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[wg-c] CPT/EI letter on TLDs
Hello, this is my first post to wg-c. I work with various non-profit
organizations that would like to apply for new TLDs. This is a letter I
wrote to Esther Dyson about this. It is my understanding that WG-B and
WG-C are working on this issue. Jamie Love
http://www.cptech.org/ecom/icann/tlds-march1-2000.html
John Richard
Essential Information
P.O. Box 19405
Washington, DC 20036
http://www.essential.org
James Love
Consumer Project on Technology
P.O. Box 19367
Washington, DC 20036
http://www.essential.org
March 1, 2000
Esther Dyson
Chair
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
4676 Admiralty Way, Suite 330
Marina del Rey, CA 90292 USA
Dear Esther:
This letter is to propose that Essential Information be permitted
to establish a registry for new top level domains (TLDs). It is
our intention to create several TLDs that would facilitate free
speech and criticism, and enable consumers, workers and others to
organize. Each of these TLDs will be operated under its own
management charter. The particular TLDs that we propose
include:
.union
.customers
.complaints
.sucks
.ecology
.isnotgreen
.isnotfair
.shareholder
.taxpayer
.unite
Our plans for each domain are as follows:
.union
The .union TLD will be a "union label" for cyberspace. EI is
working with the international labor union community to develop a
management system for .union. Use of the domain would be
restricted to bona fide labor unions. Examples of use of this
TLD would include:
nike.union
exxon.union
microsoft.union
as well as other uses, such as dcprinters.union, for links to
union printers in Washington, DC. EI will be holding meetings
with members of the labor community to discuss the policies for
the management of this domain. It is our goal to use the .union
domain to strengthen union organizing efforts, and to make it
easier for workers at a firm to communicate with unions that
represent workers at the firm, or who are seeking to organize
workers at the firm, and for unions in different countries to
coordinate efforts with each other.
.customers
EI will create a self governance management organization for
.customers. This domain will be used to create democratically
managed membership organizations of the customers of particular
companies. The customer organizations would be able to address
any number of consumer problems. For example, ford.customers
might organize to address safety, service or warranty issues on
Ford automobiles. Safeway.customers might organize in favor of
labeling of genetically modified foods. Bellatlantic.customers
might address Bell Altantic service and pricing issues in
regulatory proceedings. Bankofamerica.customers could address
ATM charges and other bank fees.
The .customers domain will be a cyberspace version of the
"Citizens Utilities Boards" that were set up in several US states
in the 1970s, funded by voluntary contributions from customers of
public utilities.
.complaints
EI is studying different models for the use of .complaints, to
give consumers specific information about mechanisms to address
product or company specific complaints, and to permit customers
to share information about company practices with each other.
.sucks
This TLD will be used to facilitate criticism of a firm or
organization, such as aol.sucks, wipo.sucks, or even
greenpeace.sucks. We would not permit the organization that
owned an associated domain to also own .sucks, so it would expand
the name space in an important way. The domain would also be
available for other uses, such as work.sucks, life.sucks or
television.sucks.
Our plan is to create an independent non-profit free speech
foundation that will be funded by fees from the .sucks
registration. The Dot Sucks Foundation (http://dot.sucks) will
fund Internet related free speech fights.
We recognize the .sucks TLD will be offensive to some persons,
but we do not think that this should exclude .sucks from being
approved by ICANN. We believe the .sucks domain will be popular
in the marketplace, and also generate important funding for the
free speech rights of individuals and small organizations.
.ecology
.isnotgreen
These two TLDs will be managed by environmental groups, to create
forums to discuss and criticize the environmental policies of
businesses, governments and other organizations.
.isnotfair
This TLD would be used by civil rights groups to discuss issues
of discrimination or workers rights. We will be holding
discussions with a variety of civil rights organizations to
determine the management structure for the TLD. It is our
intention to create a space where the public can quickly review a
company's record on employment practices. For example,
Texaco.isnotfair or coke.isnotfair might have links to
information about discrimination suits involving these companies,
or to organizations working on various discrimination or fairness
issues.
.shareholder
This TLD will be used by church groups who organize shareholder
suits on issues of conscience.
.taxpayers
The .taxpayer TLD would be given to democratically elected
taxpayer organizations that would monitor budgets and management
practices of governments. Examples of this TLD would include
Arlington.VA.Taxpayers, Anchorage.AK.Taxpayers,
London.UK.Taxpayers, Sidney.AU.Taxpayers.
.unite
EI is evaluating different models for the use of .unite.
These are serious proposals to use the power of a TLD to enable
citizens to improve civil society. We believe the creation of
domains like .union, .customers, .isnotgreen, and .isnotfair will
create powerful mechanisms to share information and organize.
We would like to meet with the ICANN staff to discuss these
proposals further.
Sincerely,
John Richard James Love
Director Director
Essential Information Consumer Project on Technology
--
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James Love, Director | http://www.cptech.org
Consumer Project on Technology | mailto:love@cptech.org
P.O. Box 19367 | voice: 1.202.387.8030
Washington, DC 20036 | fax: 1.202.234.5176
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