Final Proposed Agenda 2025-07-10
GNSO Council Agenda 10 July 2025
Please note that all documents referenced in the agenda have been gathered on a Wiki page for convenience and easier access: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/4KefBg
This agenda was established according to the GNSO Operating Procedures v3.5, updated on 15 March 2023.
For convenience:
An excerpt of the ICANN Bylaws defining the voting thresholds is provided in Appendix 1 at the end of this agenda.
An excerpt from the Council Operating Procedures defining the absentee voting procedures is provided in Appendix 2 at the end of this agenda.
GNSO Council meeting on Thursday, 10 July 2025 at 13:00 UTC: https://tinyurl.com/58frfr46
06:00 Los Angeles; 09:00 Washington DC; 14:00 London; 15:00 Paris; 16:00 Moscow; 23:00 Melbourne
GNSO Council Meeting Remote Participation [Published 24 hours prior to meeting]: https://icann83.sched.com/event/246XL/gnso-council-meeting
Councilors should notify the GNSO Secretariat in advance if they will not be able to attend and/or need a dial out call.
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Item 1: Administrative Matters (5 minutes)
1.1 - Roll Call
1.2 - Updates to Statements of Interest
1.3 - Review / Amend Agenda
1.4 - Note the status of minutes for the previous Council meetings per the GNSO Operating Procedures:
Minutes of the GNSO Council Meeting on 15 May 2025 were posted on 02 June 2025.
Minutes of the GNSO Council Meeting on 11 June 2025 were posted on 30 June 2025
Item 2: Opening Remarks / Review of Projects & Action List (0 minutes)
2.1 - Review focus areas and provide updates on specific key themes / topics, to include review of Projects List and Action Item List.
Item 3: Consent Agenda (5 minutes)
Confirmation of the GNSO-appointed Member for the Universal Acceptance (UA) Expert Working Group (EWG)
GNSO Council Review of GAC Communiqué
Item 4: COUNCIL VOTE - Council Next Steps Regarding ICANN Reviews (40 minutes)
On 27 May 2025, the Board wrote to SO/AC Leaders with an update on the ICANN Reviews.
Specifically, following input from the community, the Board informed SO/AC leaders that it took the following actions related to reviews during its 19 May meeting:
Continue the deferral of Organizational Reviews until the completion of one CIP cycle (estimated at 3 years).
Conclude the Pilot Holistic Review and following the completion of the CIP cycle, consider whether to rename and re-charter an effort focused solely on designing a review of the CIP.
Continue the community dialogue to support a broader discussion on reviews. This will include an engagement session at ICANN84 focused on the purpose and essential subject areas for reviews.
Continue the deferral of the fourth Accountability and Transparency Review (ATRT4) to support the community’s capacity to participate in the dialogues, and any related activities that may result from such discussions.
Please see the relevant Board Resolution for further information. During its May meeting, the Council had agreed to send correspondence to the Board, sharing its thoughts on next steps for ICANN Reviews. With the Board’s suggested approach generally in line with sentiments shared during the Council’s May meeting, it seems that circumstances may have overtaken the need to send correspondence in the context of that action item.
During ICANN83, the SO/AC Chairs met with ICANN org to discuss a potential path forward. During the Council’s Wrap-Up session, GNSO Chair Greg DiBiase shared a high-level overview of that approach, asking that Councilors begin socializing the approach with their respective groups. Additional options were subsequently circulated to the GNSO Council.
The ICANN Board amends the Bylaws to allow for a one-time review of all Reviews currently required by the Bylaws (with solutions for the issues we face today with Reviews as output recommendations) and to suspend the initiation of all Reviews until this exercise is completed. (this option was discussed by the SOAC leaders at ICANN83 and put forth by the NCSG on list)
The ICANN Board amends the Bylaws to change the cadence of mandated Reviews to alleviate concerns about non-compliance with current Bylaws and initiates a one-time review of all Reviews through other means (i.e., the review of all Reviews is NOT outlined in a Bylaws amendment).
