiers, we have the following further concerns.
Articles 12 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, pertaining to privacy and freedom of expression, appear to be the specific targets of intentional violation by the Egyptian government. This should not pass without comment.
Significant regional economic activity relies upon the availability of CityNet (Ramadan City), ECC (6 October City), EgyptNetwork (Mansura), and ECC, MEIX, LINKdotNET (Cairo) data centers. The direct economic loss due to governmental action is easy to calculate. The greater loss of the reputation and competitive ability of these data centers, and their operators is harder to calculate, and likely to be much greater than N zero revenue days.
However, the economic consequence of abruptly transforming Egypt to a sparse 56kb and VSAT connectivity regime extends far beyond the data centers and access providers. It is profoundly disruptive of the information economy, and of ordinary transaction services. It will result in diminished stability and certainty of commodity prices and availablities. It will raise the price of bread. It will cause hardship, impoverishment, increased morbidity, and mortality, far beyond the social identities of "authority" and "counter-authority".
These concerns are not unique to the withdrawal of prefixes at 16:00 UTC on January 27, and 09:00 UTC on January 28 -- the "Egyptian Disconnection". Opportunistic and endemic network partition, rate limiting, and filtering are practiced by some governments. The practices which directly reduce the security and stability of the Internet must not be allowed to pass without comment because they are perpetrated by governments.
Sincerely,
the undersigned
=== Text ends === ------ NA-Discuss mailing list NA-Discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/na-discuss
Visit the NARALO online at http://www.naralo.org ------
Hi, a petition of ALAC members or of At-Large members. or of ALS members or any of the above. might require some wording changes, but if you can't get the ALAc members to sign, of which I guess there are 3+ on this list, then you might make it more public and more bottom-up. a. On 31 Jan 2011, at 21:22, Marc Rotenberg wrote:
Another possibility. Also, is there any reason this could not be open for signature to all ALAC members?
Marc.
----
Dear Chairman Dengate-Thrush and CEO Beckstrom,
We are writing to you regarding the recent developments in Egypt concerning the Internet. As of this evening, the Noor Group, the last ISP providing connectivity to Internet users in Egypt, has gone dark.
As members of the At Large Advisory Advisory Committee, whose mission is to provide advice on the activities of ICANN, insofar as they relate to the interests of individual Internet users, we believe we have an obligation to call to your attention this recent development and to recommend specific actions.
As the Bylaws of the ICANN make clear, it is a core value that guides the decisions of actions of ICANN, to preserve and enhance "the operational stability, reliability, security, and global interoperability of the Internet."
The recent actions by the Egyptian government threaten this central mission of ICANN.
Moreover, the decision by a government to suspend the operation of a communications infrastructure implicates fundamental human rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human RIghts and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It is also clear that significant economic activity is impacted by the decision to sever Internet connectivity
We therefore urge you to:
(1) Communicate ICANN's concerns to the Egyptian government insofar as the government has taken steps that limit access to the Internet;
(2) Remind all governments, through the GAC, of the obligations to uphold the Core Values of ICANN; and,
(3) Begin the development of technical methods to prevent such "outages" in the future, including the deployment of secondary servers to promote continuity of service as well as DNS stability
We recognize that ICANN has limited competence in the policy realm and also that the situation that arose in Egypt could arise elsewhere.
Nonetheless, it is our view that central to the mission of ICANN is to ensure the operational stability and reliability of the Internet. When parties take steps that threaten this interest, ICANN is obligated to respond.
Sincerely,
On Jan 31, 2011, at 7:54 PM, Eric Brunner-Williams wrote:
a draft text
=== Text begins ===
Dear Chairman Dengate-Thrush and CEO Beckstrom,
Concerning the Egyptian Internet shutdown, as volunteers participating in the North American At Large Regional Organization who have studied network policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the security and stability of the Internet. As contributors to the ICANN community, we expect our Chairperson and CEO to uphold those values.
