[Chapter-delegates] [SEEKING VIEWS] ISOC letter to ICANN re: DNS security and DNS CERT proposal

[Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond]

Dear Bill,

Le 31/03/2010 22:33, Bill Graham a écrit :

> Also, at the recent Nairobi meeting, ICANN President and CEO Rod
> Beckstrom made a statement to the GAC about the state of DNS Security,
> where he said (in part):
>
> "What I want to share with you as representatives of many Governments
> of the world is that the DNS is under attack today as it has never
> been before... The DNS is more fragile and vulnerable today than it
> has ever been and it could stop at any given point in time,
> literally...."
>
> Attached is a letter that ISOC is proposing to send to the ICANN Board
> to express concern about these developments.  I think you will find it
> self explanatory.  While we are supporters of ICANN, and work closely
> with them on a broad range of issues, as friends we feel it is
> important to speak plainly when we think there are things they should
> consider more carefully in their work.  The attached draft is meant in
> a spirit of constructive and collegial comment.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to comment.
I think that a letter from ISOC is definitely a good thing. Nonetheless,
I should recommend that Rod Beckstrom's words, quoted in the letter as

"During the Nairobi ICANN meeting,
statements were made that the Internet is under attack as never before;
yet the facts
to substantiate that statement have not yet been made available to the
community."

...are actually attributed to him without prejudice. If those words had
been echoed by the Board & various constituencies, I might be inclined
to suggest keeping the ISOC letter as it is.

Attributing the quote to Mr. Beckstrom himself, engages his own
responsibility and avoids possible wider insinuations that the Board &
constituencies were the source of this comment.
A small personal "faux-pas" is easier to explain and less significant
than a community-developed consensus-based document from the base.

Warm regards,

Olivier

-- 
Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond, PhD
http://www.gih.com/ocl.html