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Username: A. Moulden
Date/Time: Fri, March 2, 2001 at 9:25 AM GMT
Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer V5.5 using Windows 98
Score: 5
Subject: These are the real issues; the .org issue is a decoy.

Message:
 

 
The outrage seen yesterday in public comments in respect of .org can now be seen as a result of the most cynical form of "news management". The rumor generated by the vague announcements over .org can only have been intended to undermine ICANN's detractors.

No change in the status of .org is explicitly mentioned in the proposed agreement, only in the summary co-published by ICANN and Verisign. Meanwhile, at least one ICANN official was reported in the media speculating about the possibility of grandfathering existing .org domains. These are typical decoy tactics, designed to draw the media and public away from the issue that will, I believe, emerge today - that of VeriSign's ability to negotiate a clearly preferential deal with ICANN, contrary to the previously stated aims.

ICANN and VeriSign go to great lengths in their "agreement summary" document to explain why, because "the introduction of competition in the registrar business has been much more successful, and more rapidly successful, than anyone anticipated", and "VeriSign's once-dominant market position has been severely eroded" is it now appropriate to privately agree a change in ICANN policy in respect of separating the registry and NSI's registrar business. The tone of self-justification in this document will, I predict, give rise to the most serious questions about ICANN's motives.

That a site of the importance of Nerd.com should publicly state here that if this deal goes ahead in its current form they will "mount a campaign to have everyone in ICANN removed for being completely ineffective in addressing the serious problems we have with inappropriate management of the domain name system" should give ICANN serious pause for thought.

This is a disasterous deal. It must, and my analysis suggests will, be stopped.

Andrew Moulden
andrew@moulden.org

 

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