The ICANN Board does not amend any Bylaws but continues to defer Reviews while the Community initiates a review of all Reviews. (this option is essentially the path envisioned in the Board’s resolution)
ATRT4 is convened with the mandate to conduct a review of Reviews (although this would not be binding, and the ATRT 4 team would be able to change scope as indicated in the relevant Bylaws text)
Here, the Council will continue its discussion from ICANN83, discuss feedback from SG/Cs on the potential options, and determine next steps. If Councilors are able to agree on an approach, the Council would then vote to approve that approach.
4.1 - Vote on Request for Consideration (voting threshold: unanimity)
4.2 - Presentation of motion (Susan Payne, IPC Councilor)
4.3 - Council Discussion
4.4 - Council Vote (voting threshold: simple majority)
Item 5: COUNCIL BRIEFING - Second IANA Naming Function Review Team (IFR2) Draft Report (20 minutes)
The IANA Naming Function Review is an accountability mechanism created as part of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) stewardship transition to ensure that ICANN’s IANA work through Public Technical Identifiers (PTI) meets the needs and expectations of its naming customers. Under the ICANN Bylaws, the ICANN Board must convene an IFR no less frequently than every five years, measured from the date the previous IFR was convened. The board convened the first IFR on 16 September 2018.
The second IFR team (IFR2) conducted the review in accordance with the scope specified in the ICANN Bylaws. The review focuses on PTI’s performance of the IANA naming function against the contractual requirements in the IANA Naming Function Contract and the IANA Naming Function Statement of Work. The naming functions under review include management of the DNS root zone, a critical function for the ongoing operation of the Internet.
The IFR2 recently sought public comments on its Draft Report, which contained findings and recommendations in three key areas:
Presence of specific Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) policy details in the IANA Naming Function Contract
Transparency and availability of Contract amendments
Frequency of reviews
After considering public comment received and making adjustments as appropriate, the IFR2 team is working to reach consensus on its Final Report.
The Draft Report included two recommendations that will amend the IANA Naming Function Contract; neither recommendation received objections during the public comment period. However, Section 18.6 (b) of the Bylaws reads that any recommendations by the IFR that would amend the IANA Naming Function Contract shall only become effective if: (i) The IFR Recommendation has been approved by the vote of (A) a supermajority of the ccNSO Council (pursuant to the ccNSO's procedures or, if such procedures do not define a supermajority, two-thirds (2/3) of the ccNSO Council's members) and (B) a GNSO Supermajority;”
Here, the Council will hear an update on the status of the IFR2 Report and expected next steps from the GNSO Council.
5.1 - Introduction of Topic (Ashley Heineman and Peter Koch, IFR2 Co-Chairs) Slides
5.2 - Council Discussion
5.3 - Next Steps
Item 6: COUNCIL UPDATE - Privacy Proxy Services Accreditation Issues Implementation Work (15 minutes)
On 9 August 2016, the ICANN Board approved the Final Report of the Privacy Proxy Services Accreditation Issues (PPSAI) Working Group, which contains 21 policy recommendations. ICANN org convened an Implementation Review Team (IRT) in 2016 and worked on the implementation of the policy recommendations until 2019 when the implementation work was paused due to overlapping issues around the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), data processing, and the Temporary Specification.
In June 2024, ICANN org reconvened the PPSAI IRT and has been refining a set of overarching threshold questions that require input from the GNSO Council in order for ICANN org to, in consultation with the IRT, move forward on implementation of the 21 policy recommendations from the Final Report. ICANN org will soon be sending the threshold questions to the GNSO Council for further guidance.
The threshold questions currently under discussion are:
Are there any policy questions or items the IRT already wants to bring to the GNSO Council for guidance?
Implementation Model: Accreditation Program or Alternative Implementation:
Can an implementation model without a new standalone accreditation program remain consistent with the policy recommendations?
Disclosure Frameworks (Intellectual Property and Law Enforcement)
Are there specific areas to revisit under new law/policy?
Can these frameworks be aligned with existing work on the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS), Registration Data Policy, and other existing procedures and remain consistent with the policy recommendations?
Here, the Council will receive an update on the anticipated timeline of work for the Council.
