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    <font face="Verdana">Karl<br>
      <br>
      You are certainly right that any corporation which has to
      undertake such a public interest function as ICANN does has to be
      a membership based body. Any other formation is just too private
      and closed. But then you of course know that after the 'community'
      came up with a membership model for the ICANN, the ICANN board (no
      doubt, backed by the US gov) simply said, nothing doing, they wont
      accept it. And the 'community' promptly gave in and shifted to a
      non membership model proposal. So much for ICANN's bottom up
      model. However, most interesting is that is was ALAC that led the
      abdication, and was first to kneel down and backtrack on the
      membership model.<br>
      <br>
      And now, ALAC's leadership thinks that transparency is not such an
      important thing to try and get out most on it while the 'iron is
      still hot'. It is not difficult to see that the best possible deal
      can only come as a part of the package, with the 'community'
      demanding, and hopefully getting, it in exchange for accepting to
      go on with the current non-membership model. But here again,
      ALAC's leadership tells us that transparency processes are a
      matter of detail that we can talk about later, when the key
      political moment of the 'transition' has passed. Do you think they
      are just naive. Sorry, but I am not willing to give them that
      concession. But then what is it? It is for ALAC members to find
      out. That is if anyone is interested.<br>
      <br>
      parminder<br>
      <br>
    </font><br>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On Friday 30 October 2015 11:53 PM,
      Karl Auerbach wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote cite="mid:5633B592.4060209@cavebear.com" type="cite">
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      <br>
      As the one and only person who has ever really exercised a legal
      power to inspect and copy ICANN's books and properties I find this
      discussion discomforting.<br>
      <br>
      There is no doubt that ICANN has lacked both transparency and
      accountability in the past.<br>
      <br>
      ICANN was so obstinate and wrongheaded that I had to go to court
      to obtain a writ of mandate in order to exercise a right that is
      unambiguously given to sitting board members (such as I was) to
      inspect and copy the corporate records and properties.  ICANN, of
      course, lost that legal action and a writ was issued that ordered
      them to open their general ledgers and other materials to me (to
      which they promptly complied.)<br>
      <br>
      And I don't think it is a reach to conclude that that situation
      has not changed much, that ICANN currently lacks adequate
      transparency and accountability.<br>
      <br>
      Some are suggesting that some sort of right of access be written
      into ICANN's bylaws.  I find that to be a very weak, and
      ultimately not very useful thing.  The reason I say this is that a
      right of limited access written into a corporate by-law is far
      weaker than a broad right of total access that is written into the
      laws of corporations of many (if not all) jurisdictions.  And
      unless one has the hammer of broad statutory access the
      corporation can be very evasive and dilatory.<br>
      <br>
      Broad access is necessary; one can not have a limited inspection -
      For example when I looked at ICANN's general ledgers I found items
      that needed to be backed up by supporting documentation.  Had I
      not had the power to require the production of that material I had
      no basis to give credence to the ledger entries or to understand
      whether they were being properly made.<br>
      <br>
      Similarly, when I finally was able to exercise my statutory rights
      I discovered that ICANN's relationship with its employees and
      contractors was flawed by the absence of materials and procedures
      that are routinely practiced elsewhere.  It would be very hard to
      write that kind of access into a narrowly constricted right of
      access by some "member"; that kind of transparency and
      accountability requires the kind of broad, unconstrained, access
      that is routinely granted to (and oft not well practiced by)
      members of boards of directors.<br>
      <br>
      Any attempt to make ICANN more accountable ought to build on the
      hundreds of years of experience in the operation and control of
      the kind of organizations we put under the general name of
      "corporations".<br>
      <br>
      That experience tells us that the primary vehicle of
      accountability and transparency is a good board of directors who
      take their responsibilities seriously and make truly independent
      and informed - especially informed - decisions to act or not to
      act.  ICANN does not have such a board and seems, via its
      nominative process, to be expressly and systemically designed to
      avoid having such a board.<br>
      <br>
