Approved Board Resolutions | Regular Meeting of the ICANN Board 2 November 2017

  1. Consent Agenda:
    1. Approval of Board Meeting Minutes
    2. Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) Member Appointments
    3. Outsource Service Provider Contract Extension
    4. June 2019 ICANN Policy Forum Venue Contracting
    5. SSAC Advisory on the Use of Emoji in Domain Names
    6. Revised Board Committee and Leadership Selection Procedures
    7. Revisions to Board Committee Charters as Part of Process to Standardize Committee Charters
    8. Thank You to Community Members
    9. Thank You to Local Host of ICANN 60 Meeting
    10. Thank You to Sponsors of ICANN 60 Meeting
    11. Thank You to Interpreters, Staff, Event and Hotel Teams of ICANN 60 Meeting
  2. Main Agenda:
    1. Consideration of .CORP, .HOME, and .MAIL and other Collision Strings
    2. Net Asset Excess Transfer Approval
    3. Uniform Board Member Integrity Screening
    4. Thank You to Thomas Schneider for his service to the ICANN Board
    5. Thank You to Markus Kummer for his service to the ICANN Board
    6. Thank You to Asha Hemrajani for her service to the ICANN Board
    7. Thank You to Rinalia Abdul Rahim for her service to the ICANN Board
    8. Thank You to Steve Crocker for his service to the ICANN Board
    9. AOB

 

  1. Consent Agenda:

    1. Approval of Board Meeting Minutes

      Resolved (2017.11.02.01), the Board approves the minutes of the 23 September 2017 meetings of the ICANN Board.

    2. Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) Member Appointments

      Whereas, Section 12.2(b) of the Bylaws states that the Board shall appoint the Chair and the members of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC).

      Whereas, the three-year term for Patrik Fältström as SSAC Chair ends on 31 December 2017.

      Whereas, Patrik Fältström has decided not to stand for a further term of office.

      Whereas, the SSAC has completed its process of selecting a Chair and requests that the Board appoint Rod Rasmussen as SSAC Chair for a three-year term to begin on 01 January 2018.

      Whereas, the Board, at Resolution 2010.08.05.07 approved Bylaws revisions that created three-year terms for SSAC members, required staggering of terms, and obligated the SSAC Chair to recommend the reappointment of all current SSAC members to full or partial terms to implement the Bylaws revisions.

      Whereas, in January 2017 the SSAC Membership Committee initiated an annual review of SSAC members whose terms are ending 31 December 2017 and submitted to the SSAC its recommendations for reappointments in September 2017.

      Whereas, on 25 September 2017, the SSAC members approved the reappointments.

      Whereas, the SSAC recommends that the Board reappoint the following SSAC members to three-year terms: Greg Aaron, Benedict Addis, Don Blumenthal, Lyman Chapin, KC Claffy, Geoff Huston, Russ Mundy, Rod Rasmussen, and Mark Seiden.

      Whereas, the SSAC Membership Committee, on behalf of the SSAC, requests that the Board should appoint Bobby Flaim to the SSAC for a three-year term beginning immediately upon approval of the Board and ending on 31 December 2020.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.02), the Board accepts the recommendation of the SSAC and appoints Rod Rasmussen as Chair of the SSAC for a three-year term beginning on 01 January 2017 and ending on 31 December 2020.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.03), the Board accepts the recommendation of the SSAC and reappoints the following SSAC members to three-year terms beginning 01 January 2018 and ending 31 December 2020: Greg Aaron, Benedict Addis, Don Blumenthal, Lyman Chapin, KC Claffy, Geoff Huston, Russ Mundy, Rod Rasmussen, and Mark Seiden.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.04), that the Board appoints Bobby Flaim to the SSAC for a three-year term beginning immediately upon approval of the Board and ending on 31 December 2020.

      Rationale for Resolutions 2017.11.02.02 – 2017.11.02.04

      According to Section 12.2(b) of the ICANN Bylaws, the ICANN Board of Directors shall appoint the Chair and the members of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC). The SSAC has completed its selection process for the role of Chair and requests Board consideration of the appointment of Rod Rasmussen as the SSAC Chair.

      The SSAC is a diverse group of individuals whose expertise in specific subject matters enables the SSAC to fulfill its charter and execute its mission. Since its inception, the SSAC has invited individuals with deep knowledge and experience in technical and security areas that are critical to the security and stability of the Internet's naming and address allocation systems.

      The SSAC's continued operation as a competent body is dependent on the accumulation of talented subject matter experts who have consented to volunteer their time and energies to the execution of the SSAC mission.

      Bobby Flaim is well known for his tenure with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. He has been a member of the GAC and the Public Safety Working Group. He has been actively working to reduce abuse and crime related to the DNS. Earlier this year, Bobby Flaim left government employment and assumed a role in Amazon Web Services Security. The SSAC believes that Bobby Flaim will bring important skills and breadth of experience to the Committee.

      ICANN's mission is to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems, and the appointment of SSAC members assists in fulling this mission. This Board action is in the public interest as it contributes to the commitment of the ICANN organization to strengthen the security, stability, and resiliency of the DNS.

    3. Outsource Service Provider Contract Extension

      Whereas, ICANN organization Engineering and Information Technology department has a need for continued third-party development, quality assurance and content management support to augment IT capacity.

      Whereas, there is a need to complete a full Request for Proposal process prior entering into a new contract needed to augment IT capacity.

      Whereas, Zensar has provided good services in software engineering, quality assurance and content management over the last 30+ months.

      Whereas, additional time is needed to complete the necessary RFP process.

