testimony of john horton - protecting internet freedom

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WRITTENSTATEMENTOFJOHNC.HORTONPRESIDENTANDCEO,LEGITSCRIPT

BEFORETHESENATECOMMITTEEontheJUDICIARYSUBCOMMITTEEONOVERSIGHT,AGENCYACTION,FEDERALRIGHTSANDFEDERALCOURTS

“ProtecBngInternetFreedom:ImplicaBonsofEndingU.S.OversightoftheInternet”(September14,2016)

ChairmanCruz,RankingMemberCoons,andMembersoftheSubcommiZee:

Theques(onbeforethisCommi2eeiswhethertheInternetCorpora(onforAssignedNamesandNumbers(ICANN)hasdemonstratedtherequisitelevelofaccountabilityandtransparencytooperatefreefromUSgovernmentoversight.Theanswertothatques(onisNo.

SomeproponentsoftheIANAtransi(onarguethatICANN’sresponsibili(esaremerelytechnical—toadministerIPaddressblocksandtheDomainNameSystem.Thatisinaccurate.ICANNalsoaccreditsregistrarsandoverseestheircompliancewiththeaccredita(oncontract.Thisroleisimportant:whoICANNaccredits,andthedegreetowhichICANNcondonesbadbehaviorbyaccreditedregistrars,establishesthetoleratedbaselineforfraudandinternetcrime.Accordingly,howICANNperformstheserolesiscentraltoevalua(ngtheorganiza(on’saccountabilityandtransparency.

ICANNhasonseveraloccasionsaccredited,andtakenli2leornoac(onagainst,companieswhosebusinessmodelreliesen(relyorinpartonharboringcriminalac(vity.Forexample,foryears,ICANNmaintainedtheaccredita(onofaregistrarwhoseen(reporNolioconsistedoftensofthousandsofillegalonlinepharmaciestarge(ngtheUSwithaddic(vemedicines.Therevenuefromtheregistrar’sbusiness,es(matedatover$300million,subsequentlyfundedtheprincipal’sinvolvementinNorthKorean-sourcedmethamphetaminedistribu(on,armssmugglinginAfrica,thereporteddiversionofmissileguidancetechnologyfromtheUStotheIraniangovernment,andmurders-for-hire. 1

S(lltoday,thereremainotherinstancesinwhichanaccreditedregistrarandacriminalenterpriseareundercommoncontrol,andtheregistraroritsprincipaldirectlyregistersdomainnamesusedforillegalpurposes.

See various court filings, generally, in United States vs. Paul Calder Le Roux, Case No. 1:12-cr-00489-LAP; United States vs. 1

Moran Oz, CASE 0:13-cr-00273-SRN-FLN, and United States vs. Joseph Hunter, Case No. 1:13-cr-00521-LTS. The various guilty pleas and testimony under oath is best summarized in a recently published seven-part series as mastermind.atavist.com, which also reported on the nature of the illegal technology transfers to Iran at https://mastermind.atavist.com/the-next-big-deal.

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ICANN’sregistraraccredita(onagreementrequiresregistrarsto“inves(gate”and“respondappropriately”tocomplaintsthatdomainnamesareusedtofacilitateillegalac(vity. Ofcourse,2

registrarsthatareinterchangeablewiththecriminalorganiza(onwhosedomainnamestheysponsordonotcomplywiththisrequirement.Althoughmanyregistrarsdotakeac(onagainstdomainnamesusedforcriminalac(vity,someregistrarssimplyignoreorclearlyindicatethattheywillnottakeanyac(on,irrespec(veoftheamountofevidenceofillegalityprovided.WheninternetuserssubmitacomplainttoICANNagainstsuchregistrars,however,ICANNrou(nelydismissesthecomplaint,findingthattheregistrar“respondedappropriately”despiteapparentlydoingnothing.Thiseffec(velygivestheregistraragreenlighttocon(nuesponsoringandprofi(ngfromtheharmfulorcriminalac(vity.Whenaskedtoexplainthebasisforitsdecision,ICANNrespondsthatthesedetermina(onsareprivileged—asecret—betweenitandtheregistraraspartofan“informal”complianceprocess. 3

Againstthisbackdrop,ICANNcannotcrediblytes(fyunderoathtothisCommi2eethatitoperatestransparently.Indeed,itscompliancefunc(onisakintoanunaccountablesecretcourt,likeKa\ainreverse:registrarsareaffordedasecret,“informal”complianceprocess,a]erwhichthecomplaintaboutadomainnameistypicallydismissed,andthereasonsneverdisclosed—evenwhilethedomainnamescon(nuetooperateunimpeded.ICANNdefendsthisprocessbyarguingthatdisclosingthisinforma(onwouldimpairthequalityofitsrela(onshipswithregistrars.