      In addition, experience tells us that such a board must feel the
      pressure of those to whom the corporation is intended to benefit. 
      In commercial corporations that is the stockholders.  In public
      benefit corporations, such as ICANN, that is the public.  "Feeling
      the pressure" means much more than that the corporation and board
      merely listening to comments.  "Feeling the pressure" means
      something stronger - such things as are enumerated in the
      California laws that describe membership rights, as ICANN
      conveniently enumerated back in 1999: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
        class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://archive.icann.org/en/meetings/santiago/membership-analysis.htm">https://archive.icann.org/en/meetings/santiago/membership-analysis.htm</a><br>
      <br>
      Much has been said about membership.  Under the laws of California
      that govern ICANN a public-benefit non-profit corporation a body
      of members is required if there is an election for board of
      directors.  (And there is no doubt that ICANN had such an election
      in year 2000 even though they tried to avoid that fact by calling
      it a "selection".)<br>
      <br>
      A non-membership public-benefit corporation is usually used for
      things like theatre companies our other endeavors that are largely
      the extension of a single, often artistic, mind, such as an
      artistic director.<br>
      <br>
      But when the corporation is really an aggregation of minds,
      opinions, and beneficiaries - as ICANN is to a very high degree -
      a non-membership structure is simply not appropriate.<br>
      <br>
      But membership is a word that envisions more than one member.  My
      own sense is that an attempt to structure an ICANN membership with
      exactly one member would fail.  Judges are not stupid, they
      understand pretense and are both willing to, and empowered to,
      perceive actual substance over purported form.  Even worse, they
      might construe ICANN as a mere alter ego of that "member" and
      decide that ICANN's corporate form is not real.<br>
      <br>
      I wear multiple hats - on one hand I am a techie working with
      internet protocols.  On the other hand, I am a California lawyer;
      I sit on corporate boards; I create, own, and sell corporations. 
      The rules and structures of corporations, if honored in both form
      and spirit, can result in open, transparent, and accountable
      public-benefit corporations.<br>
      <br>
      Corporate forms - the rules and structures that the law dictates -
      are not ivory tower fantasies.  Rather they are the result of
      centuries of practical experience in which people with contesting
      and competing interests have come together to try to combine their
      efforts towards some goal.  The machinery of corporations was not
      created in some ivory tower, it was created in the very real
      world.<br>
      <br>
      But when those rules and structures are not honored or the
      corporation thinks that it can create a system that somehow is
      better than what has been honed into the law through centuries of
      practical experience, then the result is most likely to be an
      amateur construct, flawed, weak, and probably less accountable and
      transparent than hoped.<br>
         <br>
      My point here is that there is a lot of wishful thinking going on
      about ICANN and accountability and a lot of hand waiving about
      what the law is or is not.  And rather than trying to impose real
      transparency and accountability upon ICANN by wishful inventions
      we ought to use the well tried methods that are available through
      well established legal forms of corporate structure and operation.<br>
      <br>
      And in this case, that method would be a board that is wholly
      chosen by and seated by, a membership composed the broad community
      of internet users with all of the kinds of powers that are
      typically granted to members.<br>
      <br>
              --karl--<br>
      <br>
      <br>
      <br>
      <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 10/30/15 7:48 AM, parminder wrote:<br>
      </div>
      <blockquote cite="mid:56338331.1050004@itforchange.net"
        type="cite">
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        <br>
        <div class="moz-forward-container">After opposing greater
          accountability of ICANN through a membership based model, ALAC
          leadership seems also eager to *not* support increased
          transparency.... (Now, please dont cite technical reasons,
          people normally employ 'technical reasons' and 'facts' in
          pursuance of what they want accomplished and not against it)<br>
          <br>
          And ALAC is supposed to be the representative of the
          'outsiders'.....A really strange world, i'd say!<br>
          <br>
          parminder <br>
          <br>
          -------- Forwarded Message --------
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                <th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">Subject:


