<nettime> Statement: Oppose Lynn's proposals (ICANN)

[toshimaru ogura <ogr@nsknet.or.jp>]

Dear all,

JCA-NET, NaST and some other groups in Japan announce following
statement against Lynn's proposals. This statement is focused on the
ICANN process relate to broad Internet users' concerning including not
only ICT NGOs but also various groups and individuals involved in
actions of human rights, civil rights, civil liberty and
anti-globalization from above who use the Internet as indispensable
tools for their own activity.

Please forward freely, and if you can sign in the statement, please
let me know your name and organization. 

Toshimaru Ogura (JCA-NET/NaST)
mail to: toshi@jca.apc.org

regards,
toshi

===================================================== 
Statement: We strongly oppose Lynn's proposals for changing the ICANN
governance structures.

March 11, 2002

On February 24, ICANN president Stuart Lynn issued a report calling for 
drastic restructuring of ICANN governance. We are issuing this statement in 
opposition to this report. The report wipes out all the efforts made over 
the last couple of years to realize a global democracy on ICANN issues, 
independent from the interests of national governments. Using the excuse 
that the first priority must be given to effectiveness of decision making, 
Lynn's report removes representation for individual Internet users and 
hands their ICANN Board seats over to a few governments.

If ICANN accepts the Lynn proposals and gives strong authority to a
handful of governments it will lock individual users and civil society
interests out of the ICANN process. Domain name and IP adress that are
infrastructure of information and communication technology of the
Internet are managed by ICANN. It is very difficult to put ICANN
process above mission into practice democratically through present
national governments. Therefore ICANN will become the same as other
multinational organizations such as the WTO/IMF/WB. As a result, a few
large countries and big business will have priority and Internet
governance will become directed towards serving their political and
military purposes.

"The driving notion at the time of ICANN's creation was consensus", Lynn's 
report says, "it is clear to me that the driving notion today, with the 
renewed focus precipitated by the events of 9/11, must be effectiveness. 
Like any institution with responsibility for key infrastructure, ICANN must 
be able to act when needed."

It is clear that "effectiveness" here does not mean an economic one, but a 
political and military effectiveness. In aiming to bring this about the 
report proposes to abandon the whole idea of governance by consensus. The 
Internet infrastructure is to be exploited for war and emergency purposes 
by certain countries and freedom and privacy of Internet communications are 
ignored.

The right to communicate is a basic human right. Internet governance should 
guarantee this right as its first priority. In no case should public 
infrastructure and technological architecture infringe on this. But Lynn's 
report takes the wrong standpoint that certain national interests must be 
placed above this right to communicate.

The global development of the Internet has supported free communication by 
ordinary people and assisted the people's struggle against the brutalities 
of globalization. The changes of Internet governance proposed in Lynn's 
report will seriously damage people's global communication and, as a 
result, will also adversely affect anti-globalization movements.

The ICANN board must reject the removal of consensus and democratic
procedures called for in Lynn's report. We call for the ICANN Board to
make clear its position on the following questions:

1. It must make clear that it does not intend to change the ICANN 
structures along the lines of Lynn's proposals. 

2. The ICANN board should give an account of any discussions it has had on 
the report.

3. It should give an account of any discussions that have taken place with 
the US and other governments concerning the report.

===============
*Proposers
JCA-NET
 3-21 Kandanishiki-cho Chiyoda-ku
 Tokyo 1002-0054
 phone 81-3-3291-2875
 fax   81-3-3291-2876
Networkers against Surveillance Taskforce(NaST, member of NCDNHC)
 priv-ec@jca.apc.org

*Contact person
Toshimaru Ogura (JCA-NET/NaST)
toshi@jca.apc.org

*Organaizations and individuals that approve
(The names not in order)
**organizations
Labornet Japan
ATTACK JAPAN
People's Plan Study Group
Anti-Monitoring/Surveillance Network
Concerned steering members of the People's Media Network 

**individuals
Jun Oenoki(Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Tokyo Keizai University)
Kunimitsu Moriya(Free International University Japan)
Akira Matsubara (Labornet Japan)
Izumi Aizu
Yukihiro Yasuda (freelance writer)
Tadakazu Fukutomi (journalist, media producer)
Hiroki Azuma (critic)
Ryuta Itagaki (The Network against The Politics of National Symbols (NAPONS))
Yukihiko Yoshida (Keio University, Graduate School, DanceMailingList moderator)
Seiko Hanochi (Center for International and Security Studies (Canada))
Takashi Shiraishi (Privacy Action)
Yukio Kurihara (editor)
Yutaka Saburi (Chiba Jr. College)
Hisashi Murata (Kitakyushu Kawara-Ban)
Kyohei Imai (journalist, the representative of "Citizens' Association
            to Stop the Execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal")
Taguchi, Yuichiro (Associate Professor of Mathematics Graduate School
                  of Mathematics Kyushu University)
Tadao Ouchi (Denki Tsushin Sangyo Roudoukumiai(Telecommunication
            Industry Labor Union), chair of executive committee)
Masayoshi Ogawa (Denki Tsushin Sangyo Roudoukumiai(Telecommunication
                Industry Labor Union), member of executive committee)
Yayori Matsui (Chairperson of Violence Against Women in War Network
               Japan (VAWW-NET Japan))
Makoto Hibino（Queer activist）
Tsuyoshi Okada (editorial committee of "Hahei Check (Checking Sending Troops)")
Domatsu Katsunori (Urgent Campaign against Japan-Korea Investment
                  Agreement)
Tomio Tsunoda (National Network for Realizing Retrail of Yokohama Case)
Tosio Miyazaki (Civil Action Network for 'Break! the Basic Resident Registers')
Eiji Yoshimura (Japan Consumers Union)
(As of March 11, 2002)

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