Re: [atlarge-discuss] CYBER-FED No.15: The User Voice in Internet Governance -- ICANNatlarge.org

["Hans Klein" <hans.klein@pubpolicy.gatech.edu>]

At 04:19 PM 10/26/2002 -0400, James Love wrote:
>You might add that he also appointed himeself the entire committee
>and chair of the web and bylaws working group, to add to his quite
>impressively authority in the group, which now apparently allows him
>to do whatever he wants as long as there are not votes to stop him.

This is simply false.

- Hans




> Hans Klein wrote:
>
> > Shanghai
> > =======
> > At the ICANN meeting in Shanghai, ICANNatlarge.org has organized a users 
> > forum.  This event will be a focal point for users, civil society
>     Was this every approved by the elected panel?
>
> > The second type of organization claiming to speak for users is a top-down 
> > entity, much like a company union.  As ICANN eliminates user 
> > representation from its board, it is likely to create a compliant user 
> > organization.  The board will soon decide whether to create an "At Large 
> > Advisory Committee" (ALAC) to replace the nine At Large Directors.  Much 
> > like a company union, the ALAC will represent those user views that are 
> > acceptable to the board.
> > The third type of organization is ICANNatlarge.org.  It is open and 
> > inclusive, but unlike the company union model it will not conform to 
> > externally-imposed parameters.  Although more likely to serve as a forum 
> > than as a united voice, it can facilitate the process whereby users work 
> > out a collective voice
>     Of course, one could ask for icannatlarge.org to provide some best 
> practices for transparency and decision making, rather than an acting 
> chair just announcing policies without bothering to get panel approval, 
> and ignoring inplace structures or decisions on how to make decisions.
>
>
>
> > Culmination of Effort
> > ================
> > ICANNatlarge.org is the latest step in a series of efforts.  The first 
> > effort to create a united users voice was at ICANN's 2000 meeting in 
> > Yokohama, where user representatives launched the Civil Society Internet 
> > Forum (www.CSIF.net).  The CSIF played an important role in publicizing a 
> > collective "Civil Society Platform" for the 2000 elections.  Nearly all 
> > elected At Large Directors in year 2000 supported that platform.
> > However, the initial enthusiasm of the organizers led them to diffuse 
> > their energies to all global issues.  As its focus expanded to issues 
> > like privacy law in various countries, its attention to ICANN declined.
> > A second attempt at a users organization was ICANNmembers.org, which was 
> > led by the Interim Coordinating Committee (ICC).  That organization made 
> > its appearance at the ICANN Annual Meeting in Marina del Rey in October 
> > 2000.  The ICC brought together many of the leading candidates from the 
> > At Large elections.  However, it lost momentum as many of its members 
> > dedicated their energies to the NGO and Academic Internet Study (NAIS).
> > A third attempt to create a user voice in 2002 was more along the lines 
> > of a company union.  Some participants of the ICANN-commissioned At Large 
> > Study Committee (ALSC, led by Sweden's Karl Bildt) attempted to launch a 
> > new user organization called "ICANNatlarge.com."  This top-down effort 
> > failed to assemble a compliant membership, and eventually the founders 
> > left to start a new effort.  ICANNatlarge.com evolved into today's 
> > ICANNatlarge.org.
> > ICANNatlarge.org is an authentic bottom-up organization.  It is still 
> > solidifying its internal organization and finalizing a mission statement 
> > and bylaws.  It is also improving its ability to make closure on 
> > discussions and to reach collective decisions.  At Shanghai it is proving 
> > its ability to serve a vital purpose: to host a general users forum.  It 
> > makes the voice of the user a reality.
> > [Note: the author currently serves as "Acting Chair" of ICANNatlarge.org. 
> > However, the views expressed here are solely his own.]
>    You might add that he also appointed himeself the entire committee and 
> chair of the web and bylaws working group, to add to his quite 
> impressively authority in the group, which  now apparently allows him to 
> do whatever he wants as long as there are not votes to stop him.
>
>
> > ICANNatlarge.org can also be accessed via http://www.icannatlarge.com/
> >
> > =========================================================
> > CYBER-FEDERALIST is a series of analyses and commentaries
> > on Internet governance and ICANN produced by the
> > Civil Society Democracy Project (CivSoc) of
> > Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR).
> > See:
> >     http://www.cyber-federalist.org (archive)
> >     http://www.civsoc.org
> >     http://www.cpsr.org
> > The author of the CYBER-FEDERALIST is Hans Klein.
> > Subscribe to the CYBER-FEDERALIST!
> > Send an Email to: cyber-federalist-subscribe@cpsr.org
> > =========================================================
> > ###
> >
> >
> >
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>
> --
> ------
> James Love, Consumer Project on Technology
> http://www.cptech.org, mailto:love@cptech.org
> voice: 1.202.387.8030; mobile 1.202.361.3040

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