ICANN proposes updates on .COM registry agreement renewal, opens comments - ITREALMS

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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has opened a public comment on the proposed renewal of the .COM Registry Agreement (RA), reports ITREALMS.

Disclosing this, the Senior Vice President, Global Domains & Strategy at ICANN, Theresa Swinehart said there are some updates on the process.

Public and Private Power in Internet Content Regulation: ICANN and Registry 'Voluntary' Commitments - ITREALMS

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Is censorship something that only happens when state actors do it, or can private actors engage in it as well? 

That crucial Internet governance debate is taking place in two venues: The U.S. Supreme Court, which will rule on two state laws that try to regulate the way platforms moderate content, and ICANN, which is meeting in Puerto Rico and is debating the meaning of ICANN’s fundamental bylaw that says “ICANN shall not regulate content.”

Brian Cute resigns from Public Interest Registry

ITREALMS:

Remember him, Mr. Brian Cute has formally resigned as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Interest Registry (PIR), reports ITRealms.

Public Interest Registry, ITRealms gathered, is the foremost nonprofit operator of the .org domain, and has confirmed that Brian Cute has officially resigned from his seven-year post as president and CEO, effective May 7, 2018.

ITRealms also gathered that during his time as president and CEO, Cute helped advance Public Interest Registry’s mission through the headwinds of today’s complex and diversified online marketplace. Public Interest Registry appreciates the leadership Cute has shown the organization and the many contributions he made during his tenure. Public Interest Registry wishes him great success in his future endeavours.

The Board of Directors of Reston, Virginia, USA-based PIR, ITRealms reports would soon commence a recruitment process to fill the CEO position.

In the interim, Jay Daley would be serving as CEO, and knows the registry industry extraordinarily well, having served in various leadership roles within the industry since 2002. Daley is a recent addition to the Public Interest Registry Board and has indicated to the Board that he will continue in that role after the interim period. He will not be pursuing the full-time CEO position.

Chair of Public Interest Registry’s Board of Directors, Roberto Gaetano, Roberto Gaetano, said they remain steadfast in their mission.

“Public Interest Registry has enabled countless noncommercial organizations across the globe to utilize the internet’s enormous potential to make the world a better place. And we’ll continue to do our part and provide them with tools they need to advance their initiatives online,” said Roberto Gaetano, Chair of Public Interest Registry’s Board of Directors,” Gaetano said.

PIR, founded by the Internet Society in 2002, is a nonprofit organization that operates the .org top-level domain; the world’s third-largest ‘generic’ top-level domain with more than 10.4 million domain names registered worldwide – and the .ngo and .ong domains and OnGood community website. Public Interest Registry also operates four Internationalized Domain Names to support and encourage local language use of the internet.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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NIRA elects new president, changes to Registry Administrators

ITRealms

Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) has elected Mr. Sunday Folayan as its 3^rd Executive President at the 7th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the association, as it adopts a change of status from an Internet Registration Association to Internet Registry Administrators, ITRealms reports.   

Folayan, who was handed over the mantle of leadership by consensus of NIRA registrars and financial members, ran for the office unopposed, with three other members, Muhammed Rudman, Sunday Olutayo and Segun Akano, elected into the board.

Highlighting most of her achievements, out-going

president, Mrs. Mary Uduma, said the association has fared well under her leadership. “Most importantly”, she said, “is the purchase and renovation of 

the NIRA Office Complex, where most Committee and Executive Board of Directors meetings are now been held.”  

Mrs. Uduma also noted that her regime recorded a growth in registered domain names. She said, “Newly registered domain names in the year stood at 18,870, with a marginal growth from 16,911 in 2013”.

The New President is also the Chief Executive Officer of General Data Engineering Services, SKANNET. In his acceptance speech, he promised to use his wealth of experience in the industry to ginger effective participation of entrepreneurs and registered businesses in Nigerian.

“We would first create the need and the demand, we would ensure that people have their own personal domains, either in the name space or .ng space; and also ensure we work with appropriate authorities to empower more businesses to be able to run their own domain names.”  He said.

Similarly, the association in line with its mission to be the administrator for the Nigeria Country Code Top Level Domain (.ng ccTLD), unanimously adopted a proposal to change its status as Nigeria Internet Registration Association to the Nigeria Internet Registry Administrators.