As the IESG and the IAB observed in draft-iab-raven, published as RFC 2804, accommodating the legal intercept requirements of states in network devices would make the system less secure, increase system complexity, and the risk of unintended security failure. The considered technical judgment was, and remains, that wiretapping, even when it is not being exercised, lowers the security of the system.
We believe this concern applies also to accommodating endpoint unreachable requirements of states in systems of network devices, as well as flow filter and other disruptive technology requirements.
We are also concerned by the possibility of error by national actors attempting to interrupt regional routing. The routing alternatives to the Alexandria - Suez corridor are simply inadequate to support the requirements for Europe - Asia data communications.
In addition to these systemic concerns, the proper concern of the entity tasked with the technical coordination of unique endpoint identifiers, we have the following further concerns.
Articles 12 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, pertaining to privacy and freedom of expression, appear to be the specific targets of intentional violation by the Egyptian government. This should not pass without comment.
Significant regional economic activity relies upon the availability of CityNet (Ramadan City), ECC (6 October City), EgyptNetwork (Mansura), and ECC, MEIX, LINKdotNET (Cairo) data centers. The direct economic loss due to governmental action is easy to calculate. The greater loss of the reputation and competitive ability of these data centers, and their operators is harder to calculate, and likely to be much greater than N zero revenue days.
However, the economic consequence of abruptly transforming Egypt to a sparse 56kb and VSAT connectivity regime extends far beyond the data centers and access providers. It is profoundly disruptive of the information economy, and of ordinary transaction services. It will result in diminished stability and certainty of commodity prices and availablities. It will raise the price of bread. It will cause hardship, impoverishment, increased morbidity, and mortality, far beyond the social identities of "authority" and "counter-authority".
These concerns are not unique to the withdrawal of prefixes at 16:00 UTC on January 27, and 09:00 UTC on January 28 -- the "Egyptian Disconnection". Opportunistic and endemic network partition, rate limiting, and filtering are practiced by some governments. The practices which directly reduce the security and stability of the Internet must not be allowed to pass without comment because they are perpetrated by governments.
Sincerely,
the undersigned
=== Text ends === ------ NA-Discuss mailing list NA-Discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/na-discuss
Visit the NARALO online at http://www.naralo.org ------
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Both texts are good but I think I prefer this one. I approve of the plain language wording below and a specific call to action. This, of course, is just my personal opinion. D Darlene A. Thompson CAP Administrator N-CAP/Department of Education P.O. Box 1000, Station 910 Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0 Phone: (867) 975-5631 Fax: (867) 979-5610 dthompson@gov.nu.ca ________________________________________ From: na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org [na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org] on behalf of Marc Rotenberg [rotenberg@epic.org] Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 9:22 PM To: Eric Brunner-Williams Cc: na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] A draft text (was: Re: Forward motion on the Egyptian Internet shutdown) Another possibility. Also, is there any reason this could not be open for signature to all ALAC members? Marc. ---- Dear Chairman Dengate-Thrush and CEO Beckstrom, We are writing to you regarding the recent developments in Egypt concerning the Internet. As of this evening, the Noor Group, the last ISP providing connectivity to Internet users in Egypt, has gone dark. As members of the At Large Advisory Advisory Committee, whose mission is to provide advice on the activities of ICANN, insofar as they relate to the interests of individual Internet users, we believe we have an obligation to call to your attention this recent development and to recommend specific actions. As the Bylaws of the ICANN make clear, it is a core value that guides the decisions of actions of ICANN, to preserve and enhance "the operational stability, reliability, security, and global interoperability of the Internet." The recent actions by the Egyptian government threaten this central mission of ICANN. Moreover, the decision by a government to suspend the operation of a communications infrastructure implicates fundamental human rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human RIghts and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It is also clear that significant economic activity is impacted by the decision to sever Internet connectivity We therefore urge you to: (1) Communicate ICANN's concerns to the Egyptian government insofar as the government has taken steps that limit access to the Internet; (2) Remind all governments, through the GAC, of the obligations to uphold the Core Values of ICANN; and, (3) Begin the development of technical methods to prevent such "outages" in the future, including the deployment of secondary servers to promote continuity of service as well as DNS stability We recognize that ICANN has limited competence in the policy realm and also that the situation that arose in Egypt could arise elsewhere. Nonetheless, it is our view that central to the mission of ICANN is to ensure the operational stability and reliability of the Internet. When parties take steps that threaten this interest, ICANN is obligated to respond. Sincerely, On Jan 31, 2011, at 7:54 PM, Eric Brunner-Williams wrote:
a draft text
=== Text begins ===
Dear Chairman Dengate-Thrush and CEO Beckstrom,
Concerning the Egyptian Internet shutdown, as volunteers participating in the North American At Large Regional Organization who have studied network policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the security and stability of the Internet. As contributors to the ICANN community, we expect our Chairperson and CEO to uphold those values.