      Resolved (2107.11.02.05), the Board authorizes the President and CEO, or his designee(s), to extend the existing Zensar contract, on the same terms, for a period not to exceed four months, at a cost not to exceed [REDACTED FOR NEGOTIATION PURPOSES].

      Resolved (2017.11.02.06), specific items within this resolution shall remain confidential for negotiation purposes pursuant to Article III, section 5.2 of the ICANN Bylaws until the President and CEO determines that the confidential information may be released.

      Rationale for Resolutions 2017.11.02.05 – 2017.11.02.06

      ICANN organization's Engineering & IT departments have used Zensar to support all development, quality assurance and content management needs since November 2014. This relationship has been beneficial to ICANN and overall has been a success.

      The current three-year contract expires in November 2017. To do full due diligence and ensure that ICANN is using the optimal provider for future needs, the Board agrees that ICANN should perform a new Request for Proposal (RFP) with a small number of outsource providers. While this process has already started, ICANN organization needs additional time to adequately complete the RFP process.

      Zensar is currently in the process of setting up an onshore facility in a low-cost area. This is expected to be activated by Q1 2018. This facility may be useful to ICANN in augmenting the offshore resources while containing costs. Delaying the renewal of or issuance of a new contract will allow ICANN organization to evaluate this option.

      Performing a RFP will also provide ICANN leverage as it negotiates new rates with Zensar should the organization decide to continue working with Zensar.

      Taking this step is in the public interest to ensure that ICANN organization is utilizing the right third party providers, and to ensure that it is maximizing available resources in a cost efficient and effective manner. Accordingly, taking this decision is also consistent with ICANN's mission, as this action will help ensure that ICANN organization has the appropriate support to fulfill numerous aspects of its mission.

      This action will have a fiscal impact on the organization, but that impact has already been anticipated and is covered in the FY18 budget. This action will not impact the security, stability and resiliency of the domain name system.

      This decision is an Organizational administrative function for which public comment is not required.

    4. June 2019 ICANN Policy Forum Venue Contracting

      Whereas, ICANN organization intends to hold its June 2019 Policy Forum in the Africa region.

      Whereas, ICANN organization has completed a thorough review of the proposed venues in Africa and finds the one in Marrakech, Morocco to be the most suitable.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.07), the Board authorizes the President and CEO, or his designee(s), to engage in and facilitate all necessary contracting and disbursements for the host venue for the June 2019 ICANN Policy Forum in Marrakech, Morocco, in an amount not to exceed [REDACTED FOR NEGOTIATION PURPOSES].

      Resolved (2017.11.02.08), specific items within this resolution shall remain confidential for negotiation purposes pursuant to Article III, section 5.2 of the ICANN Bylaws until the President and CEO determines that the confidential information may be released.

      Rationale for Resolutions 2017.11.02.07 – 2017.11.02.08

      As part of ICANN's Public Meeting and Policy Forum schedule, presently three times a year, ICANN hosts a meeting in a different geographic region (as defined in the ICANN Bylaws). ICANN65, scheduled for 24-27 June 2019, is to occur in the Africa geographic region. A call for recommendations for the location of the meeting in Africa was posted on 15 July 2016. Various parties sent proposals to ICANN.   

      ICANN organization performed a thorough analysis of the proposals, as well as other venues, and prepared a paper to identify those that met the Meeting Location Selection Criteria (see http://meetings.icann.org/location-selection-criteria). Based on the proposals and analysis, ICANN organization has identified Marrakech, Morocco as the location for ICANN65.

      The Board reviewed ICANN organization's briefing for hosting the meeting in Marrakech, Morocco and the determination that the proposal met the significant factors of the Meeting Location Selection Criteria, as well as the related costs for the facilities selected, for the June 2019 ICANN Policy Forum.

      Taking this action is in the public interest, as conducting Public Meetings and Policy Forums is consistent with, and in support of, ICANN's mission, commitments and core values, as it allows all interested parties to come together and create policy as a multistakeholder organization.

      There will be a financial impact on ICANN in hosting the meeting and providing travel support as necessary, as well as on the community in incurring costs to travel to the meeting. But such impact would be faced regardless of the location and venue of the meeting. This action will have no impact on the security, stability or resiliency of the domain name system.

      The Board thanks all who recommended sites for ICANN65.

      This is an Organizational Administrative function that does not require public comment.

    5. SSAC Advisory on the Use of Emoji in Domain Names

      Whereas, on 25 May 2017, the ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) published SAC 095: Advisory on the Use of Emoji in Domain Names.

      Whereas, the SSAC report noted that emoji are disallowed by the current technical standards for Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs); that many emoji are visually similar causing difficulty in distinguishing them with additional confusability created by their composition and modification; and that their use can exacerbate the existing universal acceptance challenges.

      Whereas, the SSAC report concluded that emoji should not be included in TLD labels and strongly discouraged the registration of any domain name that includes emoji in any of its labels.

      Whereas, the use of IDNs in a way that adheres to relevant standards and promotes security by reducing confusability is a topic of importance to ICANN and the global Internet community.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.09), the Board hereby directs that conformance to IDNA2008 and its successor will continue to be a necessary condition to determine valid IDN TLD labels.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.10), the Board requests that the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) and the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) engage with the SSAC to more fully understand the risks and consequences of using a domain name that includes emoji in any of its labels, and inform their respective communities about these risks.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.11), the Board requests that the ccNSO and GNSO integrate conformance with IDNA2008 and its successor into their relevant policies so as to safeguard security, stability, resiliency and interoperability of domain names.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.12), the Board directs the ICANN CEO, or his designee(s), to engage with gTLD and ccTLD communities on the findings and recommendations in SAC095.