Thisisnonsense:ICANNissupposedtoaccreditregistrarsandensuretheircompliancewiththeaccredita(onagreement,notbetheirfriend.Theproblemisaclassicconflictofinterest:thechiefsourcesofICANN’srevenueareregistraraccredita(onsanddomainnameapplica(onsandregistra(ons,byorthroughregistrarsandregistries,whichcons(tuteaninfluen(alpoli(calcons(tuencywithintheICANN“mul(-stakeholdermodel.” Accordingly,itshouldcomeasnosurprisethatwhenpresentedwith4

evidencethataregistrarisviola(ngitsaccredita(onagreement,ICANNo]enactsintheinterestoftheregistrar,notthepublic,andbykeepinginforma(onconfiden(al,protectstheregistrar.

Congresshasonelastchancetofixthispervasiveproblem.Successiveadministra(onsda(ngbacktothelate1990s,includingtheadministra(onIservedin,havefailedtorequireICANNtoimplementastructurethatensuresdisinterestednessinaccredita(onandcompliancedealingswithregistrars.Un(lICANNcandemonstratethatitscompliancearmisnotahandmaidenoftheindustrywhosecomplianceitissupposedtomonitor,andwilloperatetransparentlyandaccountablyintheinterestofallinternetusers—notjustthedomainnameregistra(onsector—itcannotbetrustedwiththefutureoftheinternet.

See ICANN 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA), Section 3.18, available at https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/2

approved-with-specs-2013-09-17-en#raa.

This is based on repeated requests by LegitScript and other abuse reporters to ICANN to explain the basis of their findings that 3

registrars who appear to decline to investigate or take any action against a domain name used for illegal activity complied with the requirement to investigate and respond appropriately.

For ICANN’s budget, see https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/adopted-opplan-budget-fy16-25jun15-en.pdf.4

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I. FiveExamples:ICANNAccredita(onandComplianceFailures

ThefiveexamplesbelowdemonstratecompliancefailuresandICANN’slackoftransparency.TwoareexamplesofICANN-accreditedregistrarsthatoperateoroperatedasanarmofacriminalnetwork.ThreeareexamplesofillegalonlinepharmaciesthatremainonlinebecauseICANNgreen-lightedtheregistrar’srefusaltoinves(gateortakeac(on.

A. ABSystems,Inc.InDecember2013,PaulLeRouxpleadedguiltytocrimesinvolvingNorthKoreanmethamphetaminetrafficking,thetransferofUStechnologytoIran,andseveralmurders-for-hire. 5

Mr.LeRoux,aZimbabweanna(onalwhohasbeendescribedbytheNewYorkTimesas“oneoftheworld’sleastknownbutmostsuccessfuloutlaws”andbytheDailyMailasthe“mostsuccessfulcriminalmastermindyou’veneverheardof,”remainsinUScustody,pendingsentencing. LeRoux6

financedhisillegalac(vi(esbyopera(ngasanICANN-accrediteddomainnameregistrar,crea(ngarogueinternetpharmacynetworkthroughhisabilitytoregisterdomainnamesunimpeded.Althoughhiscompany,ABSystems,Inc.,wasfinallyde-accreditedbyICANNin2013forpaperwork-relatedreasons, itwasn’tun(l2016thatinforma(onaboutthelinkbetweenMr.LeRoux’s7

accredita(onbyICANNasaregistrarandhisdiversionofUStechnologytoIran,murders-for-hire,traffickinginNorthKoreanmethamphetamine,andarmssmugglinghascometolight.

