Transcript Governance and domain names

Internet Policy
Day 2 - Workshop Session No. 4
Governance and domain names
Prepared for CTO by Link Centre, Witwatersrand
University, South Africa
Sessions Summary
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Day 1
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Interconnection, IXPs and voice-over-IP
Governance and domain names
Session 5
Session 6
The impact of telecommunications regulation
Internet specific policy issues
Day 4
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Session 3
Session 4
Day 3
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History and technical background
Market structure
Day 2
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Session 1
Session 2
Session 7
Session 8
Content on the Internet
E-commerce issues
Day 5
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Session 9
Session 10
Internet tools for regulators
Conclusion, review and evaluation
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Governance processes
 The
purpose of this session is to examine
existing processes of Internet governance
and identify the role-players at each level.
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Topics of Discussion
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The bottom
– End users
– Network administrators
– ISPs
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The top
– History: pre-ICANN
– ICANN and its structures
– Other players
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The middle
– IP address registries
– Protocol organisations
– Domains name registries
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
Global
ccTLDs
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Role of the end-user
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What is ‘netiquette’?
– Posting and formatting email
– Forwarding chain letters and virus warnings
– Spam: Unsolicited bulk email
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Role of the network admin
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Technical administration
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Configures the local network: servers, routers, etc.
May register domains and obtain IP addresses
May be responsible for keeping a system secure
Manages the mail system for the organisation
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
Answers abuse mail
Policy administration
– What services are available?
– What can and can’t users do?
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Role of the ISP
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Technical role
– Sometimes performs the role of the network
administrator
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Under pressure to control flow of information
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Inconvenient content: Spam/unsolicited mail
Copyright material: MP3 music files, pirate movies
Illegal material: Child porn, hate speech
Monitor users: Security concerns
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
History: pre-ICANN
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IANA (1972-)
– Jon Postel
– Numbers
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Regional registries
– Protocols
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Several organisations
– Domains
IANA (1985+)
 InterNIC (1992+)
 Network Solutions, Inc. [NSI] (1993+)
 Assignment of ccTLDs

CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
ICANN
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ICANN (1998-)
– US Department of Commerce role
– Board of Directors decided by whom?
– “At Large” members
 Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Basic structure of ICANN
Structure of ICANN and related bodies
ICANN
PSO
DNSO
ASO
At Large
Members
RSSAC
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
GAC
ICANN substructures
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Major substructures of ICANN
– ASO = Address Support Organisation
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Policy recommendations and advice relating to IP addresses
– PSO = Protocol Support Organisation
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Policy recommendations and advice relating to the assignment of Internet protocol
parameters.
– DNSO = Domain Names Support Organisation
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Policy recommendations and advice relating to domain names and the DNS.
– RSSAC = Root Server System Advisory Committee
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Advises the board on issues relating to the operation and stability of the root server
system
– GAC = Government Advisory Committee
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Issues of concern to governments
– At Large membership
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Represent the interests of Internet users world-wide
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Other role-players
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Who else gets a say?
– The Internet Society (ISOC)
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Chapters in many parts of the world
– ISPs
National organisations: ISPAs
 Regional organisations: EuroISPA, AfrISPA
 Global organisation: World ISPA forum
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– Governments
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Legislation
Increasing amounts of co-operation
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Address organisations
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Address organisations
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IP address registries
– Manage numbers
– Historically work on a trust model
– Hierarchical assignment structure
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LIRs = Local Internet Registries(not country specific)
Who are they and where are they?
ARIN = North America
 RIPE NCC = Europe (+ western Asia)
 APNIC = Asia/Pacific
 AFRINIC = Africa (currently ARIN/RIPE NCC)
 LACNIC = Latin America/Carribean (currently ARIN)
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CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Assigning IP addresses
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Goals of public address space distribution
– Uniqueness
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Each number must be assigned only once
– Aggregation
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Numbers must be assigned in blocks, to ensure routability
– Conservation
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Assignments must be based on need -- no stockpiling
– Registration
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A record must be kept for trouble-shooting purposes
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Protocol organisations
PSO Members
ICANN
PSO
IETF
W3C
ITU
ETSI
IAB
ISOC
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Domain organisations
DNSO Substructures
ICANN
DNSO
ccTLD Registries
Business
gTLD Registries
Intellectual property
ISP and connectivity providers
Non commercial
domain name holders
Registrars
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Domain name system
Recap: How does DNS work again?
 Generic top-level domains (gTLDs)
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– .COM, .ORG, .NET, (.EDU)
Originally specific meaning, now a free-for-all
 One registry, many registrars
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– .GOV, .MIL, .INT
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Special requirements
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Domain name system
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Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs)
– ISO 3166-A
– Assigned on a first-come basis
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New domains
– Generic: .info, .biz
– Special: .aero, .museum
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“New” domains
– Actually ccTLSs: .tv, .to, .nu, .ws
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Domain names issues
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Domains vs. Trademarks
– Multiple trademarks, but only one .com domain
– Legal jurisdiction unclear
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Cybersquatting
– Registering a domain with the intention of reselling it
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Domain theft
– Stealing a domain through cunning or fraud
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Alternative root name servers
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Domain name issues
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Arbitration process
– Independent arbitrators brought in
– ICANN sanctioned process
– WIPO = World Intellectual Property Organisation
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Problems
– Weighted towards big business
– Some Really Bad (tm) decisions: Corinthians
– Domain hijacking: Aspen Pines
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Country code top-level domains
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ccTLDs administration
– Who does it?
– Subdomains
– Policy vs. operation
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Role of the government
– Hands-off approach
– “Emergency case” legislation
– Mine! All mine!
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Redelegation
– In theory
– In practice
CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002
Summary
Many structures are already in place for selfgovernance of the Internet
 Some are informal (the rules of netiquette), some
formal (ICANN)
 Governments have not played a large role so far
 Centralised control seems doomed to failure
 Domain names have become valuable, this has
caused lots of problems
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CTO / DFID Internet Policy workshop, Jamaica, 22-26 April 2002