RSSAC042: RSSAC Statement on Root Server Operator Independence

Principle 10 of RSSAC037 states, "RSOs must be autonomous and independent," and this must be preserved in future RSS governance models. RSOs must remain independent from each other as well as from any overarching organization, government, or community. This serves to prevent capture of the RSS by an entity that may diverge from the guiding principles of the RSS as set forth in RSSAC037.

This document illustrates important aspects of Root Server Operator (RSO) independence: organizational independence, financial independence, architecture and engineering design, and network operations and administration. RSO independence is a vital quality of the RSS that must be preserved for the purposes recognized in this publication and to ensure the stability, security, and resilience of the DNS.