[NA-Discuss] Conversation with Dave Piscitello

[John L]

> Sometimes this is a better approach, perhaps involving consumers at the
> "front end," than creating something in isolation, then expecting
> consumers to learn how to "properly" use it.

Actually, in the case of S/MIME it's not really the consumers' fault. 
Although using S/MIME is easy enough once you're set up, getting the 
necessary keys created and installed is daunting, even for those of us 
with a technical background, and the design of S/MIME doesn't let you make 
it much easier.  That's why recent mail security work has focused on 
technologies like DKIM that run at the server level and don't require 
every user to set it up individually.

The list of issues tangentially related to ICANN is of unlimited size, but 
ALAC does not have unlimited attention.  (Attention has in the past been 
more of an issue than money.)  I think it would make more sense to pick a 
smaller number of issues more directly related to ICANN and pay more 
attention to them.  Keeping useful information in WHOIS for the benefit of 
individual non-registrant users would be a good one to start on.

Regards,
John Levine, johnl at iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies",
Information Superhighwayman wanna-be, http://www.johnlevine.com, ex-Mayor
"More Wiener schnitzel, please", said Tom, revealingly.