[bestbits] Quelle Suprise! ICANN’s Accountability Plan Gives ICANN Board Total Control

[Robin Gross]

Here's my evaluation of ICANN's recently announced plan to address the accountability crisis at the organization.

Thanks,
Robin
http://ipjustice.org/wp/2014/08/21/quelle-suprise-icann’s-accountability-plan-gives-icann-board-total-control-icann-limits-accountability-improvement-measures-to-toothless-self-policing/

Quelle Suprise!  ICANN’s Accountability Plan Gives ICANN Board Total Control

ICANN Limits Accountability Improvement Measures to Toothless Self-Policing

By Robin Gross

I.  ICANN’s So-Called “Enhancing Accountability” Process

After a long wait, ICANN’s senior management finally released its plan for “Enhancing Accountability” at the private California corporation that makes global Internet domain name policy.  Unfortunately, the accountability deficit crisis created by ICANN’s longstanding policy of purely “self-policing” with no meaningful external accountability mechanisms will not be solved by this weak plan for more self-policing. 

Perhaps telling was the organization’s initial and consistent framing of the issue as “maintaining” accountability beyond the end of the US Government’s stewardship role, rather than acknowledging that this effort was in response to widespread community outcry expressing major dissatisfaction with ICANN’s inadequate existing accountability measures.

Conflict of Interest Disregarded by ICANN in Formulation of Plan

Many organizations and individuals commented online and during the London ICANN #50 meeting about the inherent conflict of interest with respect to an organization that proposes to manage the process that could reveal the organization’s accountability shortcomings and thus not always show the organization in its best light if the process is rigorously pursued.  Rather than heed the numerous cautions from the community regarding ICANN’s conflict of interest in attempting to design the process to hold itself accountable, ICANN plans to be in charge of every key element of the process.

Irregular Process Employed in Development of ICANN Plan