      Rationale for Resolutions 2017.11.02.09 – 2017.11.02.12

      There has been community interest in the use of emoji in domain names and some country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) allow domain names with emoji to be registered at the second level, and several registrars accept labels with emoji for registrations in other TLDs. The SSAC has analyzed the use of emoji for domain names and published the findings in the SAC 095 advisory as a response to this analysis. Based on their findings, the SSAC recommends not allowing the use of emoji in TLDs, and discourages their use in a domain name in any of its labels. The SSAC also advises registrants of domain names with emoji that such domains may not function consistently or may not be universally accessible.

      The Board has acknowledged the advice and confirmed its understanding of the SSAC advice on 18 August 2017, which is noted in the Board Advice Register.1 The Board is now at the phase of taking action on the advice.

      The ICANN Board has reviewed IDNA 2008 (RFCs 5890-5893) and the SAC 095 advisory published by the SSAC as a background for the current resolution. The Board notes that the emoji are disallowed by IDNA2008. The Board notes the discussion in the advisory that though humans can use emoji while communicating, even with the confusability associated with use of emoji, these characters are not suitable for the exact-match system like the DNS. Their use in domain names can create security problems for end-users. Furthermore, adding emoji to domain name labels will worsen the universal acceptance of IDNs and may reduce acceptability of non-ASCII labels, perceived as being confusing or insecure. 

      IDNA 2008 is the relevant standard for defining valid IDN labels. SSAC's recommendation is based on the fact that emoji, being categorized as symbols by the Unicode standard, are systematically disallowed by the IDNA2008. Further, emoji are not designed to be visually uniform or visually distinguishable. As a result, a user can be exposed to problems of confusability because code points seem visually the same or too similar. In addition, a user can also face accessibility problems, due to inconsistent rendering. This confusability in using emoji in domain name labels is further increased because emoji modification and composition allows for a potentially much larger set with even greater rendering variation and potential for ambiguous interpretation. As an example, the following shades may be difficult to reliably distinguish by users in small sizes and across multiple platforms:

      Emoji Renderings

      Given these considerations, the Board first directs that conformance to IDNA2008 and its successor will continue to be a necessary condition to determine valid IDN TLD labels.

      The Board recognizes that mandating labels beyond the top level is out of the policy remit of the ccNSO. However, in this case the ccNSO could play a role in promoting the use of standards developed by the technical community at the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for the secure, stable and interoperable use of Internet identifiers, similar to what it did in the case of discouraging the use of wildcards. Thus, the Board requests that the ccNSO and GNSO engage with the SSAC to more fully understand the risks and consequences of using a domain name that includes emoji in any of its labels, and inform their respective communities about these risks. Furthermore, the Board requests that the ccNSO and GNSO integrate conformance with IDNA2008 and its successor into their relevant policies so as to safeguard security, stability, resiliency and interoperability of domain names.

      Finally, the Board recognizes that ICANN organization should engage with gTLD and ccTLD communities on the findings and recommendations of SAC095.

      ICANN's mission is to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems, and addressing advice from the SSAC assists in fulling this mission. Taking this action is in the public interest as it contributes to the commitment of the ICANN organization to strengthen the security, stability, and resiliency of the DNS.

      This action is not anticipated to have a fiscal impact on the organization that has not already been anticipated in the budget. This action is intended to have a positive impact on the security, stability and resiliency of the domain name system.

      This decision is an Organizational administrative function for which public comment is not required.

    6. Revised Board Committee and Leadership Selection Procedures

      Whereas, the Board Committee and Leadership Selection Procedures document was previously updated and approved by the Board on 26 June 2009.

      Whereas, the Board Governance Committee has reviewed and revised the previously adopted Board Committee and Leadership Selection Procedures.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.13), the revised Board Committee and Leadership Selection Procedures are approved.

      Rationale for Resolution 2017.11.02.13

      As part of its responsibilities, the Board Governance Committee (BGC) is tasked with "[c]reating and recommending to the full Board for approval a slate of nominees for Board Chair, Board Vice Chair, and chairmanship and membership of each Board Committee, including filling any vacancies which may occur in these positions during the year." (BGC Charter, § II.C.)

      In this role, the BGC recommended, and the Board agrees, that Board approve revisions to the Board Committee and Leadership Selection Procedures, which was previously updated by the Board on 26 June 2009, to align with current selection practices.

      The action is consistent with ICANN's mission and is in the public interest as it is important to ensure that procedures for Board Committee and leadership selection are up to date and reflect current practices.

      This decision will have no direct fiscal impact on the organization and no impact on the security, stability or resiliency of the domain name system.

      This decision is an Organizational administrative function for which public comment is not required.

    7. Revisions to Board Committee Charters as Part of Process to Standardize Committee Charters

      Whereas, the Board Governance Committee (BGC) is tasked with "periodically review[ing] the charters of the Board Committees, including its own charter and work with the members of the Board Committees to develop recommendations to the Board for any charter adjustments deemed advisable." (BGC Charter, § II.C.2.)

      Whereas, the BGC has recommended that Board approve revisions to various sections of the charters of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Executive Committee, the Finance Committee, the Governance Committee, the Organizational Effectiveness Committee and Risk Committee.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.14), the Board hereby adopts the revised Charter of the Board Audit Committee.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.15), the Board hereby adopts the revised Charter of the Board Compensation Committee.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.16), the Board hereby adopts the revised Charter of the Board Executive Committee.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.17), the Board hereby adopts the revised Charter of the Board Finance Committee.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.18), the Board hereby adopts the revised Charter of the Board Governance Committee.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.19), the Board hereby adopts the revised Charter of the Board Organizational Effectiveness Committee.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.20), the Board hereby adopts the revised Charter of the Board Risk Committee.

