back to article Months after it ordered a review into allegations of mismanagement, how's that ICANN accountability drive?

Nine months ago – and just weeks before the US government handed it control of the critical parts of the internet – California-based DNS overlord ICANN was hit by just the latest in a decade-long series of scandals. This time, an independent review concluded that the organization's board had not only broken its bylaws but that …

  1. WatAWorld

    FIFA, I mean ICANN

    I have no doubt that in the fullness of geological time, ICANN will begin a preliminary analysis process.

    If not in the fullness of geological time, then the fullness of cosmological time.

    Have faith in the system -- the preliminary analysis will be complete before the heat death of the universe.

    1. Nick Ryan Silver badge

      Re: FIFA, I mean ICANN

      In the age of negative press it's delightful to come across something thinking positively. So rare these days...

  2. Ole Juul

    Sue the bastards

    There is no point in trying to talk with ICANN. Don't feed the trolls.

    1. Yes Me Silver badge
      Unhappy

      Re: Sue the bastards

      What you're overlooking is that many registrars seeking new TLDs (and I am not mentioning any specific registrars, for good reason) are themselves either moneygrubbing bastards already or wannabes. No new TLDs are actually necessary, so all of this carry-on is just an attempt to extract monopoly rents from thin air. Sue, counter-sue, whatever, it's only the lawyers and banks who win in the end. I hope everybody comes to their senses soon, but I'm not optimistic.

      1. Ole Juul

        Re: Sue the bastards

        I totally agree with you. But I'm not overlooking anything. My title is a common meme and an old expression. Looks like you took it literally. :) My point is that you won't get ICANN's attention by talking to them.

  3. Patched Out
    Thumb Up

    Accountability Drive?

    ... More like Improbability Drive.

    Tip of the hat to Douglas Adams. Icon because.

    1. Alan Brown Silver badge

      Re: Accountability Drive?

      Actually it's more like Bistromathics with enhanced "chancer" factor.

  4. Andy The Hat Silver badge
    Happy

    What's the problem Sir?

    Well Doctor, every time I try to speak nothing meaningful comes out. I think it's because of disspain causing issues ...

  5. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    "The review will complete as soon as practicable"

    Anyone who knows ICANN-speak knows that this means : NEVER.

    ICANN is specialized in using common words that mean something to Joe Public, but the intended meaning is anything but. Here is a lexicon :

    under review : we are thinking about starting to look into it

    addressing uncertainty : we'll invent something that sounds serious

    as soon as practicable : when everyone involved has gotten Alzheimer's

    will promptly consider : as soon as you're all dead

  6. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge

    Kiss your domain name value goodbye

    One of the responsibilities of ICANN is protecting the integrity of registrars and certain top level domains. They seem to be dumbing down their enforcement staff recently. An increasing number of the fraud complaints that I send in are rejected because they are investigated by somebody who doesn't seem to have any Internet knowledge, except for maybe a one page glossary taped to their computer monitor.

    What this means to businesses is that those premium .com, .net, and .org TLDs aren't as premium any more. The oversight that keeps them from being another .cn, .ru, or .ro trash heap isn't there. It also means that defense against domain name hijacking is likely to become a lot more difficult too.

  7. ma1010
    Joke

    And this just in...

    "In order to improve public trust and transparency, ICANN announced the appointment of Benoît Battistelli, well-known had of the European Patent Office, to its board."

  8. JBaxter

    BGC requested research in Oct 2016

    I thought it was worth pointing out that the BGC asked for the EIU's research materials in October 2016, as noted in the minutes of the Oct 18 BGC meeting (https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/minutes-bgc-2016-10-18-en).

    It is unclear if these materials have been delivered by the EIU, who has had visibility to the materials since they were delivered, and why the BGC has yet to look at the research since asking for it almost 7 months ago. Hopefully more will be communicated very soon.

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