[LINK] 'Shake-up' for internet proposed by ICANN

[Kimberley Heitman]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au [mailto:link-
>bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Glen Turner
>Sent: Monday, 30 June 2008 8:45 PM
>To: Kim Davies
>Cc: The Link Institute
>Subject: Re: [LINK] 'Shake-up' for internet proposed by ICANN
>Back to the original topic, what is the point of the new
>top-level domains -- what problem does it solve?
>
>I believe they don't solve any problems we are having with
>the DNS. They probably make issues of phishing even worse.
>
>The current plan has long-term problems of scalability.
>Not to mention moving the root zone from reasonable stability
>into one continuously updated from registry software. Yeah,
>nothing can go wrong with that.
>
>Glen.

Like a lot of things at ICANN, the resolution to establish a new process by
which new TLDs might be allowed was a compromise across multiple
stakeholders; there is a demand for new TLDs from lots of strange
bedfellows, and much debate whether it should be open slather or tightly
controlled. 

All that was achieved in this glacial policy process at the Paris meeting
was that the Board signed off on a plan to accept applications for new TLDs.
There are plenty of net.cops ready to pounce on any application that offends
one of the ICANN tribes. 

However, it is a slight advance that if someone actually comes up with an
idea for a new TLD which is more than a trademark scam or a whitelist
fantasy then the Board of ICANN can throw it to the mob. 


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Kimberley James Heitman
www.kheitman.com
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