APPLICATION FOR A UNION MANAGED "TOP-LEVEL" INTERNET DOMAIN NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT (see below for details on how to give your support) Brussels 17 October 2000 (ICFTU OnLine): The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) is proceeding with a proposal to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, (ICANN), for the setting up of a ".union" top-level domain (TLD) on the Internet, to be managed by trade unions, for trade unions. A dot.union TLD would give unions Internet addresses with a distinct trade union identity, as an alternative to existing addresses, using ".com", or ".org", or country-based addresses such as ".uk", ".de" or ".za". (No union organisations would be obliged to drop their existing web addresses, in favour of addresses inside the ".union" TLD. It would merely be at their disposal should they choose to use it. The proposal also includes provisions to make the TLD function in all ICFTU official languages (eg. ".union", ".syndicat", ".sindicato", ".gewerkschaft"). In the future, the addition of other languages is foreseen. This initiative, if successful, will be a valuable step forward for trade unions. It will allow us to manage for ourselves a section of an Internet which is increasingly dominated by commercial and government interests, and to show the public an international trade union movement engaged in innovative use of new communications technologies. In addition, it is proposed to make the management of the TLD self-sustaining. Any additional funds raised in the sale of ".union" domain names would be placed in a fund administered by the ICFTU to support efforts to promote Internet use among unions currently cut off by the "digital divide". The proposal is supported by the 11 International Trade Secretariats (ITS), which link together national unions from particular trades or industries at international level. The proposal was drafted in cooperation with a group including the ITS, as well as the AFL-CIO (USA), ACTU (Australia), COSATU (South Africa), RENGO (Japan), DGB (Germany), and TUC (UK). THIS NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT On October 13th, ICANN published all applications on via its web site (http://www.icann.org - where the full ".union" application can be accessed) and there will be a public comment process for two weeks, during which time it will be imperative that trade unions and as many members as possible promote the TLD application and participate in any ICANN forums designed to gauge public opinion. TELL ICANN THAT YOU WANT DOT.UNION! Go to this Internet address and register... http://www.icann.org/mbx/register.html ...then add a message of support at this address... http://www.icann.org/cgi-bin/mbx/rpgmessage.cgi?tldapps;39DF9D3A00000002 Unfortunately, the ICANN public comments interface is only in English. If you decide to post a message in a language other than English, please include the following sentence at the top of your message: "We support the trade union proposal". For further information, please contact: Duncan Pruett Information/IT Coordinator, ICFTU E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
