Final Proposed Agenda 2025-04-10

GNSO Council Agenda 10 April 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/yKefBg  

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 April 2025 at 21:00 UTC: https://tinyurl.com/5bsuykt5  

14:00 Los Angeles; 17:00 Washington DC; 22:00 London; 23:00 Paris; 00:00 Moscow (Friday); 07:00 Melbourne

GNSO Council Meeting Remote Participation: https://icann.zoom.us/j/91048235847?pwd=bmEHjk0uYT3sR2DIoE0c0yw4HKbM6O.1

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 13 February 2025 were posted on 03 March 2025

Minutes of the GNSO Council Meeting on 12 March 2025 were posted on 01 April 2025

Item 2: Opening Remarks / Review of Projects & Action List (5 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)

• GNSO Review of the GAC Communiqué

• Recommendations Report for the Transfer Policy Review PDP

Item 4: COUNCIL VOTE - Confirmation of EPDP on Temporary Specification Team’s Intent to Modify RAA Requirements Related to Billing Contact (20 minutes)

During the ICANN81 GNSO Council Wrap-Up, Thomas Rickert provided an update regarding the implementation of EPDP Temp Spec Phase 1 recommendations. Thomas is the current GNSO Council Liaison to the EPDP Temp Spec Phase 1 Implementation Review Team (IRT). Thomas noted that the IRT expressed the view that the absence of a reference to billing contact data was a drafting error, and the EPDP Team intended for the collection of billing contact data to be optional and not mandatory.

The Registration Data Policy was published on 21 February 2024, and the policy has an effective date of 21 August 2025. The EPDP Phase 1 policy recommendations do not reference billing contact data, and the Registration Data Policy also makes no reference to billing contact data.

In the interest of transparency, Thomas requested that all Councilors consult with their respective groups to ensure that others are properly informed and agree with the interpretation raised by the IRT. Accordingly, Councilors were asked to consult with their groups. The Council discussed this topic during its meeting on 19 December 2024 and asked for additional background information on the topic. 

During its February and March meetings, the Council considered the questions below:

1. Does the Council confirm billing contact was in scope for the EPDP on the Temp Spec - Phase 1 Team? 

2. Does the Council confirm:

1. the collection of billing contacts by registrars should continue to be required as per current RAA requirements because EPDP Phase 1, by being silent on this, did not mean to change this requirement, OR

2. the collection of billing contacts by registrars should become optional because EPDP Phase 1, by being silent on this, meant to change the RAA requirement?

The Council discussed potential options during its February 2025 meeting and continued discussing options during its GNSO Working Session at ICANN82.  

Here, the Council will vote to confirm the EPDP Team did intend to modify the current RAA requirements with respect to the Billing Contact.

4.1 - Introduction of Topic (Greg DiBiase, GNSO Chair) 

4.2 - Council Vote (voting threshold: simple majority)

4.3 - Next Steps

Item 5: COUNCIL DISCUSSION - Aspirational Statement Review (15 minutes) 

During the Council’s 2023 and 2025 Strategic Planning Sessions, the Council agreed to discuss the creation of an aspirational statement, or a statement that is designed to (i) reinforce the Council’s role as manager of PDP and (ii) help socialize the unique role of GNSO councilors with its Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies. In contrast, the aspirational statement is not designed to limit the actions of Councilors, nor is it meant to be binding or a voting directive. 

Here, the Council will discuss the draft aspirational statement and determine next steps. 

5.1 - Introduction of Topic (Greg DiBiase, GNSO Chair)

5.2 - Council Discussion

5.3 - Next Steps

Item 6: COUNCIL DISCUSSION - Han Script Single Character gTLDs (Recommendation 3.17) (20 minutes)

The New gTLD Subsequent Procedures (SubPro) PDP provided Recommendation 25.4 (approved by the ICANN Board) to allow single character gTLDs for ideographic scripts in the next round, provided that they do not introduce confusion risks that rise above commonplace similarities. The IDNs EPDP Phase 1 Final Report put forth important additional detail and limitations on 25.4, prescribing that the single character gTLDs be limited to the Han script and that applications must not be accepted until relevant guidelines are developed and put in place by the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) Generation Panels (GPs). Alternatively, the IDN EPDP concluded that if the CJK GPs determine that additional guidelines beyond the RZ-LGR are not needed, then the single character applications should proceed.

The matter was put out for public comment by the CJK Generation Panels. Although the CJK GPs stated that the work done in the Root Zone Label Generation Rules (RZ-LGRs) sufficiently addresses the concerns around the risk of confusion for single character Han script gTLDs, the majority of the public comments on the CJK GPs’ statements opposed moving forward. Some commenters from the Chinese community expressed concerns about the lack of alignment with China’s linguistic laws and regulations, the complexities of Chinese character ideographs, and end-user confusion due to multiple meanings of many single characters. One such comment received from a co-Chair of the CGP argues that the CGP should not be and was not involved in "risk of confusion" policy considerations related to single Han characters as TLDs. Many of the comments call for further community work prior to proceeding. Similar concerns were received through the public comment on the relevant draft AGB sections.

