ICANN67 7 – 12 March 2020
Virtual Community Forum
#ICANN67 Tuesday Newsletter
TOP STORY
Constituency Day at ICANN67
Today is Constituency Day! The constituencies and stakeholder groups of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) will have open meetings to advance their work and engage with community members. This complements the joint meetings between these groups and the ICANN Board. The joint meetings are open to the public.
Read our "How to Participate in ICANN67 Virtual Sessions" Guide, Available in Three Languages. Click these links: English Guide - Spanish Guide - French Guide
Today’s ICANN67 High Interest Sessions
GNSO – EPDP Phase 2 Meeting (1 of 2)
The Phase 2 of the Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) is tasked with deliberation of items including a System for Standardized Access/Disclosure (SSAD) to nonpublic registration data and other issues deferred from Phase 1. The Initial Report is currently out for Public Comment. At ICANN67, the EPDP will discuss Priority 2 items.
RSSAC to Discuss Metrics Work Party Report
The Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC) will hold its monthly meeting today. The RSSAC will discuss current work items, including the final report from the Root Server System Metrics Work Party, and receive reports from incoming and outgoing RSSAC liaisons. The meeting is open to observers, and RSSAC Caucus members are especially welcome to attend.
Today from 9:00-10:30
GAC Discussion: WHOIS and Data Protection Policy
This session will provide an update and discussion related to WHOIS and data protection policy. Despite a number of efforts to update WHOIS policy and design solutions that meet privacy needs while preserving access for legitimate purposes, the system has remained relatively unchanged since its inception. The implementation of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on 25 May 2018 has required changes to policies within the ICANN organization, contracted parties, and the ICANN community. In this session, GAC members will additionally assess the current Temporary Specification model being considered, also known as System for Standardized Access/Disclosure of nonpublic gTLD registration data (SSAD).
Today from 11:00-12:00
Today’s ICANN67 Sessions
All times EST/UTC-5
RSSAC Meeting Time: 9:00 – 10:30
LAC Space Time: 9:00-10:15
RSSAC Work Session 2 Time: 10:45 – 12:00
Joint Meeting: ICANN Board and CSG Time: 13:00 – 14:30
GNSO-NCSG Open Meeting Time: 14:00 – 17:00
GNSO-BC Meeting Time: 15:15 – 17:00
GNSO-RySG Membership Meeting Time: 14:00 – 17:00
Joint Meeting: ICANN Board and GAC Time: 14:45 – 15:45
GAC: Plan for Communique Drafting Time: 16:00 – 17:00
LAC Strategy Council Time: 16:00 – 17:00
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MONDAY SESSION RECAPS
Jamie Hedlund, David Conrad, David Olive, and Göran Marby discussing the Public Forum.
RECAP: Public Forum 1
Agenda:
Board Chair Maarten Botterman welcomed the virtual attendees. He highlighted that this Public Forum would be different from others as it is virtual and would be focused on the proposed sale of Public Interest Registry (PIR) from the Internet Society (ISOC) to Ethos Capital.

Highlights:
  • Botterman explained that the Board and ICANN staff would not be addressing specific questions about the proposed PIR transaction in this Public Forum but would update the community in the future.
  • General Counsel & Secretary John Jeffrey then explained the general approval process that the ICANN Board and organization is following regarding the proposed acquisition of PIR. He also provided a historical overview of the proposed acquisition of PIR and also offered an explanation of ICANN’s role in reviewing a Change of Control and Entity Conversion for the proposed transfer of ownership of PIR from ISOC to Ethos Capital.
  • Board member Becky Burr was the facilitator for the first block of comments, followed by Board member León Sánchez who handled the second block before the Board Chair closed the session.
  • Numerous community participants made comments and raised questions, which went into the public record and can be found here.

Next Steps:
  • All the comments and questions went into the recording of the first Public Forum.
  • The facilitators stated that the Board and ICANN org will review all of the questions and comments made and will respond where and when appropriate.
  • Board Chair Maarten Botterman pointed to a survey at the end of the session in which attendees were asked to afford feedback on the session.
  • The next Public Forum will take place on 12 March at 14:00 UTC.


Did you take part in the Public Forum? Give us your thoughts on the content and format. Take this survey.
RECAP: NomCom Public Meeting
Agenda:
This session provided a high-level overview of the NomCom’s 2020 goals and objectives, the leadership positions the NomCom will be working to fill, statistics about the applications received, and the timeline for completion. The meeting was then opened up for discussion about some of the issues that might impact the NomCom’s work.

Highlights: 
  • The session started with an overview of the leadership positions that need to be filled by the 2020 NomCom.
  • The NomCom then provided statistics about the applications received, including the regional distribution and gender balance, followed by a review of the timeline for conducting the committee’s work.
  • NomCom members discussed alternative options for meeting and conducting the committee’s work in light of travel restrictions and difficulties caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Next Steps:
The NomCom is now assessing the candidates that have applied for the various open positions, and is working with ICANN org to determine the best options for holding a face-to-face meeting, if feasible.
RECAP: Africa Strategy 2021-2025 Realignment Session
Agenda:
The session focused on discussing the draft document for the Africa regional engagement strategy for Fiscal Years 2021-2025, before being finalized and agreed upon by the ICANN African Strategy Working Group (ASWG).

Highlights: 
  • Attracting around 74 participants, the session started with an announcement for improving the resources in the region, with two new ICANN org staff members added to the team in charge of technical engagement for Africa.
  • Chair of the ICANN ASWG provided an overview of the ASWG’s approach in developing an engagement strategy for the region in line with ICANN’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025.
  • During the session, it was stressed that while regional engagement strategies may vary in terms of priorities and demand of each region, they should be uniform and aligned towards fulfilling the goals outlined in the ICANN Strategic Plan 2021-2025.
  • The session received feedback, input, and questions on the content of the draft document.
  • Discussions focused on lessons learnt from the previous regional strategy and best practices moving forward, to help shape the next phase of the new strategy. Some development areas mentioned in the new strategy were capacity building, research, and academic outreach.

Next Steps:
  • The ASWG, with the support of the Africa GSE Team, will incorporate input and comments received from the community during the ICANN67 session and publish the draft strategy document for public comment by the end of March 2020 to seek input from the ICANN community on the draft strategy document.
  • Comments submitted during the public comment will be discussed and