                </th>
                <td>Re: [CCWG-ACCT] Transparency recap (Was:
                  Contribution on Transparency Reforms for CCWG)</td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
                <th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">Date:

                </th>
                <td>Fri, 30 Oct 2015 14:17:44 +0000</td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
                <th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">From:

                </th>
                <td>Alan Greenberg <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                    class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
                    href="mailto:alan.greenberg@mcgill.ca">&lt;alan.greenberg@mcgill.ca&gt;</a></td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
                <th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">To:
                </th>
                <td>Chris Disspain <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                    class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
                    href="mailto:ceo@auda.org.au">&lt;ceo@auda.org.au&gt;</a>,
                  Schaefer, Brett <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                    class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
                    href="mailto:Brett.Schaefer@heritage.org">&lt;Brett.Schaefer@heritage.org&gt;</a></td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
                <th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">CC:
                </th>
                <td><a moz-do-not-send="true"
                    class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
                    href="mailto:accountability-cross-community@icann.org">accountability-cross-community@icann.org</a>
                  <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                    class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
                    href="mailto:accountability-cross-community@icann.org">&lt;accountability-cross-community@icann.org&gt;</a></td>
              </tr>
            </tbody>
          </table>
          <br>
          <br>
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  </style>Transparency is needed, but the CCWG identified this as a WS2
          issue. Yes, when we were talking about membership, some of
          this automatically would be provided, but it was not de facto
          a WS1 issue. To add it now is mission creap. <br>
          -- <br>
          Sent from my mobile. Please excuse brevity and typos.<br>
          <br>
          <div class="gmail_quote">On October 30, 2015 11:34:29 AM
            GMT+00:00, Chris Disspain <a moz-do-not-send="true"
              class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
              href="mailto:ceo@auda.org.au">&lt;ceo@auda.org.au&gt;</a>
            wrote:
            <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt
              0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);
              padding-left: 1ex;"> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana';
                font-size: 13px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">I disagree.
                I do not believe there is yet consensus.
                <div class=""><br class="">
                </div>
                <div class="">I am not in favour of any â€˜rights’
                  other than the enforcement rights already agreed being
                  given to the designator. I have no issue with the
                  right of inspection being given to the SOs and ACs
                  pursuant to an agreed level of consensus.
                  <div class=""><br class="">
                  </div>
                  <div class=""><br class="">
                    <div class="">
                      <p class="p1"><br class="">
                      </p>
                      <p class="p2">Cheers,</p>
                      <p class="p3"><br class="">
                      </p>
                      <p class="p2">Chris Disspain<span class="s1"> </span><span
                          class="s2">|</span><span class="s1"> </span>Chief


                        Executive Officer</p>
                      <p class="p2">.au Domain Administration Ltd</p>
                      <p class="p2">T: <span class="s3">+61 3 8341 4111</span><span
                          class="s1"> </span><span class="s2">|</span><span
                          class="s1"> </span>F: <span class="s3">+61 3
                          8341 4112</span></p>
                      <p class="p4"><span class="s4">E:</span><span
                          class="s1"> <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            href="mailto:ceo@auda.org.au" class=""><span
                              class="s5">ceo@auda.org.au</span></a> </span><span
                          class="s6">|</span><span class="s1"> </span><span
                          class="s4">W:</span><span class="s7"> <a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            href="http://www.auda.org.au/" class=""><span
                              class="s8"></span></a><a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
                            href="http://www.auda.org.au">www.auda.org.au</a></span><span
                          class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
                      <p class="p2">auDA â€“ Australia’s Domain Name
                        Administrator</p>
                      <p class="p5"><br class="">
                      </p>
                      <p class="p6"><span class="s6"><b class="">Important

                            Notice</b></span><span class="s1"><b
                            class=""> </b></span><b class="">- </b>This
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                        email.</p>
                    </div>
                    <br class="">
                    <div>
                      <blockquote type="cite" class="">
                        <div class="">On 30 Oct 2015, at 22:25 ,
                          Schaefer, Brett &lt;<a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            href="mailto:Brett.Schaefer@heritage.org"
                            class="">Brett.Schaefer@heritage.org</a>&gt;
                          wrote:</div>
                        <br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
                        <div class="">Matthieu,<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          I may be wrong, but based on the comments on
                          the list and in Dublin that there is broad
                          agreement, I would even say consensus, that
                          the right to inspect needs to be granted to
                          the designator.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          The discussion recently has focused on how
                          much of the other transparency provisions to
                          bring forward to WS1. I and others think a
                          substantial amount, others disagree. If a
                          compromise or centrist position is being
                          sought, I suggest it that it focus on these
                          items of dispute.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Thanks,<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Brett<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          ________________________________<br class="">
                          Brett Schaefer<br class="">
                          Jay Kingham Senior Research Fellow in
                          International Regulatory Affairs<br class="">
                          Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom Davis
                          Institute for National Security and Foreign
                          Policy<br class="">
                          The Heritage Foundation<br class="">
                          214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE<br class="">
                          Washington, DC 20002<br class="">
                          202-608-6097<br class="">
                          <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            href="http://heritage.org" class="">heritage.org</a>&lt;<a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
                            href="http://heritage.org/">http://heritage.org/</a>&gt;<br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          On Oct 30, 2015, at 5:24 AM, Edward Morris
                          &lt;<a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
                            href="mailto:egmorris1@toast.net">egmorris1@toast.net</a>&lt;<a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
                            href="mailto:egmorris1@toast.net">mailto:egmorris1@toast.net</a>&gt;&gt;


