The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has panned the latest draft for the new non-profit entity to run the domain name system, issued September 17 by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and Network Solutions Inc (NSI). The EFF, a non- profit public advocacy group that supports free speech on the internet and has some illustrious board members suggests a number of changes to the draft and has produced its own version for good measure. Along with some NSI-bashing, the EFF says the draft does not protect the public’s rights in several areas. First, it says the bylaws are not transparent or open enough and prevent the public from participating in the administration of the DNS. Second, they do not mention the protection of free speech at any point. Third, the arrangements for making the transition from the current situation to the new board undermines the authority of the board, making it easier for the present incumbents to retain their monopolies. Last, there is no facility for disclosing the key contracts involved. The EFF has created its own set of draft bylaws, which it has sent to IANA and NSI. They are available at http://www.eff.org/pub/GII_NII/DNS_control/.
