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Bravo, Stef, and you know you are far from alone.
Gene...
- -----Original Message-----
From: Einar Stefferud [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Monday, April 12, 1999 2:57 PM
To: Michael Gendron
Cc: 'Dr Nii Quaynor'; Michael Sondow; ICANN MAC list; ICANN; Int'l
Forum
on the White Paper; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Joop Teernstra; Jonathan
Zittrain; Daniel Kaplan; DNSO discuss; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Eric
Weisberg; Esther Dyson; Jay Fenello; Karl Auerbach; Kathryn Kleiman;
Larry Lessig; Milton Mueller
Subject: [IFWP] Re: [Membership] COMMENTS ON M.A.C. RECOMMENDATIONS of
MARCH 18
I agree that it is not reasonable to have no criteria at all, whcih is
what this all boils down to, but, far be it from me to tell ICANN what
to do. At this point, as ICANN wonders farther and farther off
course, I am more and more inclined to bow gracefuly as they go by and
let them go competely off course and sail off some handy cliff.
I have given up on trying to to even influence ICANN, as nothing I
have done so far has had the sligthest impact, and this is my graceful
bow as they go by;-)...
I am now dedicating my efforts to routing around the damage;-)...
Enjoy the trip;-)...\Stef
>From your message Mon, 12 Apr 1999 08:26:22 -0700:
}
}Again, the voice of reason I mentioned in the past. Nii's comments
seem =
}to reflect the current standing committee of ICANN. However the
other =
}voices are not being heard. Minimal dues are symbolic, but also
carry =
}some legal weight. It is not a case of creating second-class
citizens, =
}but rather opening the membership to all, and giving those who need
it =
}assurance that they can option membership though a dues waiver. =
}Further, considering the state of technology (no way to verify
identity =
}over the Net) a hard copy authentication procedure is essential. How
=
}can you have voting when you cannot authenticate the ballots? I
think a =
}reasonable compromise can be reached.
}
}Michael Gendron
}Lecturer
}State University of New York at Albany
}
}-----Original Message-----
}From: Dr Nii Quaynor [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
}Sent: Monday, April 12, 1999 4:02 AM
}To: Michael Sondow; ICANN MAC list; ICANN; Int'l Forum on the White =
}Paper; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Joop Teernstra; Jonathan Zittrain;
Daniel =
}Kaplan; DNSO discuss; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Einar Stefferud; Eric =
}Weisberg; Esther Dyson; Jay Fenello; Karl Auerbach; Kathryn Kleiman;
=
}Larry Lessig; Milton Mueller
}Subject: Re: [Membership] COMMENTS ON M.A.C. RECOMMENDATIONS of MARCH
18
}
}
}
}Some inputs for your consideration.
}
}>
}>1. Any individual or organisation may be an AL member. Only
}>ORGANISATIONS that are members of a SO are excluded.
}>
}>Comment: No criteria whatsoever for membership is a clear invitation
}>to persons with no real interest in the Internet, but who seek to
}>use a newly created organization to further their political
}>ambitions, to join and manipulate their standing as members for
}>their own purposes. As Joop Teernstra has so well pointed out in his
}>proposal, an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
}>clearly has a primary if not unique responsibility towards those who
}>possess or make use of Internet names and numbers, and it is these
}>who should be its members. As to excluding from the At-Large
}>membership organizations that are members of the SOs, that is not
}>only impossible to control, since organizations are after all only
}>collectives of their individual members, but undesirable since the
}>organizations that belong to the SOs, as well as the individuals who
}>are members of them, need a forum for collective deliberation, and
}>that, by all reason, should be the At-Large membership.
}>
}
}MAC deliberations at Singapore made recommendations on criteria. I =
}recall
}that the criteria *did not* exclude people with criminal record
because =
}of
}potential problems of dissidents, for example. Hence its not true
that =
}no
}criteria were specified. This meeting was an open meeting, as I
recall.
}
}I support the statement that those who possess or make use of
Internet =
}names
}and numbers should be members. I however think that there are others
who =
}get
}impacted by the Internet and should not be excluded. Several of these
=
}users
}dont own names and *dont* know that numbers even exist. Hence a more
}flexible and open membership should be sought beyond what you are =
}calling
}for.
}
}>2. Members must apply by sending an on-line registration form
}>provided by ICANN, giving an e-mail address and other minimal
}>identification details, which ICANN will only attempt to verify if a
}>complaint is lodged.