                          wrote:<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Mathieu,<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Thank you very much for this post. I  want to
                          succinctly thank the Chairs for their
                          exemplary leadership on this issue, express my
                          support for their rational, considered,
                          centered and measur ed approach to
                          transparency and inspection issues, and
                          express my full support for the approach
                          indicated, with work beyond the transposing of
                          certain provisions from the old reference
                          model into into the new reference model to be
                          tackled in work stream 2. It is an approach
                          between the two extremes recently debated on
                          list and as a centrist in most things in life
                          find it a reasonable way forward that should
                          provide us with the best opportunity to get
                          this done right. Thanks again.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Best,<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Ed Morris<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Sent from my iPhone<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          On Oct 30, 2015, at 8:15 AM, Mathieu Weill
                          &lt;<a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
                            href="mailto:mathieu.weill@afnic.fr">mathieu.weill@afnic.fr</a>&lt;<a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
                            href="mailto:mathieu.weill@afnic.fr">mailto:mathieu.weill@afnic.fr</a>&gt;&gt;


                          wrote:<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Dear Colleagues,<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          First of all many thanks to all of you wh o
                          have been working hard on this issue. We are
                          well aware of your efforts to find an approach
                          that would be acceptable to all on this
                          question.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Regarding transparency discussions, I would
                          like to remind everyone of the content and
                          conclusions of our discussions on Transparency
                          in the Sole Designator model while we were in
                          Dublin.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          -          Our lawyers have confirmed that the
                          same level of transparency could be achieved
                          in the Sole Designator model as with the Sole
                          Member, by adding a specific provision to the
                          Bylaws enabling the Sole Designator to inspect
                          Ican’s accounting books and records.<br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          -          In response to a concern raised by
                          Sam Eisner about public disclosure of such
                          documents, we discussed how we could use the
                          same type of provision that we had agreed on
                          for the AoC reviews as a safeguard (see below
                          the relevant extract from the AoC section,
                          provided by Steve del Bianco)<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          -          There was a debate about whether or
                          not extra provisions for transparency were
                          needed in Work stream 1, considering that we
                          have agreement that the topic is on the WS2
                          agenda. There was no formal conclusion.<br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Thomas did conclude by saying â€œSo that’s
                          one action item for our group to set up a
                          subteam to define the exact language and
                          extent to which a transparency is required.”<br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          In terms of way forward, given the input we
                          have received, I believe the question is
                          whether transparency provisions, beyond the
                          records inspection rights, fit with our agreed
                          definition of Work stream 1, and whether the
                          level of consensus on the extra provisions at
                          this stage is sufficient.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          I would note that, with the group’s input,
                          our WS2 initiative would already be well
                          advanced. It might be possible to launch it
                          very soon after we have submitted our WS1
                          recommendations if that is the path we take.<br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Best,<br class="">
                          Mathieu<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          For your reference :<br class="">
                          Full transcript --&gt; <a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://community.icann.org/download/attachments/56143884/Transcript%20CCWG%20ACCT%20Working%20Session%202_21%20October.pdf?version=1&amp;modificationDate=1445525810000&amp;api=v2">https://community.icann.org/download/attachments/56143884/Transcript%20CCWG%20ACCT%20Working%20Session%202_21%20October.pdf?version=1&amp;modificationDate=1445525810000&amp;api=v2</a><br
                            class="">
                          Slide-deck --&gt; <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://community.icann.org/download/attachments/56143884/CCWG-Accountability%20Working%20Session%20II%20%281%29-1.pdf?version=1&amp;modificationDate=1445444965000&amp;api=v2"
                            class="">https://community.icann.org/download/attachments/56143884/CCWG-Accountability%20Working%20Session%20II%20%281%29-1.pdf?version=1&amp;modificationDate=1445444965000&amp;api=v2</a><br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          page 75 of AoC reviews as part of WS1.<br
                            class="">
                          Confidential Disclosure to Review Teams:<br
                            class="">
                          To facilitate transparency and openness
                          regarding ICANN's deliberations and
                          operations, the Review Teams, or a subset
                          thereof, shall have access to ICANN internal
                          information and documents. If ICANN refuses to
                          reveal documents or information requested by
                          the Review Team, ICANN must provide a
                          justification to the Review Team. If the
                          Review Team is not satisfied with ICANN’s
                          justification, it can appeal to the Ombudsman
                          and/or the ICANN Board for a ruling on the
                          disclosure request.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          For documents and information that ICANN does
                          disclose to the Review Team, ICANN may
                          designate certain documents and information as
                          not for disclosur e by the Review Team, either
                          in its report or otherwise. If the Review Team
                          is not satisfied with ICANN’s designation of
                          non-disclosable documents or information, it
                          can appeal to the Ombudsman and/or the ICANN
                          Board for a ruling on the non-disclosure
                          designation.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          A confidential disclosure framework shall be
                          published by ICANN. The confidential
                          disclosure framework shall describe the
                          process by which documents and information are
                          classified, including a description of the
                          levels of classification that documents or
                          information may be subject to, and the classes
                          of persons who may access such documents and
                          information.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          The confidential disclosure framework shall
                          describe the process by which a Review Team
                          may request access to documents and
                          information that are designated as classified
                          or restricted access.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          The confidential disclosure framework shall
                          also describe the provisions of any non-discl
                          osure agreement that members of a Review Team
                          may be asked to sign.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          The confidential disclosure framework must
                          provide a mechanism to escalate and/or appeal
                          the refusal to release documents and
                          information to duly recognized Review Teams.<br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          De : <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            href="mailto:accountability-cross-community-bounces@icann.org"
                            class="">accountability-cross-community-bounces@icann.org</a>&lt;<a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
                            href="mailto:accountability-cross-community-bounces@icann.org">mailto:accountability-cross-community-bounces@icann.org</a>&gt;


