Remarks from the BC Chair

On behalf of the ICANN Business Constituency (BC), dedicated to the interests of business users of the Internet and the future of business growth on the Internet, welcome to Marrakech and ICANN65!

In 2019, work will continue to focus on the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its impact on WHOIS. In April 2019, the BC submitted comments on Phase I of the GNSO Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) on the Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data Policy Recommendations to the ICANN Board. We in the BC will continue to work tirelessly to pursue an “accreditation model” for interested third parties, security researchers, and companies to access to the WHOIS register.

The ongoing work of the EPDP, however, will not be the only topic discussed during the ICANN Public Meeting. Other critical issues and priorities include: New gTLD Subsequent Procedures; Rights Protection Mechanisms; and Auction Proceeds. Sessions during ICANN65 will focus on policy topics that are important to the ICANN Community.

ICANN65 will be the only “Policy Forum” of the year and will also focus on (apart from policy issues) outreach, capacity building, and showcasing ICANN’s work to a broader global audience. Recognizing that the Internet affects business users all over the world, the BC is thrilled to expand outreach to
the broader business community, and particularly, in the African Region.

The BC welcomes all business and commercial users to join us at our meeting event in Marrakech to learn more about what the BC does, how business can benefit from the BC representation, and how members in the BC positively engage in the community. The BC values geographical diversity and involvement of women in the community!

The BC continues to play its part to make sure the ICANN community is more transparent and accountable every day. The BC remains committed to helping strengthen the multi-stakeholder model that has helped build the successful, global, and business-friendly Internet community we have today. And we look forward to more and deeper engagement of new potential members in different regions of the world: from Marrakech to Montreal, where the next ICANN meetings will be held. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about our Constituency, we would love to meet with you.