The reason for the change, according to the association, is central to the understanding of the word ‘association’, which to them reflects an entity without a long life span. Stating that an association is an organization that can be here today and be born elsewhere tomorrow.

ITRealms learnt that the newly elected President is the immediate past Vice President, Executive Board of Directors, and the Chairman of the Africa Network Information Centre (AfriNIC), also a member of the Board National Information Technology development Agency (NITDA) and Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN).

Nsolibe Daniel/Ed, Ops.

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NIRA reserves right to disallow certain domain names – Folayan

… Hosts one-day Media College on.NG
ITRealms:

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA)like other registry in the world reserves the right to maintain a given list of domains that could be disallowed for registration or even withdraw same if already registered, according to its Vice President, Mr. Sunday Folayan, reports ITRealms.

NIRA, ITRealms reports, is the body responsible for the management of the Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) .NG in the public interest of Nigeria and global internet communities.

Speaking at the weekend during a one-day Media College on .NG for the nation’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) media practitioners at NIRA House, Lagos,Mr. Folayan, who is the chief executive of Skannet Engineering, outlined some of the names not allowed on .NG to include offensive, restricted and premium names.

Other facilitators alongside Mr. Folayan, at the one-day Media College held penultimate Thursday, March 5, 2015, at NIRA House, Lagos, harped on the need for media adoption and reportage of .NG with patriotism.

ITRealms reports that the college theme was “Effective Reporting of Domain Name Industry in Nigeria,”andattracted crème de la crème in the ICT sector, saw NIRA president, Mrs. Mary Udumawelcoming participantsby encouraging Nigerians to embrace .NG and urged migration to .ng by those already on other domain name platforms.

Also, in his welcome remarks, Communication and Publicity Chairman of NIRA and Group Executive Editor, DigitalSENSE Africa Media andGroup Executive Editor, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mr. Remmy Nweke, noted the importance of the media college, reminding media practitioners the role to ensure effective and excellent reportage on .NG based on facts.

He acknowledged the fact that DNS has been underreported in the media globally, hence NIRA decided to enlighten Nigerian media practitioners with DNS knowledge to boost understanding and public adoption as may be applicable.

Historically, according to a member, NIRA Executive Board of Director, Mr. Akimbo A.A. Cornerstone, from 2005 till date saw NIRA’s humble beginning, following series ofnational stakeholders’ meetings before the name NIRA was adopted in addition to setting of protem board of trustees and pioneer EBOD.

He traced the evolution from American Randy Bush who managed the technical aspect of .NG while Mrs. IbukunOdusote was the administrative contact person to the intervention of former President Oluegun Obasanjo to the birth of NIRA as multi-stakeholder association as requested by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

The publisher of Nigeria Political Economist and chairman, Foundation for Knowledge Economy (FKE), Mr. Kenneth Ugbechiedefinedadomain name as a subtree of a larger tree that contains resourceswhich root contains pointer to .ng, for instance.

He pointed out the need to promote DNS to the public and .NG precisely so as to preserve the unique digital identity and forestall domain name speculations, stressing that when media promote DNS industry, they promote Nigeria’s .NG.

“We are in fact promoting and aiding the effective connection of Nigeria Internet to the World Internet,” he said.

Mr. BiyiOladipo, Treasurer, NIRA, highlighted the fact that DNS business needs structure, tapping of core opportunities and ancillary, just as he described a domain as virtual real estate, which has value, appreciates with time and could be leased, rented or sola at any time for a good money.

This, he said, is because domain name has value and must be easily remembered with melody, meaning and branding, noting that core aspect of the opportunities inherent in DNS business includes registry like NIRA, accredited registrars, and resellers who deal directly with registrants, whereas the ancillary involves hosting, security, web designing and some other support services like legal, finance to name a few.

Head, Legal Services and Board Matters, National Information Technology Development Agency(NITDA) Abuja, Mr. Emmanuel Edet told participants that Internet Governance is the development and application of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that could shape the evolution and use of the internet.

This, he stressed include infrastructure, demonopolisation, liberalization, costs and price regulation, spectrum allocation and licensing, interconnectivity, technical standards, domain names and convergence among others.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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