As the IESG and the IAB observed in draft-iab-raven, published as RFC 2804, accommodating the legal intercept requirements of states in network devices would make the system less secure, increase system complexity, and the risk of unintended security failure. The considered technical judgment was, and remains, that wiretapping, even when it is not being exercised, lowers the security of the system.
We believe this concern applies also to accommodating endpoint unreachable requirements of states in systems of network devices, as well as flow filter and other disruptive technology requirements.
We are also concerned by the possibility of error by national actors attempting to interrupt regional routing. The routing alternatives to the Alexandria - Suez corridor are simply inadequate to support the requirements for Europe - Asia data communications.
In addition to these systemic concerns, the proper concern of the entity tasked with the technical coordination of unique endpoint identifiers, we have the following further concerns.
Articles 12 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, pertaining to privacy and freedom of expression, appear to be the specific targets of intentional violation by the Egyptian government. This should not pass without comment.
Significant regional economic activity relies upon the availability of CityNet (Ramadan City), ECC (6 October City), EgyptNetwork (Mansura), and ECC, MEIX, LINKdotNET (Cairo) data centers. The direct economic loss due to governmental action is easy to calculate. The greater loss of the reputation and competitive ability of these data centers, and their operators is harder to calculate, and likely to be much greater than N zero revenue days.
However, the economic consequence of abruptly transforming Egypt to a sparse 56kb and VSAT connectivity regime extends far beyond the data centers and access providers. It is profoundly disruptive of the information economy, and of ordinary transaction services. It will result in diminished stability and certainty of commodity prices and availablities. It will raise the price of bread. It will cause hardship, impoverishment, increased morbidity, and mortality, far beyond the social identities of "authority" and "counter-authority".
These concerns are not unique to the withdrawal of prefixes at 16:00 UTC on January 27, and 09:00 UTC on January 28 -- the "Egyptian Disconnection". Opportunistic and endemic network partition, rate limiting, and filtering are practiced by some governments. The practices which directly reduce the security and stability of the Internet must not be allowed to pass without comment because they are perpetrated by governments.
Sincerely,
the undersigned
=== Text ends === ------ NA-Discuss mailing list NA-Discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/na-discuss
Visit the NARALO online at http://www.naralo.org ------
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hi, i would personally sign this letter. And I would be willing to present it to the NCSG for signature/endorsement if there is an interest in turning it into a wider petition. I think at this point that it is unlikely that the ALAC approves this letter given its Executive Committee has crafted another letter. But that does not mean it is a dead letter. Whether it was a signature or an endorsement would depend on the wording of the second paragraph. Of course not having presented it yet, I do not know what the response would be. a. On 1 Feb 2011, at 11:17, Thompson, Darlene wrote:
Both texts are good but I think I prefer this one. I approve of the plain language wording below and a specific call to action.
This, of course, is just my personal opinion.