      Rationale for Resolutions 2017.11.02.14 – 2017.11.02.20

      The Board is addressing this matter to ensure committee charters are up-to-date and reflect the most current needs of the organization, in accordance with governance requirements and best practices.

      As part of its responsibilities, the BGC is tasked with "periodically review[ing] the charters of the Board Committees, including its own charter and work with the members of the Board Committees to develop recommendations to the Board for any charter adjustments deemed advisable." (BGC Charter, § II.C.2.) In this role, the BGC recommended, and the Board agrees, that Board approve revisions to the Committee charters of the as part of the process of standardizing certain provisions of Board Committee charters.

      The BGC further recommended, and the Board agrees, that the Board approve revisions to the Purpose and Responsibilities sections of the Board Risk Committee (BRC) charter to clarify the BRC's role as the committee responsible for the assessment and oversight of policies implemented by ICANN designed to manage ICANN's risk profile.

      The BGC further recommended, and the Board agrees, that the Board approve the proposed amendment to the Scope of Responsibilities sections of the BGC charter to further clarify its role in coordinating Board priorities and their associated deliverables, and monitoring progress against the set priorities.

      This action is consistent with ICANN's mission and is in the public interest as it is important to ensure that the Board has the necessary Committees, properly tasked with responsibilities, to ensure oversight over the ICANN organization, as the Board deems appropriate. There will be no direct fiscal impact or adverse ramifications on ICANN's strategic and operating plans from the proposed changes to the charters.

      There are no security, stability or resiliency issues relating to the DNS as the result of this action.

      This decision is an Organizational Administrative Function that does not require public comment.

    8. Thank You to Community Members

      Whereas, ICANN wishes to acknowledge the considerable effort, skills, and time that members of the stakeholder community contribute to ICANN.

      Whereas, in recognition of these contributions, ICANN wishes to recognize and thank members of the community when their terms of service end on the Supporting Organizations, Advisory Committees, and the Nominating Committee.

      Whereas, the following members of the Address Supporting Organization are concluding their terms of service:

      • Mark Elkins, Address Supporting Organization Address Councilor
      • Ajay Kumar, Address Supporting Organization Address Councilor

      Resolved (2017.11.02.21), Mark Elkins and Ajay Kumar have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

      Whereas, the following member of the County Code Names Supporting Organization is concluding his term of service:

      • Ching Chiao, County Code Names Supporting Organization Councilor

      Resolved (2017.11.02.22), Ching Chiao has earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for his term of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes him well in his future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

      Whereas, the following members of the Generic Names Supporting Organization are concluding their terms of service:

      • Farzaneh Badii, Non-Commercial Users Constituency Chair
      • James Bladel, Generic Names Supporting Organization Council Chair
      • Rafik Dammak, Non-Commercial Users Constituency Chair
      • Johan Helsingius, Generic Names Supporting Organization Councilor
      • Tony Holmes, Internet Service Providers and Connectivity Providers Constituency Chair
      • Wolf-Ulrich Knoben, Generic Names Supporting Organization Councilor
      • Marília Maciel, Generic Names Supporting Organization Councilor
      • Steve Metalitz, Intellectual Property Constituency Vice President
      • Stefania Milan, Generic Names Supporting Organization Councilor
      • Edward Morris, Generic Names Supporting Organization Councilor
      • Klaus Stoll, Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns Constituency Chair
      • Hsu Phen Valerie Tan, Generic Names Supporting Organization Councilor
      • Tapani Tarvainen, Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group Chair
      • Martin Silva Valent, Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns Constituency Vice Chair
      • Fabricio Vayra, Intellectual Property Constituency Secretary
      • Chris Wilson, Business Constituency Chair

      Resolved (2017.11.02.23), Farzaneh Badii, James Bladel, Rafik Dammak, Johan Helsingius, Tony Holmes, Wolf-Ulrich Knoben, Marília Maciel, Steve Metalitz, Stefania Milan, Edward Morris, Klaus Stoll, Hsu Phen Valerie Tan, Tapani Tarvainen, Martin Silva Valent, Fabricio Vayra, and Chris Wilson have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

      Whereas, the following members of the At-Large community are concluding their terms of service:

      • Harold Arcos, At-Large Advisory Committee Member
      • Garth Bruen, At-Large Advisory Committee Member
      • Mohamed El Bashir, At-Large Advisory Committee Vice Chair
      • Judith Hellerstein, North American Regional At-Large Organization Secretariat
      • Aziz Hilali, African Regional At-Large Organization Chair
      • Tijani Ben Jemaa, At-Large Advisory Committee Vice Chair
      • Wolf Ludwig, European Regional At-Large Organization Secretariat
      • Glenn McKnight, North American Regional At-Large Organization Chair
      • León Sánchez, At-Large Advisory Committee Vice Chair
      • Wafa Dahmani Zaafouri, At-Large Advisory Committee Member

      Resolved (2017.11.02.24), Harold Arcos, Garth Bruen, Mohamed El Bashir, Judith Hellerstein, Aziz Hilali, Tijani Ben Jemaa, Wold Ludwig, Glenn McKnight, León Sánchez, and Wafa Dahmani Zaafouri have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

      Whereas, the following members of the Governmental Advisory Committee are concluding their terms of service:

