October 2016 - nexa - server-nexa.polito.it

Internet Society congratulates global Internet community on successful IANA stewardship transition

by J.C. DE MARTIN

Internet Society congratulates global Internet community on successful IANA stewardship transition 01 October 2016 The Internet Society Board of Trustees joins the Internet community in celebrating today’s historic milestone whereby the stewardship of the IANA functions will be transitioned to the global Internet community. Today’s IANA stewardship transition fulfills a vision of multistakeholder governance set forth nearly 20 years ago. The work undertaken by the global Internet community to develop a robust, consensus proposal for the IANA stewardship transition demonstrates the legitimacy of the collaborative approach to governing critical Internet resources. By allowing its contract with ICANN regarding IANA oversight to expire, the U.S. government has demonstrated its continued support for the multistakeholder model. “Today’s outcome confirms the strength of both the community and the multistakeholder process in tackling issues important to the continued growth and evolution of the Internet,” said Gonzalo Camarillo, Chair of the Internet Society's Board of Trustees. “We commend the NTIA for its trust and confidence in the multistakeholder Internet community to achieve this important accomplishment.” As an interested party to the transition, the Internet Society has been involved in the IANA stewardship transition since the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced its intention to withdraw from these core technical functions of the Internet in March 2014. Throughout the development of the plan, the Internet Society strongly supported the transition as the means to ensure the continued smooth operation of the global Internet. “The expiration of the IANA contract is a remarkable testament to the persistence and courage by many individuals and organizations to do what is best for the Internet,” said Kathryn Brown, President and CEO of the Internet Society. “We look forward to working with ICANN to implement the processes set out in the proposal to ensure its success. We are confident that, working with (and through) ICANN, the Internet community is committed and prepared to carry out stewardship of the IANA functions in an open, inclusive, transparent and accountable manner.” The IANA transition is a powerful illustration of the multistakeholder model and an affirmation of the principle that the best approach to address challenges is through bottom-up, transparent, and consensus-driven processes. To fulfill our shared vision of a global Internet of opportunity, the multistakeholder community must apply the same level of commitment to connecting the unconnected and strengthening global trust in the Internet. The Internet Society is fully committed to playing its part to ensure the Internet grows as a platform for innovation and collaboration. Finally, the Board of Trustees of the Internet Society would like to thank all those actively committed to this transition. In particular, the Board notes the significant contributions of the IANA Coordination Group, especially ISOC appointees Narelle Clark and Demi Getschko. https://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society-congratulates-global-…

Oct. 1, 2016

Le 15 misure chiave della Legge sul Digitale francese

by Antonio Casilli

Il 28 settembre il Parlamento francese ha definitivamente approvato la sua Legge sul Digitale (Loi Numérique o Loi Lemaire, dal nome della ministra preposta). Quattro anni di preparativi e una montagna di dibattiti hanno partorito un topolino. Ma, a differenza di altre vergogne liberticide varate dal governo Hollande negli ultimi anni, non si tratta di una legge spaventosa. Tutt'al più di una legge "meh"... Dati i miei temi di predilezione, considero dei (timidi) passi in avanti la disposizione sulla "lealtà delle piattaforme" che spiana la via all'auditing degli algoritmi dei giganti di internet, e il diritto (dal 25 maggio 2018) di downloadare i propri dati personali da qualunque servizio internet. Non bastano, ma sono un inizio. --- Les 15 mesures clés de la loi Numérique Xavier Berne Vous n’avez guère suivi les débats autour du projet de loi Numérique, qui vient tout juste d’être définitivement adopté par le Parlement ? Voici un panorama de quinze mesures emblématiques. More: http://www.nextinpact.com/news/101526-les-15-mesures-cles-loi-numerique.htm -- Antonio A. Casilli Associate Professor, Telecom ParisTech Research Fellow, Edgar-Morin Center (EHESS) Member, Interdisciplinary Institute for Innovation (i3 UMR 9217 CNRS)

