The Domain Name System (DNS) is a component of critical Internet infrastructure that must be protected and advanced. Existing institutions, namely the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Internet Engineering task Force (IETF) are the key, multistakeholder venues for work on DNS technical and policy issues.[1]
There exists, however, the opportunity for a Dynamic Coalition on DNS Issues (DC-DNSI) at the IGF to build unique and constructive dialogue on DNS issues that complements, but does not duplicate or compete with, work undertaken within ICANN and the IETF. Examples include: Building support for the universal acceptance of Domain Names and internationalized Domain Names; Promotion of and awareness raising around Domain Name Security Extensions (DNSSEC); and reviewing mechanisms to minimize Internet fragmentation from emerging regulations such as those on privacy, data localization, and data access. These issues impact Internet users on a global scale and are well-suited for multistakeholder discussion within the IGF environment. The DC-DNSI plans to dedicate one year to a specific issue, after which it will determine whether additional resources should be dedicated to that issue before transitioning to another focus area.
With the aim of providing an open avenue through which such issues may be discussed and debated at the IGF, we propose the creation of the DC-DNSI. Stakeholders can convene under the IGF’s multistakeholder mantle to share information and exchange best practices on DNS-related policy challenges and, if desired, produce non-binding, more tangible outputs in line with the recommendation of the CSTD Working Group on IGF improvements.
[1] Additionally, industry and regional associations involved in the administration, management, and sale of generic and country code top-level domains are important venues for the discussion of DNS policy issues. See, for example, the Domain Name Association, https://thedna.org; the Latin American and Caribbean ccTLDs Organization (LACTLD), https://www.lactld.org; the Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association (APTLD), https://www.aptld.org; the Africa Top Level Domains Organization (AfTLD), http://www.aftld.org; and the Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries (CENTR), https://www.centr.org.