      • Mark Carvell, Governmental Advisory Committee Vice Chair
      • Alice Munyua, Governmental Advisory Committee Underserved Regions Working Group Co-Chair and Public Safety Working Group Co-Chair
      • Thomas Schneider, Governmental Advisory Committee Chair

      Resolved (2017.11.02.25), Mark Carvell, Alice Munyua, and Thomas Schneider have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

      Whereas, the following members of the Root Server System Advisory Committee are concluding their terms of service:

      • Hank Kilmer, Root Server System Advisory Committee Alternate Representative
      • Warren Kumari, Root Server System Advisory Committee Alternate Representative

      Resolved (2017.11.02.26), Hank Kilmer, and Warren Kumari have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

      Whereas, the following members of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee are concluding their terms of service:

      • Steve Crocker, Security and Stability Advisory Committee Member
      • Mark Kosters, Security and Stability Advisory Committee Member

      Resolved (2017.11.02.27), Steve Crocker and Mark Kosters have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

      Whereas, the following members of the Nominating Committee are concluding their terms of service:

      • Damon Ashcraft, Nominating Committee Member
      • Tom Barrett, Nominating Committee Member
      • Eduardo Diaz, Nominating Committee Member
      • Hartmut Glaser, Nominating Committee Member
      • Hans Petter Holen, Nominating Committee Chair
      • Zahid Jamil, Nominating Committee Chair-Elect
      • Dave Kissoondoyal, Nominating Committee Member
      • Osvaldo Novoa, Nominating Committee Member
      • Amir Qayyum, Nominating Committee Member
      • Jörg Schweiger, Nominating Committee Member
      • Ken Stubbs, Nominating Committee Member
      • Stéphane Van Gelder, Nominating Committee Associate Chair
      • Tim Wicinski, Nominating Committee Member

      Resolved (2016.11.02.28), Damon Ashcraft, Tom Barrett, Eduardo Diaz, Hatmut Glaser, Hans Petter Holen, Zahid Jamil, Dave Kissoondoyal, Osvaldo Novoa, Amir Qayyum, Jörg Schweiger, Ken Stubbs, Stéphane Van Gelder, and Tim Wicinski have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

    9. Thank You to Local Host of ICANN 60 Meeting

      The Board wishes to extend its thanks to H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General of TRA and Abdulrahman Al Marzouqi, Manager Internet Advancements of TRA and the local host organizer, Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of UAE (TRA).

    10. Thank You to Sponsors of ICANN 60 Meeting

      The Board wishes to thank the following sponsors: Verisign, Dyn, Etisalat, Afilias plc, Public Interest Registry, Nominet, Knipp Median und Kommunikation GmbH, dataprovider, Uniregistry, and CentralNic Group PLC.

    11. Thank You to Interpreters, Staff, Event and Hotel Teams of ICANN 60 Meeting

      The Board expresses its deepest appreciation to the scribes, interpreters, audiovisual team, technical teams, and the entire ICANN organization staff for their efforts in facilitating the smooth operation of the meeting.

      The Board would also like to thank the management and staff of ADNEC for providing a wonderful facility to hold this event. Special thanks are extended to Melissa Kronemburg, Manager - Sales (Conference & Congress), Olja Zvizdic, Manager – Conference Planning, Ana Khachfani, Event Sales Manager, Vincent Abella, Catering Event Manager, Abdullah Al Hammed, Director Ancillary Services, Faisal Al Hosani, Manager IT Operations, Ahmad El Daghma, Manager IT Operations and Gilbert Yeo from Pryde Productions.

  2. Main Agenda:

    1. Consideration of .CORP, .HOME, and .MAIL and other Collision Strings

      Whereas, in March 2013, the SSAC issued SAC057: SSAC Advisory on Internal Name Certificates, wherein the SSAC referred to the issue of "name collision" and provided the ICANN Board with steps for mitigating the issue.

      Whereas, on 18 May 2013, the ICANN Board adopted a resolution regarding SAC057, commissioning a study on the use of TLDs that are not currently delegated at the root level of the public DNS in enterprises.

      Whereas, in August 2013, Interisle Consulting Group released a report which looked at historical query traffic and found that .HOME and .CORP were the top two most frequently appearing TLDs in queries.

      Whereas, in August 2013, the ICANN organization, in conjunction with the study, sought broad community participation in the development of a solution, and a draft mitigation plan was published for public comment along with the report by Interisle. The draft mitigation plan cited .HOME and .CORP as high-risk strings, proposing not to delegate these two strings.

      Whereas, on 7 October 2013, the ICANN Board New gTLD Program Committee (NGPC) took a resolution to implement the mitigation plan for managing name collision occurrences as proposed in the "New gTLD Name Collision Occurrence Management Plan."

      Whereas, on 30 July 2014, the ICANN Board New gTLD Program Committee adopted the Name Collision Management Framework. In the Framework, .CORP, .HOME, and .MAIL were noted as high-risk strings whose delegation should be deferred indefinitely.

      Whereas, on 28 October 2015, JAS Global Advisors issued the "Mitigating the Risk of DNS Namespace Collisions (Final Report)." The recommendations in the Final Report were consistent with the recommendations made in the Phase One report.

      Whereas, in 2015, individuals in the IETF DNS Operations (DNSOP) working group wrote an Internet Draft, the first step in developing an RFC, that reserved the CORP, HOME, and MAIL labels from delegation into the top level of the DNS, but the working group and the authors of that draft were unable to reach consensus on the criteria by which labels would be reserved and the effort to create an RFC on the topic was abandoned.