Asoutlinedinseveralrecentar(cles, byaninves(ga(vejournalist, andseveralcourthearingsfor8 9

associateddefendants,Mr.LeRouxdevelopedamassiverogueinternetpharmacynetworkcalled“RxLimited”inthemid-2000s,sellingaddic(vemedicineswithoutavalidprescrip(ontoUSresidents.Hisrevenuefromtheseopera(onsisreportedlyes(matedat$250millionto$400million.Mycompany,LegitScript,spentseveralyearstrackingtheconnec(onbetweenRxLimitedandABSystems,shutdownseveraloftheirmerchantaccountsandthousandsoftheirwebsites,andonseveraloccasions,hadcommunica(onswithMrLeRoux’slieutenantsormarketers. 10

ThesolereasonforABSystems’existenceasanICANN-accreditedregistrarwastoprovidebullet-proofdomainnameregistra(onsforRxLimited’sillegalonlinepharmacies,sothatthewebsiteswouldnotgetshutdown,andcouldbecreatedandpromotedwithimpunity.Inotherwords,the

United States vs. Moran Oz, File No. 13-CR-273, Motions Hearing, March 2, 2016, before the Honorable Jeffrey J. Keyes, United 5

States District Court Magistrate.

See http://mastermind.atavist.com. 6

https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/correspondence/serad-to-mcgowan-20dec13-en.pdf7

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/02/nyregion/us-reveals-criminal-bosss-role-in-capturing-a-mercenary.html and http://8

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2890164/Revealed-successful-criminal-mastermind-ve-never-heard-real-life-Bond-villain-cocaine-gun-empire-spanning-four-continents-s-turned-super-snitch.html.

See the articles listed in Footnote 6, as well as mastermind.atavist.com, which is a comprehensive analysis of Mr. Le Roux’s 9

activities.

Although it’s impossible to know for sure, I agree with these estimates of revenue based on my company’s years of tracking Mr. 10

Le Roux’s operations, which included numerous conversations with his affiliate marketers or direct employees, identification and monitoring of his websites, and some awareness of his financial operations due to shutting down merchant accounts.

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criminalnetworksimplyobtaineditsownICANNaccredita(on.ABSystemsdidnotselldomainnamestothepublic,onlyregisteringitsowndomainnames,everyoneofwhichwere,onewayoranother,partoftheRxLimitedcriminalnetwork.Here,it’scri(caltounderstandthatmost(butnotall)otherregistrars,likeGoDaddy,eNom(nowRightside),andDirec(voluntarilyshutdownanyinternetpharmacydomainnamesthatwerepartofthiscriminalnetworkuponreceivingacomplaint.ObtaininghisownICANNaccredita(onwastheonlywayMr.LeRouxcouldensurethathisrogueinternetpharmaciescouldoperateunimpeded.

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Asdetailedinaseven-partseriespublishedearlierthisyearatmastermind.atavist.com,Mr.LeRoux’stransi(oninthe2000sfromarela(velypoorcomputerprogrammertoafabulouslywealthyinterna(onalcriminalwasduetorevenuegainedfromhisrogueinternetpharmacywebsites,whichhewasabletocreateandmaintainasaresultofhiscompany’sICANNaccredita(on.Heusedthisrevenueasalaunchingpadintotheothercrimestowhichhehasnowpleadedguiltyorthathehasadmi2edtounderoath.

IfICANNhadnotaccreditedABSystems,RxLimitedwouldhavebeensmallerornonexistent,andMr.LeRouxwouldalmostcertainlyhavebeenunabletogeneratetherevenuerequiredtoentertheNorthKoreanmethamphetamine,Somalianarms,anddivertedmissiletechnologymarkets.Yetforyears,itwasobvioustoanumberofan(-abuseandan(-spamresearchersthatABSystems’ICANNaccredita(onwasnothingbutashellforacriminalenterprise.

B. NanjingImperiosus.ThisICANN-accreditedregistrarisbasedinChinabutisoperatedbyaGermanna(onal,StefanHansmann.NanjingImperiosushasonlyabout22,000domainnamesundermanagement;ofthese,severalthousandarerogueinternetpharmaciesorwebsitesengagedinillegalorinfringingac(vity—asubstan(alpor(onoftheregistrar’sbusiness. 11

JustasMr.LeRouxcontrolledboththeregistrar(ABSystems)andtherogueinternetpharmacynetwork(RxLimited),manyoftherogueinternetpharmaciesregisteredwithNanjingImperiosusare

For registrar counts, see https://features.icann.org/compliance/registrars-list. LegitScript, as of this writing, has identified over 11

2,300 currently active illegal online pharmacies with the company; this does not account for other infringing domain names or domain names we have not yet reviewed.

