CYBERSPACE — In response to calls for greater transparency and criticism asserting that the organization’s relationship with certain branches of the US government is too cozy, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has retained the services of UK-based One World Trust, a UK-based advisory group that “works with global organisations to assist them (through education, training and research) to be more accountable to the people they affect,” according to an ICANN statement published late last week.“Frankly, the community has told us this is an issue we need to deal with,” said Paul Levins, executive officer and vice president of corporate affairs for ICANN, according to the IDG News Service.

According to Levin, the report from One World Trust will be made public once it has been completed; the report is expected to be completed sometime in 2007.

In October, ICANN issued a call for public comment on the “development of transparency and accountability management operating principles,” and seeking responses to a series of transparency and accountability-related questions.

The October request for comment stated that as part of the organization’s “commitment to continuously improving transparency and accountability, ICANN is seeking input from the community on the development of a set of Management Operating Principles.”

“These Operating Principles will set new standards for transparency and accountability for interactions within the ICANN community and between members of the community and staff,” ICANN stated in its call for comment.

ICANN is seeking responses to the following six questions:

• How would you define “transparency” in the ICANN context?
• What standards of transparency are appropriate in ICANN operations and activity?
• How would you define “accountability” in the ICANN context?
• What standards of accountability are appropriate in ICANN operations and activity?
• What specific processes and activities need to be included to ensure these standards are met?
• Are there any innovative ideas on transparency and accountability that you believe have not yet been implemented that might apply to ICANN?

In addition to the questions listed above, which were posted with the original request for public comment, ICANN is also seeking “input on the terms of reference for the work to be undertaken by the One World Trust.”

Comments can be submitted via email to principles-comments@icann.org and viewed at http://forum.icann.org/lists/principles-comments/

The deadline for public comment is December 31st, 2006.