Verisign on Process

Thu Oct 9 00:42:11 UTC 2003

At 5:23 PM -0700 10/8/03, David Schwartz wrote:
>  > Is it possibly time to suggest that perhaps ICANN should
>>  call for formal separation of regiSTRAR functions from
>>  regiSTRY functions, and stipulate that stewards of record
>>  for regiSTRY functions not participate in regiSTRAR roles?
>
>	Already done -- read the contact between ICANN and VeriSign.
>
>>  Certainly it's been shown to be very difficult to resist
>>  the temptation to extend editorial control over what entries
>>  get placed into the DNS records as a regiSTRY if you also
>>  happen to be able to increase the profits from your regiSTRAR
>>  role.
>
>	Sure, but you could also do it to increase the profits from 
>your registry
>role, which seems to have been the intent of SiteFinder.
>
>>  If the functions are stipulated to be kept separate,
>
>	They are.
>
>>  then we have a much better opportunity to engage a system of
>>  checks and balances, to self-limit potential future abuses
>>  like this.
>
>	How would that stop a registry from, for example, adding a 
>wildcard record
>that goes to pages sold to the highest bidder? Registry functions are
>supposed to be wholly ministerial. VeriSign doesn't get that and ICANN is
>going to have to force them to -- probably more than once.
>
>	DS