      Whereas, on 24 August 2016, applicants for .CORP, .HOME, and .MAIL sent correspondence to the ICANN Board requesting that "the Board commission a timely examination of mitigation measures that will enable the release of .HOME, .CORP, and .MAIL." On 6 March 2017 [PDF, 239 KB], Akram Atallah, President of the Global Domains Division, provided a response to the 24 August 2016 letter, acknowledging the request and noting that "the topic of name collision continues to be considered by the ICANN Board."

      Whereas, the strings .CORP, .HOME, and .MAIL remain indefinitely on-hold in the New gTLD Program, and the ICANN Board wishes to provide additional clarity to these applicants and the ICANN community on the issue of name collision and high-risk strings.

      Whereas, the de facto use of names in the DNS do not represent an error condition that must be eliminated. Such de facto use is integral to how the Internet works, and cannot be controlled by a single body such as ICANN, the IETF, ISO-3166, or others.

      Whereas, ICANN's mission includes coordinating the allocation and assignment of names in the root zone of the Domain Name System and the development of related policies for which uniform or coordinated resolution is reasonably necessary to facilitate the openness, interoperability, resilience, security and/or stability of the DNS, and thereby manage what strings are allowed into the root zone, resolve collisions in the namespace that involve the root zone, and to coordinate with others who play a role in the namespace that do not involve the root zone.

      Whereas, the effect of name collisions on interoperability, resilience, security and/or stability of the DNS is not fully understood.

      Whereas, the Board's foremost consideration is the potential impact of strings that manifest name collision on Internet users and end systems and the consequent impact on the security and stability of the DNS. The Board has made no determination as to the efficacy or feasibility of potential mitigation mechanisms for Name Collision, and remains focused on minimizing or avoiding risk to the security and stability of the DNS.

      Whereas, the Board believes that the roadmap towards understanding strings that manifest name collisions consists of four steps:

      • Technical study on strings that manifest name collisions;
      • Policy engagement and input from step 1 above into the Policy Development Process;
      • Community engagement and input based on the findings of Steps 1 and 2 above; and
      • Board evaluation of the outputs of Steps 1, 2 and 3 above.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.29), the Board requests the ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee to conduct a study in a thorough and inclusive manner that includes technical experts (such as members of IETF working groups, technical members of the GNSO, and other technologists), to present data, analysis and points of view, and provide advice to the Board regarding the risks posed to users and end systems if .CORP, .HOME, .MAIL strings were to be delegated in the root, as well as possible courses of action that might mitigate the identified risks. The Board charges the Board Technical Committee to act as the Board's liaison to this study and requests the ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee to conduct this study in a timely and organized fashion, with adequate visibility on costs and schedule, which shall be subject to review and approval by the Board.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.30), the Board requests the ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee to conduct a study in a thorough and inclusive manner that includes technical experts (such as members of IETF working groups, technical members of the GNSO, and other technologists), to present data, analysis and points of view and provide advice to the Board on a range of questions that include, but are not limited to, the following:

      (1) a proper definition for name collision and the underlying reasons why strings that manifest name collisions are so heavily used;

      (2) the role that negative answers currently returned from queries to the root for these strings play in the experience of the end user, including in the operation of existing end systems;

      (3) the harm to existing users that may occur if Collision Strings were to be delegated, including harm due to end systems no longer receiving a negative response and additional potential harm if the delegated registry accidentally or purposely exploited subsequent queries from these end systems, and any other types of harm;

      (4) possible courses of action that might mitigate harm;

      (5) factors that affect potential success of the courses of actions to mitigate harm;

      (6) potential residual risks of delegating Collision Strings even after taking actions to mitigate harm;

      (7) suggested criteria for determining whether an undelegated string should be considered a string that manifest name collisions, (i.e.) placed in the category of a Collision String;

      (8) suggested criteria for determining whether a Collision String should not be delegated, and suggested criteria for determining how remove an undelegated string from the list of Collision Strings; and

      (9) measures to protect against intentional or unintentional creation of situations, such as queries for undelegated strings, which might cause such strings to be placed in a Collision String category, and research into risk of possible negative effects, if any, of creation of such a collision string list.

      The Board charges the Board Technical Committee to act as the Board's liaison to this study and requests the ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee to conduct this study in a timely and organized fashion, with adequate visibility on costs and schedule, which shall be subject to review and approval by the Board.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.31), the Board directs the President and CEO, or his designee(s), to provide options for the Board to consider to address the New gTLD Program applications for .CORP, .HOME, and .MAIL by the first available meeting of the Board following the ICANN60 meeting in Abu Dhabi.

      Rationale for Resolutions 2017.11.02.29 – 2017.11.02.31

      In a number of prior actions, the Board has considered the applications for .CORP, .HOME and .MAIL and determined to defer delegation of these names indefinitely because of collisions. A name collision occurs when an attempt to resolve a name used in a private name space (e.g. under a non-delegated Top-Level Domain, or a short, unqualified name) results in a query to the public Domain Name System (DNS). When the administrative boundaries of private and public namespaces overlap, name resolution may yield unintended or harmful results. This class of as-yet undelegated strings is referred to as "Collision Strings." In some cases, the unintended or harmful results of delegating Collision Strings may be considered "high-risk". Example parameters for classifying a Collision String as high risk include: high frequency of appearance in queries to the root servers, the severity of the impact from Collision Strings, the type of DNS requests, the type of user causing the collision (e.g. emergency services, air traffic controllers, etc.), diversity of query source, and appearance in internal name certificates. At this time, the Board is revisiting this matter and determining a more definitive course of action. Accordingly, the Board is taking action to request that the ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee to conduct a thorough study and provide advice to the Board on a range of questions related to Collision Strings that include, but are not limited to, the questions outlined in the Board's resolutions. The Board also is requesting that the SSAC conduct a thorough study and provide advice to the Board regarding the risks posed to users and end systems if .CORP, .HOME, .MAIL strings were to be delegated in the root.