Figs1and2:ExcerptsfromtheindictmentagainstPaulLeRoux.SeparatetranscriptsindicatethatMr.LeRouxbelievedthemethamphetaminetobesourcedfromNorthKorea,andthattheamountwasbetween50and100kilograms.OneinvesBgaBvereporterindicatesthatthetechnologysoldtoIranwasUSmissileguidancetechnology(seemastermind.atavist.com).

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registeredtoMr.Hansmanndirectly.Justafewamongafewthousandexamplesincludenoprescrip(onpharmacycanadian.net,trustpharmacy365.com,andno-prescrip(onbuy-ventolin.com.

Hereagain,theaccreditedregistraritselfistherogueinternetpharmacyoperator.ICANNhasbeenmadeawareofthis,butNanjingImperiousremainsICANN-accredited.

C. medsmarket.net(registrar:DreamHost).Thewebsitemedsmarket.netsellscontrolledsubstanceswithoutrequiringaprescrip(on.ThedomainnameisregisteredwithDreamHost,anICANN-accreditedregistrarinCalifornia.

Figs3,4,and5:Rogueinternetpharmaciessuchastrustpharmacy365.comareregisteredwithNanjingImperiosus.TheCEOofNanjingImperiosus,StefanHansmann,istheregistrantofthedomainname.

Figs6and7:medsmarket.netindicatesthatitissellingcontrolledsubstanceswithoutaprescripBon.Whilemostregistrarsaroundtheworldwouldsuspendthisdomainname,DreamHostdeclinedtotakeacBon.

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OnFebruary24,2015,LegitScriptno(fiedDreamHostthatmedsmarket.netandnumerousotherdomainnameswithDreamHostwereusedtosellcontrolledsubstanceswithoutaprescrip(onandsubsequentlyoutlinedaddi(onaldetailinamul(-pagememorandum.Despiteclearlanguageonthewebsiteindica(ngthataprescrip(onwasn’trequiredforcontrolledsubstances,DreamHostclaimeditwasunabletoverifytheillegality:incontext,however,itappearedtoLegitScriptthattheregistrarwassimplyunwillingtotakeanyac(on,noma2erhowmuchevidencewasprovidedtothecompany.(Here,itisworthno(ngthatthevastmajorityofdomainnameregistrarsvoluntarilysuspenddomainnameswhentheyreceiveaverifiableabusecomplaint.)

OnApril28,2015,LegitScriptsubmi2edacomplainttoICANNagainstDreamHost,allegingthatthecompany“failedtorespondappropriately”toanabusecomplaintinvolvingeasy-to-verifyillegality.ICANNclosedthecomplaintagainstDreamHost,findingthattheregistrarrespondedappropriatelydespiteindica(ngthatitwoulddonothing.ICANNtherebyeffec(velygreen-lightedtheregistrar’scon(nuedsponsorshipofmedsmarket.net.Thereasonmedsmarket.netremainsonlinetoday,sellingcontrolledsubstancestoUSresidentswithoutaprescrip(on,isbecauseICANN,throughitsowninac(on,gavetacitapprovaltotheregistrar,DreamHost,todonothing.

Whenaskedwhataregistrarhasdonethatcons(tutesan“appropriateresponse”tocriminalac(vity,ICANNinsistsitisprivilegedinforma(onbetweenICANNandtheregistrar.Againstthisbackground,ICANNcannotcrediblytes(fythatitscomplianceprocessistransparent.

D. pillsaz.net(registrar:TodayNIC).Thisisafake“Canadian”onlinepharmacythatfalselyclaimstosellFDA-approvedmedica(ons.Noprescrip(onisrequiredforanyprescrip(ondrugsoldonthewebsite.ThedomainnameisregisteredwithTodayNIC,aChineseregistrar.pillsaz.netisoneofroughly15,000websites operatedbyacriminalenterpriseknownasWorldwideDrugstore.12

Only about 3,000 are online at any one time, give or take a thousand. 12

Fig8:Rogueinternetpharmacypillsaz.net.Theregistrar,TodayNIC,declinedtotakeacBonagainstthedomainname;ICANNclosedthreecomplaintsagainsttheregistrar,eachBmefinding,inaccurately,thatit“respondedappropriately”byterminaBngthedomainname.

