“Plenty” of work left in ICANN accountability process

An ICANN adviser has warned the organisation’s stakeholder groups that there is “plenty of work to be done” on assessing its accountability.

After the US government said it will walk away from its contract with ICANN, the organisation wants to review its accountability to see whether it might be strengthened.

A comment period seeking the public’s views was open between May 6 and June 27, attracting 49 responses. ICANN staff are reviewing them and preparing the next steps for the process.

In a blog post dated July 30, Theresa Swinehart, senior adviser to the ICANN president on strategy, said there is “plenty of work to be done in an ambitious period of time”.

“I'd like to encourage all individuals in the community, as the real drivers and owners of this process, to reach out to their communities in the coming weeks and months and engage in the ongoing dialogues to ensure that everyone's voice is heard and taken into account,” she said.

“The most critical element of this process is trust and alignment. To ensure success on this accountability track, we must as a community work closely together to make sure that the final process is meaningful,” she added.

The Intellectual Property Constituency is one of several official bodies at ICANN, while the Brand Registry Group, which represents companies running .brand gTLD registries, wants to be recognised as an “essential” stakeholder.