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ICANN Board Members Squat

Posted by michael on from the kick-the-bums-out dept.

Professor Froomkin has written a strong criticism of the ICANN initial board, which has extended its unelected one-year term to an astonishing four years, with no end in sight. According to ICANN's current bylaws, those board members are serving a life term - their terms never expire. I strongly urge Slashdot readers in California to make time to attend ICANN's next meeting in November.

2 of 48 comments (clear)

  1. Dangerous precedent by Ektanoor · · Score: 5

    This attempt to turn into a Member at Life is extrmely dangerous. It is not only a problem of elections. Mostly it is a problem on the validity of the White Paper and consequently on the validity of the whole organisation. It seems that some people got too acustomized to the heat of their seats at ICANN and do not want to go in the cold. Soon they may think that ICANN is not doing enough so it should rule that and that. A little more and they will start saying "L'Internet c'est moi"...

    There is a interesting point mentioned on the article:
    "Back in the days of the White Paper, the document which still provides the foundation for whatever legitimacy ICANN may retain, the United States government assured all that the initial, secretly appointed members of the ICANN Board were only temporary."

    Well if these guys get too nuts, then we should direct protests not to them but to the Government of the United States of America. He is the guarantor that the White Paper will not be violated. No matter how feelings, thinkings and relations with this organism, I think that they will not sponsor such clear violation of the principles that rule its establishment. With propper argumentation, they will surely act and tell these guys that is time to leave.

    PS: For those who don't know History and/or French. "L'Etat c'est moi" - "The State is me". It was said by King Louis XIV of France during his rise to power. This King was the most famous monarch and despot of the times of Absolutism. During his reign, he managed to concentrate all state control on himself.

  2. Why...oh why.... by JoeShmoe · · Score: 4

    ...can's application and operating systems put a new DNS system as an OPTION (not necessarily even a default). Every program that comes out should add this! I don't care what it is.

    One click in Opera or Lynx or Netscape to allow it to check with DNS servers run by people who serve the public interest and not bend over for big business and electing themselves emporer for life? A click in WinAmp to enable you to connect to Shoutcast servers located by a NullSoft DNS server (imagine having TLDs based on music genres?)

    Better yet, a list of servers that people could pick or choose from based on reputation. Don't like ICANN? Disable the root servers entirely and get your .com .net .org from AlterNIC or whoever.

    Operating Systems to could easily make this a part of their DNS configuration menus.

    All we need is someone to create the standards and provide some kind of reputation for DNS servers. Surely this is worthy cause? Won't someone just do the paperwork necessary to start the Domain Freedom Foundation so I can contribute large heaping amounts of cash to something that will kill Network Solutions and ICANN once and for all?

    - JoeShmoe

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    -- I wonder which will go down in history as the bigger failure: the War on Drugs or the War on Filesharing