This public comment was discussed with the Sub Pro IRT IDN Sub-Track which referred the matter to the main SubPro IRT. The main SubPro IRT was asked by ICANN staff whether Recommendation 25.4 should be modified as not implementable or whether the issue should be reviewed with Council for possible further work. It was agreed that the Liaisons should raise this with Council for direction on next steps. A background document prepared by Lars Hoffman was shared with the Council on December 9.

The Council Liaisons to the IRT suggesting referring the issue to a GNSO Guidance Process (GGP) to determine the guidance necessary to allow Han single characters to proceed, with an acknowledgement that the GGP could well determine that Recommendation 25.4 and IDN EPDP recommendation 3.17 as approved may not be implementable.  Due to time constraints, and the fact that both the SubPro and IDNs recommendations were conditional, the Liaisons believe that the recommended GGP process should not hold up the next round. During Council deliberations, some Councilors suggested an Expert Working Group (EWG), as an alternative to the GGP.

The Council requested that GNSO staff provide an analysis of the two potential options to address this issue, the GGP and the EWG. Staff will brief the Council on those potential mechanisms, including another approach for Council consideration.

Here, the Council will discuss potential options and seek to agree on next steps.

6.1 - Introduction of Topic (Policy Team Supporting the GNSO) | Slides

6.2 - Council Discussion

6.3 - Next Steps

Item 7: COUNCIL UPDATE: Registration Data Request Service (10 minutes)

In June 2023, the GNSO Council approved a Charter for the Registration Data Request Service Standing Committee, which outlines the Standing Committee’s tasks.

Specifically, the Standing Committee is tasked to review the data that will be produced by ICANN org on a monthly basis following the launch of the RDRS (see data points outlined here). The Scoping Team is expected to analyze the data and consider: 

• Assignment #1. Trends that can be identified over a month-by-month period; 

• Assignment #2. Possible technical updates that should be considered to RDRS and/or related messaging and promotion (recognizing that the RDRS will only be running for a two-year period and limited resources may be available to implement such updates); 

• Assignment #3. Specific lessons learned that should be factored into the consideration of how to proceed with the SSAD recommendations; 

• Assignment #4. Suggestions to the Council for a proposed recommendation(s) to the ICANN Board in relation to the consideration of the SSAD recommendations.

The Standing Committee has been reviewing monthly data since the inception of the RDRS in November 2023. After one year of reviewing RDRS metrics, the Standing Committee determined it had enough information to begin compiling its Findings Report to the Council, and it began work on its report in January 2025.

Here, the Council will receive an update on the RDRS Standing Committee’s progress to date.  

7.1 - Introduction of Topic (Sebastien Ducos, Chair of RDRS Standing Committee) | Slides

7.2 - Council Discussion

7.3 - Next Steps

Item 8: COUNCIL DISCUSSION: Next Steps for Whois Implementation Advisory Group (15 minutes)

​​The ICANN Procedure For Handling WHOIS Conflicts with Privacy Law Implementation Advisory Group (WHOIS Procedure IAG) is tasked to provide the GNSO Council with recommendations on how to address the comments and input that has been received in response to the public comment forum on the Revised ICANN Procedure for Handling WHOIS Conflicts with Privacy Law: Process and Next Steps.

The project has been on hold since September 2021, when ICANN org informed the GNSO Council that it mutually agreed with Contracted Parties to focus on the completion of data processing agreements associated with the EPDP on the Temporary Specification before further developing the Whois Conflicts Procedure. ICANN org published the Data Processing Specification in January 2025.

Here, the Council will discuss next steps for the Whois Procedure Implementation Advisory Group. 

8.1 - Introduction of Topic (Greg DiBiase, GNSO Chair) | Slides

8.2 - Council Discussion

8.3 - Next Steps

Item 9: Any Other Business (25 minutes)

9.1 - Update on ICANN83 Planning and GNSO Draft Schedule

9.2 - WSIS+20 and internet governance discussions

9.3 - Latin Diacritics PDP Working Group - Review of Project Plan

9.4 - Standing Committee on Continuous Improvements - Review of Project Plan | Slides

9.5 - Council review of Assignment Forms for DNS Abuse and Accuracy Small Teams

9.6 - Transfer Policy Review HRIA Update

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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 21:00 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 14:00

San José, Costa Rica (CST) UTC-6  15:00

New York/Washington DC, USA (EDT) UTC-4 17:00

Buenos Aires, Argentina (ART) UTC-3 18:00

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (WAT) UTC+1 22:00

Paris, France (CEST) UTC+2  23:00

Moscow, Russia (MSK) UTC+3 00:00 (Friday)

Singapore (SGT) UTC+8  05:00 (Friday)

Melbourne, Australia (AEST) UTC+10 07:00 (Friday)

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For other places see http://www.timeanddate.com and https://tinyurl.com/5bsuykt5