[ALAC] On TOR and Alternate DNS

Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond ocl at gih.com
Fri Jan 10 16:44:13 UTC 2014


Dear Evan,

I believe the subject would be of interest to all of ICANN and it would
certainly be an excellent topic to discuss in an open multistakeholder
round table session of the type Rinalia organised and co-Chaired in
Beijing and Durban. I would suggest that Patrik Fältström would be an
ideal co-Chair for this.

Beijing Multi-stakeholder Policy Round Table:
http://beijing46.icann.org/node/37063
https://community.icann.org/x/YoU3Ag

Durban Multi-stakeholder Policy Round Table:
http://durban47.icann.org/node/39645
https://community.icann.org/x/TgV-Ag



The Future Challenges WG is of course also welcome to treat this subject
but that's an ALAC working group so its audience would be different -
and probably so would its goals.

So I would favour a multi-stakeholder policy session to lay out the
facts and for the Future Challenges WG to follow-up on this later in the
week in its own session, should it decide to proceed forward with this
subject.

Kindest regards,

Olivier



On 09/01/2014 20:43, Evan Leibovitch wrote:
> I'm happy to propose it as one of the main topics of the Future Challenges
> WG's meeting in SIN.
>
> The FCWG is EXACTLY designed to encourage this kind of forward thinking,
> And, as Co-Chair, I will certainly attest that it is not taboo or out of
> scope.
>
> While we need to be working to make the DNS better, but we must also be
> aware of what alternatives could be ready should the current system (or the
> one we have once the TLD expansion takes place) fail the needs of Internet
> information providers and end-users.
>
> Personally I would prefer NOT to mix this with Internet Governance/1Net
> activities.
>
>
> On 9 January 2014 14:43, Holly Raiche <h.raiche at internode.on.net> wrote:
>
>> Hi Garth (and Patrik)
>>
>> I for one would really welcome the session you propose.  And my suggestion
>> is that it be an open suggestion as well.  For example, everyone on the
>> Privacy Proxy GNSo WG should be interested as well as EWG - since one of
>> the topics of discussion is who should be able to use a pp service - again
>> noting there are many legitimate reasons to hide one's identity
>>
>> Holly
>> On 10/01/2014, at 6:30 AM, Garth Bruen wrote:
>>
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> I have been looking to introduce some discussion subjects which are
>> becoming
>>> more critical in our space but have been considered off-limits or even
>> taboo
>>> by some in the ICANN world. While in BA Glenn and I met with Patrik
>> Falstrom
>>> from SSAC to talk about TOR and other topics.
>>>
>>> For those who do not know The Onion Routing (TOR) is a system that
>> provides
>>> additional privacy or obscurity to Internet communications by extending
>> and
>>> blurring the network path. The regular DNS, of course, works by using the
>>> shortest, best-known traffic paths for quick communication and keeps
>>> extensive logs in various places for troubleshooting. While this method
>>> makes sense for effective data movement it also exposes Internet users to
>>> spying, stalking, interception, etc. TOR works in the opposite way by
>>> dropping information using very long network routes to make source
>>> identification nearly impossible.
>>>
>>> This presents challenges as well as opportunities. Most of the media
>>> attention about TOR has been on the illicit side, how criminals have
>> used it
>>> to conduct illegal commerce in secret. However, there are a large number
>> of
>>> people who depend on TOR to protect their identity for completely
>> legitimate
>>> reasons. This week I met with Kelley Misata from the TOR Project in
>> Boston
>>> who has championed the use of this technology for various victims and
>> people
>>> under threat. I think it is important for us as policy-makers to have
>> open
>>> discussions about this technology.
>>>
>>> As far as it relates to ICANN, TOR represents an alternate method of
>>> Internet communications. While there is no domain system, TOR issues
>> what it
>>> calls "domains" in the form of unique strings which bind to IP addresses
>> and
>>> serve content through those unique strings. These "domains" can only be
>>> reached with TOR. There is no governing body, registry system, or costs
>> for
>>> these "domains." Yes, it is confusing as to how TOR can look like a DNS
>> but
>>> not be a DNS, others can explain it much better than me.
>>>
>>> Additionally, there are other DNS roots out there which ICANN has no
>>> authority over. These roots have been created for a variety of purposes
>> and
>>> I have complied a list of over 600 "unsanctioned" TLDs which can be
>> accessed
>>> with different configurations.
>>>
>>> I have proposed that at the Singapore meeting we have a session where
>> these
>>> topics can be presented and discussed for our benefit and awareness. I
>> will
>>> add this as a discussion item on the next NARALO call and propose it be
>>> discussed on the next ALAC call.
>>>
>>> Thanks, Garth
>>>
>>> -------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Garth Bruen
>>> gbruen at knujon.com
>>>
>>> “If history is deprived of the Truth, we are left with nothing but an
>> idle,
>>> unprofitable tale” -Polybius
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
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>>
>
>

-- 
Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond, PhD
http://www.gih.com/ocl.html




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