D
Darlene A. Thompson CAP Administrator N-CAP/Department of Education P.O. Box 1000, Station 910 Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0 Phone: (867) 975-5631 Fax: (867) 979-5610 dthompson@gov.nu.ca ________________________________________ From: na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org [na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org] on behalf of Marc Rotenberg [rotenberg@epic.org] Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 9:22 PM To: Eric Brunner-Williams Cc: na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] A draft text (was: Re: Forward motion on the Egyptian Internet shutdown)
Another possibility. Also, is there any reason this could not be open for signature to all ALAC members?
Marc.
----
Dear Chairman Dengate-Thrush and CEO Beckstrom,
We are writing to you regarding the recent developments in Egypt concerning the Internet. As of this evening, the Noor Group, the last ISP providing connectivity to Internet users in Egypt, has gone dark.
As members of the At Large Advisory Advisory Committee, whose mission is to provide advice on the activities of ICANN, insofar as they relate to the interests of individual Internet users, we believe we have an obligation to call to your attention this recent development and to recommend specific actions.
As the Bylaws of the ICANN make clear, it is a core value that guides the decisions of actions of ICANN, to preserve and enhance "the operational stability, reliability, security, and global interoperability of the Internet."
The recent actions by the Egyptian government threaten this central mission of ICANN.
Moreover, the decision by a government to suspend the operation of a communications infrastructure implicates fundamental human rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human RIghts and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It is also clear that significant economic activity is impacted by the decision to sever Internet connectivity
We therefore urge you to:
(1) Communicate ICANN's concerns to the Egyptian government insofar as the government has taken steps that limit access to the Internet;
(2) Remind all governments, through the GAC, of the obligations to uphold the Core Values of ICANN; and,
(3) Begin the development of technical methods to prevent such "outages" in the future, including the deployment of secondary servers to promote continuity of service as well as DNS stability
We recognize that ICANN has limited competence in the policy realm and also that the situation that arose in Egypt could arise elsewhere.
Nonetheless, it is our view that central to the mission of ICANN is to ensure the operational stability and reliability of the Internet. When parties take steps that threaten this interest, ICANN is obligated to respond.
Sincerely,
On Jan 31, 2011, at 7:54 PM, Eric Brunner-Williams wrote:
a draft text
=== Text begins ===
Dear Chairman Dengate-Thrush and CEO Beckstrom,
Concerning the Egyptian Internet shutdown, as volunteers participating in the North American At Large Regional Organization who have studied network policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the security and stability of the Internet. As contributors to the ICANN community, we expect our Chairperson and CEO to uphold those values.
As the IESG and the IAB observed in draft-iab-raven, published as RFC 2804, accommodating the legal intercept requirements of states in network devices would make the system less secure, increase system complexity, and the risk of unintended security failure. The considered technical judgment was, and remains, that wiretapping, even when it is not being exercised, lowers the security of the system.
We believe this concern applies also to accommodating endpoint unreachable requirements of states in systems of network devices, as well as flow filter and other disruptive technology requirements.
We are also concerned by the possibility of error by national actors attempting to interrupt regional routing. The routing alternatives to the Alexandria - Suez corridor are simply inadequate to support the requirements for Europe - Asia data communications.
In addition to these systemic concerns, the proper concern of the entity tasked with the technical coordination of unique endpoint identifiers, we have the following further concerns.
Articles 12 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, pertaining to privacy and freedom of expression, appear to be the specific targets of intentional violation by the Egyptian government. This should not pass without comment.
Significant regional economic activity relies upon the availability of CityNet (Ramadan City), ECC (6 October City), EgyptNetwork (Mansura), and ECC, MEIX, LINKdotNET (Cairo) data centers. The direct economic loss due to governmental action is easy to calculate. The greater loss of the reputation and competitive ability of these data centers, and their operators is harder to calculate, and likely to be much greater than N zero revenue days.