      The Board is requesting the SSAC to conduct these studies in a timely and organized fashion, with adequate visibility on costs and schedule, which shall be subject to review and approval by the Board. Additionally, the studies should be conducted in a thorough and inclusive manner that includes technical experts (such as members of IETF working groups, technical members of the GNSO, and other technologists), to present data, analysis and points of view and provide advice to the Board. The Board Technical Committee will act as the Board's liaison to these studies.

      With respect to the New gTLD Program applications for .CORP, .HOME and MAIL, the Board is directing the ICANN President and CEO to develop potential options for the Board to address these open applications. The Board intends to begin considering the potential options at the next available Board meeting after ICANN60.

      In adopting this resolution, the Board acknowledges that the matter of Collision Strings has been a topic of discussion in various parts of the community over time. The Board also acknowledges that the roadmap towards understanding strings that manifest name collisions will require additional steps beyond the Board's current action as outlined in the resolutions, which includes policy engagement and community engagement and input about the findings from the technical studies.

      In adopting these resolutions, the Board reviewed various materials, including, but not limited to, the following:

      Taking this action is in the public interest as it contributes to the commitment of the ICANN organization to the security, stability and resiliency of the DNS. Taking this action benefits the ICANN community as it will provide transparency and predictability regarding the issue of name collision and high-risk strings. The Board is committed to openness, transparency and community-wide participation and welcomes input from the entire community on this issue.

      This Board action is consistent with ICANN's Mission to coordinate the allocation and assignment of names in the DNS root zone and to coordinate policy development on issues for which uniform or coordinated resolution is reasonably necessary to facilitate the openness, interoperability, resilience, security and/or stability of the DNS. The proposed SSAC study is intended to facilitate the development of policy on Collision Strings to mitigate potential harm to the stability and security of the DNS posed by delegation of such strings.

      The Board's action is not anticipated to have a fiscal impact on ICANN that is not already anticipated in the current budget, but the Board has requested SSAC to provide adequate visibility on costs and schedule for the proposed study, which shall be subject to the Board's review and approval. This resolution is an organizational administrative function for which no public comment is required.

    2. Net Asset Excess Transfer Approval

      Whereas, the Operating Fund includes the funds used for ICANN organization's day-to-day operations and must contain enough funds to cover at a minimum ICANN organization's expected expenditures for three months.

      Whereas, periodically, any funds considered to be in excess should be transferred to the Reserve Fund.

      Whereas, ICANN organization has performed an analysis of the required levels of the Operating Fund and has determined that the balance of the Operating Fund as of 30 June 2017, based on the Audited Financial Statements, contained excess funds.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.32), the Board authorizes the President and CEO, or his designee(s), to transfer US$5,000,000 from the Operating Fund to the Reserve Fund.

      Rationale for Resolution 2017.11.02.32

      As part of ICANN organization's investment policy, the Operating Fund shall contain a level of funds to cover a minimum of three months of ICANN organization's operating expenses, and that any amount determined to be in excess can be transferred to the Reserve Fund.

      The ICANN organization has evaluated the Operating Fund at the end of FY17 on the basis of its Audited Financial Statements, and has determined that excess funds of US$5,000,000 should be transferred to the Reserve Fund.

      This action is in the public interest and consistent with ICANN's mission, as it is important to ensure stability of ICANN organization in the way of a robust Reserve Fund in case use of a Reserve Fund becomes necessary, which in turn would help ICANN fulfill its mission.

      This action will not have a financial impact on ICANN, and will not have any impact on the security, stability or resiliency of the domain name system.

      This decision is an Organizational Administrative function that does not require public comment.

    3. Uniform Board Member Integrity Screening

      Whereas, the Board agrees that the ICANN Community and Organization should expect Board members to hold the highest values of integrity and to uphold the reputation and credibility of the Board as a whole.

      Whereas, there is no uniform practice in place today for conducting screening of Directors and Liaisons selected to the ICANN Board.

      Whereas, the ICANN Nominating Committee has long maintained a practice of conducting, or having conducted, due diligence screening of their selected candidates prior to finalizing selections, including basic compliance screening, public records reviews, criminal records reviews, and reputational reviews. The Address Supporting Organization and the At-Large Community have also adopted this same due diligence screening process as part of their regular Board-member selection procedures.

      Whereas, a screening process as described above is a reliable way to identify negative indicators such as discrepancies on a resume (including licenses, educational history and employment history), or publicly reported issues of financial mismanagement, fraud, harassment and mishandling of confidential information, among other things. With these types of indicators identified prior to a Board being seated, the Community can help uphold the integrity and reputation of ICANN.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.33), the Board directs the President and CEO, or his designee(s), to develop a proposal paper to be posted for public comment; the paper should ask all of ICANN's Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees that do not currently employ a due diligence integrity screening process similar to the Nominating Committee to seriously consider utilizing the same or similar due diligence integrity screening process for both voting Directors and non-voting Liaisons.

      Resolved (2017.11.02.34), the Board directs the President and CEO, or his designee(s), to ensure that ICANN organization facilitates and funds the due diligence integrity screening process for all Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees that choose to utilize the process during future Board-member selection periods.