6.1 - Introduction of Topic (Paul McGrady, GNSO Council Liaison to the PPSAI IRT) Slides
6.2 - Council Discussion
6.3 - Next Steps
Item 7: COUNCIL UPDATE: GNSO Council Small Team on Accuracy Draft Report (10 minutes)
During the Council’s March 2025 meeting, the Council agreed to form a dedicated small team on accuracy, which would be tasked with:
Reviewing the written input received on the Council’s threshold questions; and
Providing a detailed summary of the input received, taking into consideration the potential other sources that can inform the discussion - i.e. (but not limited to) INFERMAL study, EU NIS2 cooperation group, recommendation CC.1, and provide a recommendation to the Council on how to best make progress on the topic of registration data accuracy, e.g., relaunch scoping team with updated assignment, request Issues Report, request additional study (including the recommended form and aim of the study), etc.
The Small Team, led by Paul McGrady, began meeting on 15 May 2025 and has been drafting recommendations for the Council’s consideration related to:
Examining the current timeline for validation and verification of registration data under the 2024 RAA
Assembling a diverse and representative group of interested stakeholders who could work together on producing clear and user-friendly registrant educational materials related to the importance of accurate registration data
Further work on a previously-approved Whois2 Review Team recommendation (CC.1) related to the inclusion of a notation in the RDDS record that the domain name is suspended due to incorrect data
Here, the Council will discuss the Small Team’s draft report in preparation for acceptance during its August meeting.
7.1 - Introduction of Topic (Paul McGrady, Small Team Lead) Slides
7.2 - Council Discussion
7.3 - Next Steps
Item 8: COUNCIL UPDATE: GNSO Council Small Team on DNS Abuse (10 minutes)
The Council’s small team on DNS abuse began meeting on 15 May 2025, working on its Assignment Form. The assignment form includes the review and analysis of DNS Abuse mitigation efforts across the broader ICANN ecosystem, the impact of the RA and RAA amendments, the INFERMAL study, as well as other data sources.
The goal of the small team was to determine, after reviewing available data sources, whether or not gaps remain in mitigating DNS abuse. The small team quickly came to the conclusion that there are indeed gaps remaining and have worked diligently to catalogue the issues. In developing that catalogue of issues, the small team also solicited input from SG/C/SO/ACs.
The small team expects to put forward a recommendation to the GNSO Council that an Issue Report be requested during its August meeting, based upon the catalogue of issues the small team has developed.
Here, the Council will be provided with an overview of the small team’s progress, including a high-level understanding of the catalogue of issues that are envisioned to be analyzed in the Issue Report; the purpose of this update is to better ensure that the Council is able to vote to request the Issue Report in August.
8.1 - Introduction of Topic (Jennifer Chung, Small Team Lead) Slides
8.2 - Council Discussion
8.3 - Next Steps
Item 9: Any Other Business (15 minutes)
9.1 - ccNSO Council Update (Desiree Miloshevic)
9.2 - Customer Standing Committee (CSC) Effectiveness Review Deferral
9.3 - Celebration of Greg DiBiase, Outgoing GNSO Chair
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Appendix 1: GNSO Council Voting Thresholds (ICANN Bylaws, Article 11, Section 11.3(i))
See https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en/#article11 .
Appendix 2: GNSO Council Absentee Voting Procedures (GNSO Operating Procedures, Section 4.4)
See https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/file/field-file-attach/op-procedures-15mar23-en.pdf
References for Coordinated Universal Time of 13:00 UTC
Local time between March and November in the NORTHERN hemisphere
See https://www.timeanddate.com/time/change/ for Dates for Daylight Saving Time and Clock Changes
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California, USA (PDT) UTC-7 06:00
San José, Costa Rica (CST) UTC-6 07:00
New York/Washington DC, USA (EDT) UTC-4 09:00
Buenos Aires, Argentina (ART) UTC-3 10:00
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (WAT) UTC+1 14:00
Paris, France (CEST) UTC+2 15:00
Moscow, Russia (MSK) UTC+3 16:00
Singapore (SGT) UTC+8 21:00
Melbourne, Australia (AEST) UTC+10 23:00
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For other places see http://www.timeanddate.com and https://tinyurl.com/58frfr46