Domains (generic) -- gTLDs

The following video was released by ICANN on Thursday 19 March, one week after it has taken its application system for new Internet extensions offline. A full transcript appears below the video.

Brad White (BW), ICANN Director of Media Affairs: Jeff, you're ICANN's Chief Security Officer. You were brought in to look at this glitch in the new gTLD application system, to see if it was in anyway connected with hacking or a cyber attack. What did you determine?

Jeff Moss (JM), ICANN Chief Security Officer: We didn't find anything. So we analyzed all the logs and looked at any other indicators that might suggest an intrusion, unusual activity, network activity. We didn't find anything.

BW: So at this point, no indication of that?

JM: Correct.

BW: Why did you take the system offline?

For an organization that repeatedly promises to improve its accountability and transparency, ICANN remains dangerously comfortable with providing only the barest details of a crucial software failure it suffered this week.

Literally the day that it was due to close applications on its flagship program to create potentially thousands of new Internet extensions, the organization announced it was suspending its online application system due to "unusual behavior".

Since then the company's COO Akram Atallah has put out a daily update. Other than these few short paragraphs of basic detail, however, the organization has refused to provide any further information, despite global negative coverage.

Coordinator: The recording has now started. Please go ahead.

Glen de Saint Gery: Thank you very much. I'll do the roll call for you, Stéphane.

Stéphane van Gelder: Thanks.

Glen de Saint Gery: Good morning, good afternoon, good evening everyone. This is the Council call on the 12th of April. Jeff Neuman.

Jeff Neuman: Present.

Glen de Saint Gery: Ching Chiao.

Ching Chiao: I’m here.

Glen de Saint Gery: Jonathan Robinson. Mason Cole.

Mason Cole: Here.

Glen de Saint Gery: Stéphane van Gelder.

Stéphane van Gelder: Yes.

Glen de Saint Gery: Thomas Rickert.

Thomas Rickert: Present.

Glen de Saint Gery: We have apologies from Yoav Keren and he has given his proxy to Stéphane van Gelder.

Zahid Jamil.

Zahid Jamil: Here.

Glen de Saint Gery: John Berard.

John Berard: Here.

There are two ways to handle a situation where your computer system may have been hacked.

You can start from the worst case scenario, investigate, and work backwards - this is the process that most companies (with the notable exception of Apple) have learnt from experience is the best way to go.

Alternatively, you can assume the best, investigate, and be forced to constantly re-evaluate how bad the situation really is. This is the approach that inexperienced companies take, and it is the one that ICANN is following with the news that there has been "unusual behavior" in its application system for new gTLDs.

The glitch couldn't have happened at a worse time. The organization was just about to close applications for its flagship program and that same day it had received mainstream media coverage, putting a spotlight on it.

And what it says about the organization that it didn't

Last week ICANN approved its "digital archery" plan for splitting up new gTLD applicants into batches.

With between 1,000 and 1,500 applications expected, the batching process is going to be incredibly important, especially since, as one commentator has pointed out with some frustration, ICANN has given no indication of the time gap between batch processing.

If we take the assumption that it will be six months between batches (likely since ICANN has already agreed it will not add more than 1,000 extensions per year) - that means if you are in the third batch, your competitors will have a 12-month headstart. And that could mean the difference between success and failure.

Filthy with cash from incoming new gTLD applications, ICANN is secretly working on a new “penthouse-level domains” project.

The program, detailed in leaked emails [pdf] between senior ICANN executives, will open up the space to the right of the final, overlooked dot in a fully-qualified domain name.

The new “pLD” project will allow brand owners, for example, to apply to run a domain name to the right of their newly acquired dot-brand gTLD, creating new marketing opportunities. Penthouse-level domains are believed to be the brainchild of outgoing CEO Rod Beckstrom.

“I figured I may as well torpedo the whole joint on my way out,” he said, stuffing ICANN’s air-conditioning system with three-day-old sushi.

Officially, ICANN expects the program to be warmly welcomed by the trademark community. “The most common complaint we hear from dot-brand gTLD applicants is that they have no idea what to put at the second level,” said ICANN spin doctor Brad White.

Shoot

ICANN has formally approved a process for deciding which applications for new Internet extensions will be given priority.

The "digital archery" approach was approved at a special Board meeting last week with details released late Friday. It follows the approach outlined by ICANN staff a fortnight ago at the organization's meeting in Costa Rica - where it was met with significant criticism.

File, sorry, fire when ready

If there are "significantly more" than 500 applications for new gTLDs, ICANN will break applications into batches of 500. It is widely expected there will be between 1,000 and 1,500 applications, and consequently three different groups of applications.

KURT PRITZ: Good morning, everybody. Can we take seats? Thank you for giving some of your valuable time to come to this session on the progress made in the implementation of rights protection mechanisms. We hope it's informative. You'll have the ability to ask questions at the end. It will describe work that's occurred in preparation for the launch of the new gTLDs and the implementation of the rights protection mechanisms and the work that's going to occur. Specifically, we're going to discuss the implementation of the Trademark Clearinghouse, which includes a trademark validation service and also database administration service and provides Sunrise and IP claim services for new registries; the Uniform Rapid Suspension system, which is a rapid take-down process. And, finally, we're starting with esoteric acronyms that almost exceed the ICANN limit for letter number. But Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Process, which is a remedy for those seeking a remedy directly against new registries rather than individual registrants that's operated under very careful standards.