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LegitScriptno(fiedTodayNIC,theregistrar,aboutpillsaz.netfour(mes:onMarch15,2015,May11,2015,April7,2016,andJuly5,2016.ThedomainnamewasalsoapprovedasanOpera(onPangeatargetbyINTERPOLin2015.Each(me,TodayNICrefusedtotakeac(onagainstthedomainname.OnApril8,2015,May3,2016,andJuly25,2016,LegitScriptsubmi2edcomplaintstoICANN;allwerecloseda]erICANNfoundthattheregistrar“respondedappropriately”bytakingsomeac(onagainstthedomainname.Infact,each(me,thedomainnamehasremainedonline.

E. medsoffers.net(registrar:GKG.net,Inc.)medsoffers.netispartofaRussiancybercriminalnetworkcommonlyknownasEvaPharmacy.Thewebsitesellscounterfeitorunapproveddrugsanddoesnotrequireaprescrip(on.The“pharmacylicense”displayedonthebo2omofthehomepage,whichpurportstobefromCanada,isaforgery.

OnDecember22,2015,andagaininJuly2016,LegitScriptno(fiedICANN-accreditedregistrarGKG.net,basedinTexas,aboutmedsoffers.netandhundredsofotherillegalonlinepharmaciessponsoredbythecompany.Theregistrarhasrepeatedlyindicatedthatitwouldrefusetotakeanyac(onorconductanyinves(ga(onirrespec(veoftheextentofevidenceprovided.LegitScripttherea]ersubmi2edacomplainttoICANN,allegingthattheregistrarfailedto“conductareasonableinves(ga(on”andto“respondappropriately.”

Despitethedomainname’sforgedpharmacylicense,despitetheregistrar’srefusaltoevenverifythepharmacylicensewithourassistance,anddespitethecontractualrequirementthataregistrar“inves(gate”and“respondappropriately”toclaimsthatdomainnamesareusedforillegalac(vity,ICANNfoundthatthis“registrardemonstratedthatittookreasonableandpromptstepstoinves(gateandrespondappropriatelytothereportofabuse.”medsoffers.netremainsonlineandregisteredwithGKG.net.

Figs9-10:Rogueinternetpharmacymedsoffers.net,partofaRussianandEasternEuropeancriminalnetworkcalledEvaPharmacy.Offersforunapproved,potenBallycounterfeitcancermedicaBonsarebehindanoverlaidpharmacylicense,whichisactuallyaforgery.

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II. AccountableandTransparentAccredita(onandVoluntaryComplianceModels

Againstthisbackground,ICANNhasareadylitanyofexcuses.Theseinclude:

• “ICANNisnotalawenforcementagency.”• “ICANNdoesnotregulatecontent.”• “Wewillrespondtoacourtorder.”• “You’resugges(ngweregulatetheinternet.”• “Youforgettheinterna(onalnatureoftheinternet:somethingmaybelegalinonecountrybut

illegalinanother.” 13

Thesearenothingmorethansoundbitesinsearchofaretweet.Theycompletelymissthepoint. 14

ForICANNtobetrustedwithindependence,itneedstodemonstratethatitcanperformitsaccredita(onandcompliancerolesimpar(allyandinthepublicinterest,andthatitknowswhatisgoingonwiththeregistrarsitaccredits.Turningablindeyetoregistrars’criminalac(vity,ortoleranceofit,hastwonega(veeffectsonthefutureoftheinternet.First,andmostobviously,ithurtsinternetusers,whoareinvariablythevic(msoftheseschemes.Second,ICANN’sincompetenceorunwillingnesstovoluntarilyaddressabusiveac(vi(esbyitsregistrars,evenwhentheabuseisanobviousviola(onoftheaccredita(oncontract,givesgovernmentswhowantcontrolovertheinternetareadyexcusetostepin.ThebestwaytoensurefutureindependencebyICANNisforittoprovethatithasadispassionate,self-sustaining,transparentwayofaddressingcompliancecomplaintsthatdoesnotdefyallcommonsense,thusenablingICANNtocrediblytellgovernments:Wedon’tneedyou;we’vegotthisundercontrol.

