[At-Large] DomainIncite : Is this why WhatsApp hates some TLDs but not others?

[Lance Hinds]

Wondering how effective can ALAC ever be when the scope, interest and
capacity is so varied and so wide.

I remember my first meeting as a software engineer interested in the ICANN
process running into a room of lawyers debating internet related policy. It
was to say the least quite intimidating, and left me thinking about how I
fit in given the environment.

The disrespect from the other constituencies is one thing, but I would
submit that some leveling of the playfield needs to be addressed within
ALAC itself. I live in a region where the ICANN process and the
understanding of the needs of the average user is still rarified air. If
ALAC's role, as per Evan, is to inform, it also needs to effectively
educate. I have no bright ideas (yet). but maybe some inward reflection is
first required before anything else.

My mere two cents.

On Thu, Sep 14, 2023 at 10:59 AM Evan Leibovitch via At-Large <
at-large at atlarge-lists.icann.org> wrote:

> On Thu, Sep 14, 2023 at 7:19 AM Roberto Gaetano via At-Large <
> at-large at atlarge-lists.icann.org> wrote:
>
> Point taken, Evan.
>> With the caveat that to inform the user community is a daunting task for
>> which we do not have sufficient resources.
>>
>
> My premises on how to fix ALAC stem primarily from the "who the hell are
> you to challenge us?" challenge that would always arise when ALAC proposed
> policies or priorities that displease the domain industry. I recall being
> in closed-door meetings (I recall Alan and Olivier in there too) where that
> exact question was raised. So long as ALAC continues to exist in its
> political, self-selected form that challenge will always have validity. So
> long as what ALAC does aligns with ICANN's monied interests, all is well.
> But any time it dares stray from that path it will be successfully
> countered by attacking ALAC's credibility to speak on behalf of end users.
>
> This credibility challenge can only be addressed by a radical rethink of
> ALAC, and changes that go far beyond those of the third-party reviews held
> to date. These changes keep in mind that the general public attitudes
> towards ICANN are close to those regarding other kinds of public
> infrastructure. In other words, most people just don't care until something
> breaks.
>
> (Funny how other forms of public infrastructure such as sewage,
> electricity generation, air-travel coordination and roads don't see any
> calls to be improved through multi-stakeholder governance.)
>
> I have detailed and specific ideas on how to get there from here, but that
> goes beyond this thread. Suffice it to say that they focus heavily on
> public education and public polling, rather than politics and outreach, as
> the means to establish authority.
>
> One starting point would be to involve the consumer protection
>> organisations worldwide, but we had little success so far.
>>
>
> We've had our share of such advocates. Beau, Garth and Marc come to mind
> quickly. All were immensely frustrated by ALAC's combination of lack of
> authority and self-importance, and I am aware that other consumer
> organizations were informed by their experiences. Marc Rotenberg in
> particular lasted only a few months of his ALAC term because he quickly saw
> it as an utter waste of time. I had the opportunity to speak to him at
> length and was quite enlightened; his views on ALAC and ICANN inspire my
> present approach. And I maintain contact with Beau and Garth, who I
> consider friends, to this day.
>
> - Evan
>
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-- 
Lance Hinds
Chief Technology Officer
BrainStreet Group
287 'C' Albert St.
Georgetown Guyana




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