      Rationale for Resolutions 2017.11.02.33 – 2017.11.02.34

      Because of the ever-increasing scrutiny of the ICANN Board of Directors, relying upon due diligence integrity screening practices in Board member selection – including interviews, reference checks and external due diligence checks – is a good practice towards seating Board members with high levels of integrity. While conducting such diligence cannot prevent future bad acts of Board members, it does give a level of confidence of the integrity of members at the time of seating. It also serves to uphold confidence in ICANN overall, as seating Board members with red flags in their past undermines the integrity and reputation of ICANN as a whole.

      This decision is squarely within the public interest and consistent with ICANN's mission as it is imperative that selected Board members can perform their fiduciary and general obligations of service, and are capable of upholding the reputation and credibility of the Board, ICANN organization and the Community, along with being capable and committed to taking actions that are consistent with ICANN's Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation.

      There is a fiscal impact to this decision, as there is a cost to each external due diligence integrity screening conducted. The Board anticipates that ICANN organization will facilitate and fund these screenings without negative impact on any of the budgets of the selecting entities. There is also a resource impact to this decision, as all selecting entities will need to build in time for a review to conclude prior to finalizing their selection process.

      This decision should not have any negative impact on the security, stability or resiliency of the domain name system.

      This is an Organizational Administrative Decision that does not require public comment.

    4. Thank You to Thomas Schneider for his service to the ICANN Board

      Whereas, Thomas Schneider was appointed by the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) to serve as a liaison to the ICANN Board on 16 October 2014.

      Whereas, Thomas Schneider concludes his term on the ICANN Board on 2 November 2017.

      Whereas, Thomas served as a liaison member of the following Committee:

      • New gTLD Program Committee

      Resolved (2017.11.02.35), Thomas Schneider has earned the deep appreciation of the Board for his term of service, and the Board wishes him well in his future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

    5. Thank You to Markus Kummer for his service to the ICANN Board

      Whereas, Markus Kummer was appointed to serve by the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) to serve as a member of the ICANN Board on 16 October 2014.

      Whereas, Markus concludes his term on the ICANN Board on 2 November 2017.

      Whereas, Markus has served as a member of the following Committees and Working Groups:

      • Accountability Mechanisms Committee
      • Finance Committee
      • Governance Committee
      • Organizational Effectiveness Committee
      • New gTLD Program Committee
      • Board-GAC Recommendation Implementation Working Group – Co-chair
      • Board Working Group on Internet Governance – Chair
      • ICANN Board Liaison to the Work Stream 2 Subgroup on Human Rights, for the Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability

      Resolved (2017.11.02.36), Markus has earned the deep appreciation of the Board for his term of service, and the Board wishes him well in his future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

    6. Thank You to Asha Hemrajani for her service to the ICANN Board

      Whereas, Asha Hemrajani was appointed by the Nominating Committee to serve as a member of the ICANN Board on 16 October 2014.

      Whereas, Asha concludes her term on the ICANN Board on 2 November 2017.

      Whereas, Asha served as a member of the following ICANN Board Committees and Working Groups:

      • Accountability Mechanisms Committee
      • Audit Committee
      • Finance Committee - Chair
      • Governance Committee
      • New gTLD Program Committee
      • ICANN Board Liaison to the Cross Community Working Group on New gTLD Auction Proceeds
      • ICANN Board Liaison to the Work Stream 2 Subgroup on Ombudsman, for the Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability

      Resolved (2017.11.02.37), Asha Hemrajani has earned the deep appreciation of the Board for her term of service, and the Board wishes her well in her future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

    7. Thank You to Rinalia Abdul Rahim for her service to the ICANN Board

      Whereas, Rinalia Abdul Rahim was appointed by the At-Large Community to serve as a member of the ICANN Board on 16 October 2014.

      Whereas, Rinalia concludes her term on the ICANN Board on 2 November 2017.

      Whereas, Rinalia has served as a member of the following Committees and Working Groups:

      • Accountability Mechanisms Committee
      • Governance Committee
      • Organizational Effectiveness Committee – Chair
      • New gTLD Program Committee
      • Risk Committee
      • Board IDN Variant Working Group
      • Board Working Group on Registration Directory Services
      • Board Working Group on Internet Governance
      • ICANN Board Liaison to the Work Stream 2 Subgroup on SO/AC Accountability, for the Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability

      Resolved (2017.11.02.38), Rinalia Abdul Rahim has earned the deep appreciation of the Board for her term of service, and the Board wishes her well in her future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

    8. Thank You to Steve Crocker for his service to the ICANN Board

      Whereas, Steve Crocker was appointed by the Security and Stability Advisory Committee to serve as a liaison to the ICANN Board in 2003.

      Whereas, Steve Crocker concluded his term as SSAC liaison to the ICANN Board in November 2008, and was appointed by the Nominating Committee on 7 November 2008 to serve as a member of the ICANN Board.

      Whereas, Steve Crocker was elected to serve as Vice-Chair of the ICANN Board on 10 December 2010.

      Whereas, Steve Crocker was elected to serve as Chair of the ICANN Board on 28 October 2011.

      Whereas, Steve Crocker concluded his role as Chair and his term on the ICANN Board on 2 November 2017.

      Whereas, Steve served as a member of the following Committees:

      • Audit Committee
      • Compensation Committee
      • Executive Committee – Chair
      • Finance Committee
      • Governance Committee
      • IANA Committee
      • New gTLD Program Committee
      • Risk Committee
      • Board Working Group on Registration Data Directory Services

      Resolved (2017.11.02.39), Steve Crocker has earned the deep appreciation of the Board for his term of service, and the Board wishes him well in his future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

    9. AOB

Published on 2 November 2017


1 See https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/board-advice-status-report-pdf-30sep17-en.pdf [PDF, 908 KB].