Re: U.S. Homeland Security dept, ICANN, and the root servers

["Steven M. Bellovin" <smb@research.att.com>]

In message <55227.1049328995@aardvark.icir.org>, Mark Handley writes:
>
>>I believe this pertains to ICANN's proposal:
>>
>>http://www.icann.org/general/crada-report-summary-14mar03.htm
>>
>>(Note section C.3).  We've been asked if the IAB is going to make
>>a statement about this proposal.
>
>I have a problem in principle with all root-zone changes needing to be
>approved by the US Department of Commerce.  If someone wants to change
>the nameservers for a non-US country-code TLD, this isn't for the US
>Department of Commerce to validate, but for the country in question.
>

Agreed, though it seems likely that the custodianship of .iq will be 
debatable for some time to come.  (According to some posts on NANOG, 
the current owners of that domain are under Federal indictment.  See
http://nic-iq.nic-naa.net and follow the links, right above the spot 
where it speaks of someone being in "Federal custory" [sic].)

		--Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb (me)
		http://www.wilyhacker.com (2nd edition of "Firewalls" book)