Domain name abuse, a tussle between Amazon and two national governments, and data protection/privacy were among key topics set for discussion at the ICANN meeting in Abu Dhabi, said ICANN and stakeholders. The meeting was to begin Saturday and run through Friday. A research paper by the Internet Governance Project (IGP) seeks to spur debate on how the internet body and the domain name system (DNS) should deal with content regulation, said Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy researcher Brenden Kuerbis. The ICANN board is likely to act on a long-running dispute over Amazon's application for a .Amazon generic top-level domain (gTLD), Allen & Overy (London) intellectual property attorney David Stone posted on the firm's Digital Hub. And there will be talks on ICANN efforts to comply with new EU data protection rules effective next year.
Dugie Standeford
Dugie Standeford, European Correspondent, Communications Daily and Privacy Daily, is a former lawyer. She joined Warren Communications News in 2000 to report on internet policy and regulation. In 2003 she moved to the U.K. and since then has covered European telecommunications issues. She previously covered the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and intellectual property law matters. She has a degree in psychology from Duke University and a law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
Talks on a treaty updating broadcasting protections against signal piracy resume next month in the World Intellectual Property Organization but, to broadcasters' disappointment, there's no date for a diplomatic conference, European Broadcasting Union Head-Intellectual Property Heijo Ruijsenaars told us. The Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) has been negotiating the treaty for years, but agreement on several key issues remains elusive, he and other participants said.
European telcos and alternative players disagree on whether EU antitrust rules should extend to enable access to competitors in so-called "joint dominance" situations, where either communications providers are actively colluding or where they aren't but the market is dominated by a small number of players. The standoff arose in the context of the European Commission's proposed electronic communications code (ECC), working its way through EU institutions. The European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) and one European Parliament committee want national regulatory authorities (NRAs) to be able to address joint dominance. Network operators and the EC say extending regulatory powers beyond the current "significant market power" (SMP) analysis would hurt investment and competition.
Privacy Shield is working well but needs improvement, the European Commission said in its inaugural review of the trans-Atlantic agreement for protecting Europeans' personal data held in the U.S. By signing the pact with the U.S., the EC took on part of the responsibility for what happens with Europeans' private data on American soil, so it's crucial that the system have no "gaps and loopholes," said Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Commissioner Vera Jourová at a webcast Politico event Wednesday. The change from the Obama to the Trump administration raised concerns for the EC, which "desperately" needed to clarify whether it's "America first or America only," she said. Jourová's latest trip to Washington dispelled that worry, she said at a later news briefing. The FTC and tech industry agreed Privacy Shield is a success, but one digital rights activist doesn't expect it to hold up.
Google is advancing an antitrust fix that rivals say isn't compliant, since the European Commission could decide to fine it up to 5 percent of Alphabet's average daily worldwide revenue for each day of noncompliance. The company announced last week that comparison shopping services now "have a new opportunity to use Shopping ads" to advertise in European Economic Area countries and Switzerland, and Google Shopping will "operate in the same manner, bidding alongside" other comparison sites on equal terms. Competitors told us they don't know exactly how Google intends to comply, and what they've seen so far leaves them less than enthusiastic. The company didn't comment.
The EU will give online platforms the chance to tackle illegal online content voluntarily but will legislate if necessary, the European Commission said Thursday at a news conference. Its communication presses platforms to shoulder more responsibility for removing terrorist propaganda and racist and hate speech, using automated technology to detect and permanently remove such content. The statement drew criticism from members of the European Parliament, ISPs and digital rights activists. The Computer & Communications Industry Association praised the "welcome initiative."
The telecom market has too many variables to make Europe a good investment, representatives from investors said Wednesday at an FT-ETNO (European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association) summit in Brussels on digital rulemaking. The European Commission, which proposed a new EU electronic communications code, and the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) disagreed. The EC and BEREC said they are focused on investment-friendly rules and view Europe's future more brightly.
More IPv6 take-up and a more prominent role for cybersecurity certification are among highlights of the EU revamped cybersecurity strategy unveiled Wednesday, officials told us. The approach in the joint communication by the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy includes boosting cyber-capabilities in technology and skills; ramping up efforts to detect and trace bad actors; and more international cooperation. IPv6 proponents said the new technology offers better cyber-protection than IPv4. One expert said the main takeaway is the plan's focus on cybersecurity patches.
Registrations in the new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) may be a small percentage of total domain registrations, but registries are pushing for a new round and there's no reason that shouldn't happen, ICANN stakeholders told us. The question of whether more new gTLDs are needed isn't a good one, said Peter Dengate Thrush, who chaired the ICANN board during the launch of the last gTLD round: "Innovation doesn't proceed because of identified needs." Trademark owners said more extensive review of the last round is needed before any action. The overriding question is whether search and mobile apps are becoming more relevant than domains.
ICANN's status as a California nonprofit headquartered in the U.S. has raised hackles for years, and now a working group is exploring if location affects accountability and policies. In February, the Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability's jurisdiction subgroup sought input. It received about 20 responses, most citing no difficulties, and posted a list of proposed issues for the subgroup to consider. Two key concerns are whether U.S. foreign policy hampers ICANN from approving registries and accrediting registrars, and what impact jurisdiction has on delegation of country code top-level domain names (ccTLDs).