However, the economic consequence of abruptly transforming Egypt to a sparse 56kb and VSAT connectivity regime extends far beyond the data centers and access providers. It is profoundly disruptive of the information economy, and of ordinary transaction services. It will result in diminished stability and certainty of commodity prices and availablities. It will raise the price of bread. It will cause hardship, impoverishment, increased morbidity, and mortality, far beyond the social identities of "authority" and "counter-authority".
These concerns are not unique to the withdrawal of prefixes at 16:00 UTC on January 27, and 09:00 UTC on January 28 -- the "Egyptian Disconnection". Opportunistic and endemic network partition, rate limiting, and filtering are practiced by some governments. The practices which directly reduce the security and stability of the Internet must not be allowed to pass without comment because they are perpetrated by governments.
Sincerely,
the undersigned
=== Text ends === ------ NA-Discuss mailing list NA-Discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/na-discuss
Visit the NARALO online at http://www.naralo.org ------
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Visit the NARALO online at http://www.naralo.org ------
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ICANN did post a blog http://blog.icann.org/2011/01/status-report-on-the-dns-in-egypt/ But I agree, this letter calls ICANN to fulfill its responsibility and mission, and the request to remind the GAC of their obligations is essential. Elaine
From: avri@ella.com Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2011 11:36:29 -0500 To: na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] A draft text (was: Re: Forward motion on the Egyptian Internet shutdown)
hi,
i would personally sign this letter.
And I would be willing to present it to the NCSG for signature/endorsement if there is an interest in turning it into a wider petition. I think at this point that it is unlikely that the ALAC approves this letter given its Executive Committee has crafted another letter. But that does not mean it is a dead letter.
Whether it was a signature or an endorsement would depend on the wording of the second paragraph. Of course not having presented it yet, I do not know what the response would be.
a.
On 1 Feb 2011, at 11:17, Thompson, Darlene wrote:
Both texts are good but I think I prefer this one. I approve of the plain language wording below and a specific call to action.
This, of course, is just my personal opinion.
D
Darlene A. Thompson CAP Administrator N-CAP/Department of Education P.O. Box 1000, Station 910 Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0 Phone: (867) 975-5631 Fax: (867) 979-5610 dthompson@gov.nu.ca ________________________________________ From: na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org [na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org] on behalf of Marc Rotenberg [rotenberg@epic.org] Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 9:22 PM To: Eric Brunner-Williams Cc: na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] A draft text (was: Re: Forward motion on the Egyptian Internet shutdown)
Another possibility. Also, is there any reason this could not be open for signature to all ALAC members?
Marc.
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Dear Chairman Dengate-Thrush and CEO Beckstrom,
We are writing to you regarding the recent developments in Egypt concerning the Internet. As of this evening, the Noor Group, the last ISP providing connectivity to Internet users in Egypt, has gone dark.
As members of the At Large Advisory Advisory Committee, whose mission is to provide advice on the activities of ICANN, insofar as they relate to the interests of individual Internet users, we believe we have an obligation to call to your attention this recent development and to recommend specific actions.
As the Bylaws of the ICANN make clear, it is a core value that guides the decisions of actions of ICANN, to preserve and enhance "the operational stability, reliability, security, and global interoperability of the Internet."
The recent actions by the Egyptian government threaten this central mission of ICANN.
Moreover, the decision by a government to suspend the operation of a communications infrastructure implicates fundamental human rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human RIghts and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It is also clear that significant economic activity is impacted by the decision to sever Internet connectivity
We therefore urge you to:
(1) Communicate ICANN's concerns to the Egyptian government insofar as the government has taken steps that limit access to the Internet;
(2) Remind all governments, through the GAC, of the obligations to uphold the Core Values of ICANN; and,
(3) Begin the development of technical methods to prevent such "outages" in the future, including the deployment of secondary servers to promote continuity of service as well as DNS stability
We recognize that ICANN has limited competence in the policy realm and also that the situation that arose in Egypt could arise elsewhere.