}>
}>This is merely a convenience for the ICANN Board; but, like the
}>recommendation above, it invites the worst abuses. Who is to know if
}>the persons applying even exist, or if any of their information is
}>correct? Surely, minimal authentication, easily provided by postal
}>service mail-back, must be required in order to substantiate the
}>existence of the applicants.
}>
}
}MAC had discussed a more elaborate procedure involving snail mail. I
}believe its still being discussed so you may be jumping to
conclusions =
}on
}this one.
}
}>3. Members must re-register annually. Changes to registered
}>details, particularly e-mail address, must be advised on pain of
}>loss of membership.
}>
}>What is the point to this if there is no hard-copy authentication of
}>members' existence? It only invites further abuses, such as the
}>creation of unlimited false identities on a regular basis, or in the
}>event of an important vote.
}>
}
}A hard-copy authentication procedure has been discussed.
}
}>4. There will be no membership fee. (We consider this to be too
}>difficult to set equitably, and costly to collect.
}>
}>This is preposterous on the face of it. No membership fee to belong
}>to, and vote for the directors of, the international organization
}>controlling the technological and sociological development of the
}>Internet, the most economically and socially potent tool for
}>communication yet invented by man? Why? So that the present Board
}>need not go to the trouble of thinking of a way of collecting dues,
}>something that is accomplished by every other organization without
}>great difficulty? And with what consequences? That persons may join
}>and vote, not only without having to substantiate their identity but
}>without being asked to make any a priori personal contribution
}>whatsoever? And how is ICANN to support itself? Through the funding
}>of special-interest groups, invariably those with the biggest
}>purses, and who will manipulate and control ICANN in proportion to
}>the amount of financial responsibility they provide for its
}>functioning? Is this what is meant by responsibility and
}>responsiveness to the community, as expressed in the White Paper and
}>ICANN's own bylaws?
}>
}
}Several Developing Country constituencies cannot pay the dues. We
prefer =
}not
}to exclude anyone because of dues. We also want every one to join =
}through
}the front door *not* via some special back-door aid. The rich should
not
}dominate this membership group. We will like to avoid second-class =
}citizens
}in this membership.
}
}
}>6. Members form a single world wide constituency to elect AL
}>directors.
}>
}>A nice sentiment. However, it remains to be seen if it has any
}>inherent significance, in light of the other, more pragmatic,
}>measures that may make its realization impossible.
}>
}
}This is meant to be a significant statement, I think.
}
}>9. There is no limit to the number of candidates at any election.
}>
}>Shall all members be candidates, then? And voters as well? Every
}>person in the world, regardless of their character, relation to the
}>Internet, or willingness and ability to participate conscientiously
}>in its functioning, may be both a member of ICANN and a candidate to
}>its board of directors? This is to turn democracy on its head. As
}>always in such undefined situations, those who wish to control and
}>manipulate will find it easy to do so, since there will be no
}>structure impeding them from imposing their own. He who organizes
}>controls, as is well known.
}>
}
}Once again, I recall a criteria has been spelled out at one point in
}Singapore. But then again, we should avoid any effort to *filter* =
}candidates
}since that itself biases the outcome.
}
}>10. We see no need for a nomination committee, or for an electoral
}>committee. These are tasks for the ICANN executive.
}>
}>And who is this executive? Is it not persons who must be empowered
}>by the membership, which at first is not yet formed? In the chaotic
}>and anarchic membership situation created by the foregoing
}>principles, any two or more persons masquerading as the interim
}>executive will have no trouble at all in manipulating the
}>candidature and election of the At-large directors. There must be
}>committees; as many as there are tasks to be performed; in order
}>that the power to control events be distributed and therefore
}>limited. The constant pretence that organization can be avoided will
}>per force result in an undesirable organization. Just as nature
}>abhors a vacuum, so human organizations abhor undefined
}>responsibilities, which are invariably assumed by those interested
}>in using the power that comes with them for their own ends.
}>
}>Our comments end here at the last recommendation. As stated earlier,
}>the comments given here are poor because their subject is poor. We
}>remain amazed that such poverty of thought could result from such
}>richness of initiative on the part of so many. And again, we say
}>that those who have reduced the rich suggestions offered in good
}>faith by the potential members of ICANN to such poor recommendations
}>stand aside to let those willing and able to provide ICANN with a
}>better foundation for its future take their place.
}>
}
}There are always varied perspectives. A lesson may be not to
pre-judge
}quickly and not to think that everyoneelse is wrong. These
perspectives
}have merit and need to be studied in their contexts.
}
}These are my personal views.
}
}Nii
}
}
}
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