IP multicast network Ark Mediacom won't use the Mediacom name and will hand over the domain arkmediacom.tv to Mediacom Communications, under a docket 19-cv-00753 settlement Monday (in Pacer) with the cable ISP, signed by U.S. District Judge Brenda Sannes of Syracuse. Mediacom sued (in Pacer) Ark Mediacom in June alleging trademark infringement and cybersquatting.
Google’s plan to “implement encrypted Domain Name System lookups into its Chrome browser and Android operating system” could massively interfere with “critical internet functions,” telecom groups wrote Congress Thursday. NCTA, CTIA and USTelecom signed the letters to the Commerce, Judiciary and Homeland Security committees in both chambers. Google plans to implement the change through “a new protocol for wireline and wireless service, known as DNS over HTTPS (DoH),” they wrote. “If not coordinated with others in the internet ecosystem, this could interfere on a mass scale with critical internet functions, as well as raise data competition issues.” Google didn’t comment.
ICANN will audit registrars for possible domain name system security threats, after publication of a report on how well registries are addressing such concerns, it said Tuesday. Under agreements with ICANN, registry operators must periodically assess whether domains in their generic top-level domains (gTLD) are being used to perpetrate security threats such as phishing, malware and botnets. Registries must keep statistical reports on threats identified and actions taken to counter them. The November-June audit said most registries "undertake significant efforts” to address DNS security, going beyond obligations. The prevalence of DNS security threats is "concentrated in a relatively small number" of registries, and the frequency of abuse appears to be lower in some types of new gTLDs, it said. The audit said "dialogue between Registries and ICANN org is needed to develop a shared understanding" of registry obligations. About 5 percent of audited registries subject to the contract provision failed to perform any monitoring despite having domains registered in their gTLDs, with threat remediation needed, it said.
ICANN wants input on how to improve its multistakeholder model. Tuesday's consultation, which closes Oct. 14, seeks comment on what next steps would improve effectiveness. The exercise will lead to the development of a work plan, which will map the work to be done 2021-2025, and will consider: What issues will be addressed; who will take charge of developing a solution or approach to each issue; when the task owner will deliver a proposed solution/approach; and what resources will be needed. The completed plan will be part of ICANN's five-year operating plan, due out for comment next year. ICANN will host a Sept. 11-12 webinar on the consultation document. Issues under discussion include work prioritization; efficient use of resources; culture and trust; and improving openness, inclusivity, accountability and transparency.
Domain registry Neustar will run the .us domain for another 10 years, NTIA said Wednesday. The new contract, which begins Aug. 29, will be at no cost to the government. The .us country-code domain has over 2 million names under management.
ICANN wants input on policy recommendations for protecting domain name acronyms used by international governmental (IGOs) and non-governmental organizations (INGOs). IGOs want a system that would allow them to protect and challenge misuse of their identifiers (see 1810240001). Domain names protected by international treaties rather than trademark law, such as those for the World Health Organization or UN, can't use ICANN mechanisms such as the uniform dispute resolution policy. The Generic Names Supporting Organization Council just approved recommendations for addressing the problem, ICANN noted Friday. They include: (1) No substantive changes to existing rights protection mechanisms for INGOs. (2) No specific new dispute resolution procedures for IGOs. (3) Clarified policy guidance for IGOs filing complaints under the existing process. Comments are due Aug. 20.
Domain name registries and registrars had until Monday to comply with a new policy for collecting registrants' data that aligns with the EU general data protection regulation (GDPR), ICANN said. Under the interim registration data policy approved May 15, "contracted parties" must continue to put adopt processes consistent with the temporary spec for gTLD registration data, which expired Monday. Once ICANN publishes a registration data policy and formally notifies the contracted parties, they will have the option of using the interim policy, the registration data policy or a mix of both as they prepare for the effective date of the registration data policy, which hasn't yet been set. In the final stage of the process, registries and registrars will have to comply with the registration data policy as of its effective date, which ICANN's expedited policy development process (EPDP) team recommended to be Feb. 29. The board approved most EPDP recommendations, sending two for more consultation with the Generic Names Supporting Organization. In a May 3 letter to ICANN President Goran Marby, the European Commission noted it has "constantly urged" ICANN to come up with a unified model for granting access to registrants' nonpublic personal data to those with a legitimate interest or other legal basis for having the information under the GDPR. Distinguishing between ICANN's purposes for processing personal data and the purposes pursued by third parties such as law enforcement agencies for accessing the data is key, it said.
ICANN's human rights performance is good but could be even better, an internal assessment of its business operations found. Its first human rights impact assessment examined human resources, event planning, procurement and security operations from February to June 2018 through document reviews, interviews with managers, onsite visits and an online staff survey. Overall, the report said, ICANN's processes and policies "cover important human rights issues such as health and safety, non-discrimination, access to remedy, data privacy and working hours and leaves." The physical safety of staffers and event participants is ensured through professionally managed security operations; and public meetings contribute to local economies financially and by providing knowledge and expertise. But the internet body could improve in all four areas by, among other things, establishing better processes to ensure that employees are treated fairly and equally; creating better internal grievance mechanisms and complaint investigation processes; managing human rights risks in the supply chain; and ensuring effective management of human rights considerations in the running of ICANN public meetings. In the year since the review was conducted, ICANN has already made some of the recommended improvements and is working on others, while some weren't suitable to the organization, it said. Chief Operating Office Susanna Bennett will head a team tasked with evaluating and prioritizing relevant recommendations so they can be adopted into ICANN's business culture.
A draft technical model for granting access to nonpublic Whois data is being finalized and will be sent to the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) to see if it shifts legal liability away from registries and registrars that provide access to domain name registration information, ICANN President Goran Marby blogged. With its temporary spec for generic top-level domain registration data expiring May 20, ICANN wants to ensure that it has a policy in place to comply with the EU general data protection regulation, he said. Comments on a final policy report on the issues are due April 17, after which additional questions will be posed to privacy regulators. ICANN directors will then consider the policy recommendations and the organization will publish its questions to the EDPB. The policy team's work now moves to its second phase, which includes creating a standard mechanism for access to nonpublic gTLD registration data, Marby said Friday.
NTIA and the Food and Drug Administration are partnering with domain name industry groups “to curb online availability and sales of illegal opioids,” Administrator David Redl blogged Wednesday. Neustar, which manages .us domains, announced it will “step up enforcement of those who violate its existing ban on the sale or distribution of illegal opioids,” Redl wrote. The FDA and NTIA also will work with Verisign and Public Interest Registry, which respectively manage .com and .org domains.