Nonetheless, it is our view that central to the mission of ICANN is to ensure the operational stability and reliability of the Internet. When parties take steps that threaten this interest, ICANN is obligated to respond.
Sincerely,
On Jan 31, 2011, at 7:54 PM, Eric Brunner-Williams wrote:
a draft text
=== Text begins ===
Dear Chairman Dengate-Thrush and CEO Beckstrom,
Concerning the Egyptian Internet shutdown, as volunteers participating in the North American At Large Regional Organization who have studied network policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the security and stability of the Internet. As contributors to the ICANN community, we expect our Chairperson and CEO to uphold those values.
As the IESG and the IAB observed in draft-iab-raven, published as RFC 2804, accommodating the legal intercept requirements of states in network devices would make the system less secure, increase system complexity, and the risk of unintended security failure. The considered technical judgment was, and remains, that wiretapping, even when it is not being exercised, lowers the security of the system.
We believe this concern applies also to accommodating endpoint unreachable requirements of states in systems of network devices, as well as flow filter and other disruptive technology requirements.
We are also concerned by the possibility of error by national actors attempting to interrupt regional routing. The routing alternatives to the Alexandria - Suez corridor are simply inadequate to support the requirements for Europe - Asia data communications.
In addition to these systemic concerns, the proper concern of the entity tasked with the technical coordination of unique endpoint identifiers, we have the following further concerns.
Articles 12 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, pertaining to privacy and freedom of expression, appear to be the specific targets of intentional violation by the Egyptian government. This should not pass without comment.
Significant regional economic activity relies upon the availability of CityNet (Ramadan City), ECC (6 October City), EgyptNetwork (Mansura), and ECC, MEIX, LINKdotNET (Cairo) data centers. The direct economic loss due to governmental action is easy to calculate. The greater loss of the reputation and competitive ability of these data centers, and their operators is harder to calculate, and likely to be much greater than N zero revenue days.
However, the economic consequence of abruptly transforming Egypt to a sparse 56kb and VSAT connectivity regime extends far beyond the data centers and access providers. It is profoundly disruptive of the information economy, and of ordinary transaction services. It will result in diminished stability and certainty of commodity prices and availablities. It will raise the price of bread. It will cause hardship, impoverishment, increased morbidity, and mortality, far beyond the social identities of "authority" and "counter-authority".
These concerns are not unique to the withdrawal of prefixes at 16:00 UTC on January 27, and 09:00 UTC on January 28 -- the "Egyptian Disconnection". Opportunistic and endemic network partition, rate limiting, and filtering are practiced by some governments. The practices which directly reduce the security and stability of the Internet must not be allowed to pass without comment because they are perpetrated by governments.
Sincerely,
the undersigned
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For what it's worth. I have been in conversation with ALAC and other ICANN colleagues from North Africa over the last 24 hours. The situation is sufficiently sensitive that they have asked not to be identified. While supporting the ALAC endorsement of the ISOC statement, they have been adamant to me that stronger political statements from within At-Large or ICANN -- such as the ones proposed here -- will do more harm than good. Our counterpart RALO in Africa has explicitly chosen NOT to create a statement. And African At-Large members have privately asked the ALAC Executive Committee not to engage in political statement beyond support of what ISOC has done. Just something to consider... - Evan PS: I am still strongly in favour of follow-up policy activity to be taken by At-Large in the aftermath of the events in Egypt -- specifically recommendation #3 of Marc's draft statement and parts of Rod's blog on the matter. I am not for us doing nothing. But i prefer action -- of the kind that ICANN At-Large was designed to do -- over making statements.
participants (7)
-
Avri Doria -
Beau Brendler -
Elaine Pruis -
Eric Brunner-Williams -
Evan Leibovitch -
Marc Rotenberg -
Thompson, Darlene