[ga] are there Internet Users or Internet Participants ?

[Jefsey Morfin <jefsey@wanadoo.fr>]

Sotiris Sotiropoulos rose a very pertinent question: what is an "Internet 
User", a buzphrase used by the ALSC.

Could we be serious about it and try for once to listen to each others. 
IMHO all the  disputes we have may be summarized in that buzphrase. Marilyn 
Cade also rose some times ago the good question of what is an "Internet 
Participant". I will try to address it quickly and I call for comments.

The Internet is the consensus of its participants to interconnect their 
domains in using the TCP/IP protocol set under the IP addressing and naming 
plans; the Internet governance is the common management of this consensus. 
This is at least my reading of it.

So there is no "Internet User": users are the users of the interconnected 
domains and of the agreed services. Interconnected domains participate 
(interconnect) in building the global system. This is a peer to peer 
system. Until recently it was linking groups of physical machines (hence 
the word "domain") and now more and more indeferently of physical machines, 
virtual systems and people.

As non-network persons Joe Sims, Mike Roberts, Louis Touton did not 
understand that and have conceived a "star network" legal architecture. I 
supposed that most the BoD people did not see the problem either coming 
from Telcos, IBM/DEC networks, etc...Vint, Alejandro, Karl may event no 
really have a "meshed network" thinking due to the very old zone oriented 
routing system. Open Roots people are only more in advance, but by nature 
they think "meshed network". The only one adapted - in part - to the 
distributed architecture are New.net (and only in part). The problem is 
that there is a complete cultural divide between these three thinkings: 
star, meshed and distributed networks. I would even say a civilization 
divide: the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries way of thinking and 
living.  Example: Foreign, International, Multinational Affairs, and business.

This creates the imbalance. ICANN is thinking in terms of world ruler. 
ccTLDs are thinking in term of International cooperation. Verisign is 
thinking in terms of multinational operations. As long as Joe Sims does not 
understand that and adapt the ICANN - I suppose he could do it and propose 
the ICANN a new deal - the stupid disputes, the absurd root controversy, 
the ccTLD unbalance, the Verisign World Take Over, the DNS weaknesses, the 
dotcommers dissatisfactions and most of all the misunderstanding will 
continue and increase. We do not speak of the same thing.

To help understanding what it means in practical terms, let see some 
difference between a star, a meshed and a distributed approach may be. I 
list s) m) d) for star, meshed, distributed.

Who is in charge? s) ICANN m) NIC d) end users

Who decide? s) USG m) govs d) consensus

DNS is : s) hierarchical m) organized d) open

Relations rules are : s) contracted m) agreed d) common to all

Costs are covered by : s) few large sponsors m) tarifs d) member discussed 
contributions

Nations are : s) rulers m) territories d) supports

Personal relations :
s)  closed groups/secrecy/agenda
m) organized groups/transparency/lobbying
d)  open groups/common decision process/community correct

Root is :
s) of the essence, real time and centralized
m) advisable, real time and mirrored
d) useful, asynchronous and broadcasted

Domain Name :
s) an organized label that can be priced and resold
m) a service to the registrant which can be decided upon and freely rated
d) the name of someone's property - life long, non reellable, free, cost of 
use charged.

UDRP
s)  a centrally decided and pre-judicial promoted procedure
m) a complexity to avoid is possible
d)  the DNS users clarification of  an inappropriate mnemonic

Etc. I do not claim that my example are perfect. It just for you to see the 
gap.

Real world, interconnected machines and services and the Internet Global 
Community are distributed. Several systems like the SSRAC, to some extent 
the GAC, some constituencies, most of the ICANN Mailing Lists are meshed. 
The bylaws, the Staff system, etc are star oriented.  One has to understand 
that no system is better than the other: they are just resulting from the 
current social thinking and behavior and from the source code. Was is 
devastating is to use the wrong plug to power the system.

I hope this may help some positive thinking.
Jefsey

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