                          [<a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            href="mailto:accountability-cross-community-bounces@icann.org"
                            class="">mailto:accountability-cross-community-bounces@icann.org</a>]
                          De la part de Kieren McCarthy<br class="">
                          Envoyé : jeudi 29 octobre 2015 15:58<br
                            class="">
                          Ã€ : Padmini<br class="">
                          Cc : <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            href="mailto:accountability-cross-community@icann.org"
                            class="">accountability-cross-community@icann.org</a>&lt;<a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
                            href="mailto:accountability-cross-community@icann.org">mailto:accountability-cross-community@icann.org</a>&gt;<br
                            class="">
                          Objet : Re: [CCWG-ACCT] Contribution on
                          Transparency Reforms for CCWG<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          I have to agree with Padmini on this one re:
                          DIDP and being "able to refer the requestor to
                          documents already publicly available".<br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          The information provided is often tangential
                          to what has actually been asked for. In quite
                          a few cases it is so far removed from the
                          query that it is almost obnoxious.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          I don't know why Board members have such a
                          blind spot about how the staff behaves to
                          those outside the corporation.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          And I'm still waiting to hear a Board member -
                          any Board member - announce that they have
                          decided to look into the staff's
                          bylaw-breaking behavior in the .africa
                          application.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          If I was on the Board and I heard that th e
                          entire process was being jeopardized by staff
                          wrongly interfering in the process (and then
                          lying about doing so), I'd make sure the
                          community knew I was doing my job and insist
                          on some kind of internal review of what
                          happened and what could be done to make sure
                          it didn't happen again.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          But instead we get silence and fantasy
                          responses like these ones from Bruce about how
                          the DIDP works and the effectiveness of
                          ICANN's financial reporting systems.<br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Kieren<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          On Thu, Oct 29, 2015 at 5:41 AM, Padmini &lt;<a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
                            href="mailto:pdmnbaruah@gmail.com">pdmnbaruah@gmail.com</a>&lt;<a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
                            href="mailto:pdmnbaruah@gmail.com">mailto:pdmnbaruah@gmail.com</a>&gt;&gt;