Here,ICANNshouldlooktoothersectorsthathavefoundawaytoimplementvoluntarycompliancemechanismsasamodel,includingtheprivateshippingsector,searchadver(singsector,andpaymentprovidersector.Forinstance,thecontractbetweenVisaorMasterCardandthebankswhoprocesspaymentsforthosecompanies’creditcardscontainsbasicrequirementsregardingcertaintypesofhigh-riskmerchants,andprohibitsthebankfromcertaintypesofself-dealing,mostlyobviouslyinfurtheranceofvarioustypesofillegalityandknowndangerousconduct.Ifaviola(onisfound,thecontractisenforcedandthebankispenalized.Underthismodel,criminalenterprisesarenotpermi2edtosimplybecometheirownpaymentprocessingsolu(on,andbanksengageinreasonablevoluntarycomplianceprocesses.Iftheseothersectorsareabletosuccessfullyimplementvoluntaryprocedures,itisunfathomablewhyICANNcannot.

This one is particularly absurd. You can argue that selling prescription drugs without a prescription is legal in Antarctica, or 13

Somalia, or on the open seas, but that’s not where the rogue internet pharmacies are doing business.

I and others have explained in writing on several occasions, including in sworn testimony, why these excuses are 14

nonsensical. In the interest of brevity, I will simply cite a couple of documents examining those excuses here: http://www.legitscript.com/download/Rogues-and-Registrars-Report.pdf, Pages 37-44, and https://judiciary.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/LegitScript-John-Horton-House-Judiciary-Commitee-Testimony-05-13-15-1.pdf, Pages 19-20.

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III. Conclusion:TheConsolida(onofPower

Onereasonthatsomeinternetusersopposecon(nuedoversightbytheUS(orany)governmentisthedesiretofreetheinternetfromanunaccountablecentralizedauthority.Putadifferentway,toomuchpowerinoneplacecanbedangerous;toomuchpowerinoneplacewithoutanyaccountabilityortransparencycanbedevasta(ng.

Thesefearsarevalid.Butinternetusers’fearsaboutconsolida(onofpowershouldnotbelimitedtogovernments:thesefearsshouldbeextendedtoICANN,whichisanins(tu(onwithsomepowerscomparabletothoseofagovernment,butwithoutanyaccountabilityortransparency.Evenmoreworrying,ICANNexercisesthesepowersasaglobalmonopoly.Inma2ersofregistrarconductandbehavior,ICANNisessen(allyabletoactasthelegisla(ve,execu(ve,andjudicialbranchesrolledintoone:becausethereisnotransparencyinitscomplianceprocess,therecanbenochecksandbalances.

Byvirtueofitspowerstodeterminewhocanselldomainnamesonlineandwhethertheycomplywithstandardssetoutintheaccredita(oncontract,ICANNhasasignificanteffectonthefutureoftheinternet.Anditisseekingaddi(onalpowersthatwouldfurtherlimittheopennessoftheinternet.Aworkinggrouphand-selectedbyICANN’sthen-CEOhasproposedashi]toputalloftheworld’sinforma(onaboutwhohasregistereddomainnamesbehindasingle“gated”wall,andgiveICANNoritscontractorthesolepowertodeterminewhoisauthorizedtoseethatdata,andforwhatreason—andto“audit”andimpose“penal(es”againstinternetuserswhoaccessthedataforreasonsthatICANNconsidersimproper. Thisisakintohavingonlyonesecretphonebookintheworld:theen(tywho15

controlledaccesstothatphonebookwouldhaveenormouspower—toomuchpoweroverinternetusers,Iwouldargue—centralizedinoneunaccountable,non-transparentplace.ThisproposalwouldputICANNintheposi(onofregula(ng,monitoring,audi(ng,andimposingpenal(esoninternetusers.

Proponentsofthetransi(onwarnthat“thecredibilityoftheU.S.governmentanditscommitmenttotheinterna(onalcommunity”areontheline. Thisisnonsense.Beforeapprovingatransi(on,theUS16

governmenthasanobliga(ontointernetusersandtheinterna(onalcommunitytoensurethatICANN’sopera(ons,includingitscomplianceprocesses,areaccountableandtransparent.Todate,ICANNhasfailedthistest.Iwelcomeanyques(onsthattheCommi2eemayhave.

Information about the Expert Working Group convened to develop a framework to replace “Whois” information with a new system 15

is generally available at https://community.icann.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=40175189; the full report of recommendations is available at https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/final-report-06jun14-en.pdf. Information about the “gated” access, and the proposal to “audit” and “impose penalties” on internet users who access domain name registration information for an “unauthorized” purpose is available throughout the document, especially at pages 10-11,

See, e.g, http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/internet-transition-icann-227864.16