                          wrote:<br class="">
                          Dear Bruce,<br class="">
                          As someone who has spent some time combing
                          through the different responses that ICANN
                          files to the various DIDP requests, my
                          findings are slightly different, and have been
                          posted earlier.<br class="">
                          While ICANN does link one to an innumerable
                          array of documents that are publicly
                          available, many times, there is little or no
                          connection between the information one seeks
                          and the publicly available documents that are
                          provided. For instance, I have asked a few
                          questions on registrar/registry audits,
                          specifically seeking individual contracted
                          party audit reports in cases where there have
                          been breaches or discrepancies. However, the
                          response contains a large number of links
                          explaining ICANN's three-year-audit process in
                          great detail, and at the end has a rejection
                          of my actual request on the basis of certain
                          of their extremely vast and broad grounds for
                          non-disclosure. I like to refer to this as
                          ICANN's tendency towards documentary
                          obfuscation where they aren't actually giving
                          you the information that you need, but are
                          drowning you in documents anyway.<br class="">
                          That 66 is a figure that we might need to
                          scrutinise closer in terms of how effective
                          those disclosures actually have been.<br
                            class="">
                          Warm Regards<br class="">
                          Padmini<br class="">
                          Programme Associate, Internet Governance<br
                            class="">
                          Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore,
                          India<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Padmini Baruah<br class="">
                          V Year, B.A.LL.B. (Hons.)<br class="">
                          NLSIU, Bangalore<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          On Thu, Oct 29, 2015 at 12:16 PM, Bruce Tonkin
                          &lt;<a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            href="mailto:Bruce.Tonkin@melbourneit.com.au"
                            class="">Bruce.Tonkin@melbourneit.com.au</a>&lt;<a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
                            href="mailto:Bruce.Tonkin@melbourneit.com.au">mailto:Bruce.Tonkin@melbourneit.com.au</a>&gt;&gt;


                          wrote:<br class="">
                          Hello Greg,<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <blockquote type="cite" class="">
                            <blockquote type="cite" class=""> 6333.  The
                              accounting books and records and minutes
                              of proceedings<br class="">
                            </blockquote>
                          </blockquote>
                          of the members and the board and committees of
                          the board shall be<br class="">
                          open to inspection upon the written dem and on
                          the corporation of any<br class="">
                          member at any reasonable time, for a purpose
                          reasonably related to<br class="">
                          such person's interests as a member.<br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          The minutes are basically published today.
                             The only minutes apparently that are not
                          posted are compensation committee minutes â€“
                          but even then we could at least note the items
                          discussed without necessarily disclosing some
                          personal information.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          With regard to financials– we are already
                          moving towards the same standards as publicly
                          listed companies in the USA.   We now provide
                          quarterly financial reporting, and a quarterly
                          call where the community can question the CEO
                          and the CFO on the income and expenditure.
                            It would not be normal to provide people
                          with access to the raw accounting system (in
                          this case Great Plains) â€“ which would
                          include information on payments to all staff
                          etc.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          We do use an ex ternal auditor to validate our
                          financials and processes once per year.<br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          If there is a community  concern about a
                          particular financial matter (e.g concern about
                          whether procurement policies were being
                          followed) â€“ then I think it would be more
                          appropriate if the single legal entity that
                          represents the community powers has the right
                          to appoint an external auditor to validate any
                          particular process or numbers and report back
                          to the community.      Audit firms have the
                          appropriate skills to analyse financial
                          accounting records and also have appropriate
                          procedures in place for confidentiality.<br
                            class="">
                          <br class="">
                          I think we should be focussing on improving
                          the processes we already have.   I advocated
                          moving to quarterly financial reporting, and I
                          have certainly been a strong advocate of
                          making things as public as possible, and
                          welcome suggestions for improving our
                          processes.<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          Regards ,<br class="">
                          Bruce Tonkin<br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <br class="">
                          <br class="">
_______________________________________________<br class="">
                          Accountability-Cross-Community mailing list<br
                            class="">
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                          <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
                            href="mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org">Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org</a><a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
                            href="mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org">&lt;mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org&gt;</a><br
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                          <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community">https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community</a><br
                            class="">
_______________________________________________<br class="">
                          Accountability-Cross-Community mailing list<br
                            class="">
                          <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
                            href="mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org">Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org</a><a
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
                            href="mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org">&lt;mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org&gt;</a><br
                            class="">
                          <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community">https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community</a><br
                            class="">
_______________________________________________<br class="">
                          Accountability-Cross-Community mailing list<br
                            class="">
                          <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
                            href="mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org">Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org</a><br
                            class="">
                          <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community">https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community</a><br
                            class="">
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              <pre class="k9mail"><hr>
Accountability-Cross-Community mailing list
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org">Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org</a>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community">https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community</a>
</pre>
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        <pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
At-Large mailing list
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:At-Large@atlarge-lists.icann.org">At-Large@atlarge-lists.icann.org</a>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/at-large">https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/at-large</a>

At-Large Official Site: <a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://atlarge.icann.org">http://atlarge.icann.org</a></pre>
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      <pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
At-Large mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:At-Large@atlarge-lists.icann.org">At-Large@atlarge-lists.icann.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/at-large">https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/at-large</a>

At-Large Official Site: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://atlarge.icann.org">http://atlarge.icann.org</a></pre>
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