Oct. 1, 2016

Re: [nexa] il DNS e' indipendente, il contratto USA e' scaduto

by Andrea Glorioso

Caro Andrea, Grazie. È stato un processo molto interessante e non senza alcuni connotati da "soap opera", il che non sorprende in questa "silly season" delle elezioni presidenziali statunitensi. :) Per completezza, mi permetto di richiamare la vostra attenzione su questo articolo di Berin Szoka, presidente di TechFreedom, uno dei gruppi che si sono opposti strenuamente alla transizione (più precisamente, TechFreedom e altri hanno suggerito una transizione "a due fasi"). Spero lo troverete interessante. Facendo un passo indietro e analizzando la questione specifica in un'ottica più ampia, a me pare abbastanza chiaro che le Corti (che stiano a Galveston, New York, Strasburgo, Lussemburgo, Roma, o altrove) sono e saranno sempre più chiamate a prendere decisioni con impatti su Internet e la "sfera digitale" che vanno ben al di là dell'oggetto del contendere e con effetti extra-giurisdizionali, a volte globali. Credo sia lecito domandarsi se la "magistratura" (nel senso più ampio e internazionale del termine) sia effettivamente ben preparata a questa responsabilità. So per certo che sia EUROJUST (EU) e il Federal Judicial Center (US) si sono posti questa domanda, e stanno considerando le maniere più appropriate per rafforzare lo scambio di "buone pratiche" a livello transatlantico. Qualcosa su cui, forse, gli amici di NEXA possono fornire buoni spunti? :) +++ https://techpolicycorner.org/court-refuses-to-block-iana-transition-94dff8f… *Court Refuses to Block IANA Transition - But Courts Could Still Reverse Transition* On Wednesday, four state attorneys general sued <http://docs.techfreedom.org/State_AG_Lawsuit_to_Stop_IANA_Transition.pdf> in federal court to stop the Department of Commerce from ceding its responsibility over the technical heart of the Internet to ICANN, a California non-profit. Today, after a brief hearing with lawyers on both sides, the judge denied the states’ request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO). This means NTIA can proceed with allowing its IANA contract with ICANN to lapse, and also to terminate its Root Zone Management Agreement contract with VeriSign (which requires NTIA to sign off on changes recommended by ICANN to the root zone file, the master database of top level domain names). This ruling does *not*, however, resolve the underlying legal questions raised by the states. Nor does it mean the Transition is a done deal. The judge today merely ruled that the states had not shown “irreparable injury” if these two contracts lapsed. This is, in general, a very high bar. But even more than that, letting the contract lapse does *not* make the Transition permanent: If a court eventually rules that NTIA could not lawfully relinquish its responsibilities, it will essentially be saying that, when the contracts lapsed, control over the Root Zone File remained with NTIA, that ICANN had been exercising control unlawfully in the interim, and that if ICANN would need to negotiate a new contract with NTIA if it wants to continue exercising the IANA functions. This ruling does *not *resolve the underlying legal questions raised by the states Such a declaratory judgment would be easy to enforce: both ICANN and VeriSign are U.S. corporations, and can be enjoined from making any changes to the root without affirmative authorization from NTIA. We will be right back where we started. The contracts, in other words, are a red herring. Now, how likely is this? The states aren’t likely to give up, but even if they do, the House may still join the fight, as could other intervenors. And even if *this*lawsuit fizzles, some other plaintiff could raise the issue in the future — and there’s every reason to think that it will come up in litigation between ICANN and the companies that run top level domains or sell second level domains to consumers. There is no statute of limitations on the issues raised by the plaintiffs. This issue could cast a long shadow over ICANN for years until a court finally rules on the merits. So, how likely is *this particular judge* to rule in favor of the states on the merits? In general, it’s probably safe to assume that denying a TRO indicates skepticism on the merits, but in this case, it’s worth noting that the Judge, in announcing his decision, expressed his uncertainty about the issue (“some really interesting arguments”, “really made me think”, “but someone has to win”, etc.). More fundamentally, this is a really hard case — and what lawyers would call an issue of first impression: raising questions never before answered by a court. Most notably, the hearing apparently did *not* discuss the Ninth Circuit’s 2002 decision in *Kremen v. Network Solutions* <http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1483800.html> concerning sex.com, which held that property rights *are* property. Nor did the GAO in its recent report <http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/679691.pdf> on the issue. If domain names are property rights, surely Top Level Domain names are, too. And if they are, why isn’t the database that manages them (the Root Zone File)? The point is just that this is a hard question, one my colleague Mike Palage first raised <http://blog.pff.org/archives/2009/01/print/005425.html> back in 2009 in our work about the then-pending “transition” (to a more relaxed relationship between NTIA and ICANN). The judge may very well change his mind on the merits after considering this issue more fully. And once he rules on the merits, the decision will go to the Fifth Circuit — still a conservative bastion — on appeal. The issue could go all the way to the Supreme Court, especially if there is a Trump Administration. This ain’t over til a court (or more than one) rules on the merits. Open Legal Concerns To summarize, here are the concerns raised by the states: 1. The U.S. government has long exercised exclusive control over who may edit the Root Zone File that ties together the Internet, and that abandoning this *government property right *requires Congressional authorization; 2. Absent a firm guarantee that ICANN will protect *free speech*, converting what has been a public forum into a private one would violate the First Amendment; 3. NTIA violated *administrative law *by failing to build an adequate record and respond to public comment on the matter; 4. NTIA lacks *statutory authority *to cede responsibility over the Domain Name System; and 5. By failing to secure U.S. ownership of *.GOV, *NTIA is tortiously interfering with the contracts that states hold for their .GOV domain names. The Path Not Taken Here’s the approach to the issue I urged <http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/09/28/should-the-us-give-up-overs…> in *The New York Times *earlier this week: We should break the transition into two phases. *Phase 1*: No government, including ours, should meddle in editing the master database that of top level domain names. The Commerce Department should quickly negotiate a new contract that ends direct U.S. involvement, but retains the ability to reassert that role if necessary. Importantly, this would temporarily preserve what’s always been the most important check on ICANN: Commerce’s right to rebid the transition contract if ICANN misbehaves. *Phase 2*: Commerce shouldn’t end the new contract until after a trial period for the new governance model, all accountability measures and other reforms are implemented, and ICANN multistakeholder community is satisfied with the reforms. I’ve warned all along that having a U.S. court block the transition, or reverse it after the fact, would be the worst case scenario in terms of international backlash, and in poisoning the well for a bipartisan Congressional solution that puts a post-Transition ICANN on the soundest footing possible. I’ve never wanted this issue to become fodder for yet another partisan battle — rather than a debate over the merits. And yet, here we are — as the result of the Administration angrily dismissing honest concerns about the legality of doing the Transition without Congressional approval, and about the ability of multistakeholder community to effectively govern ICANN. Further Reading See our other work on the IANA transition, including: - Essays by Szóka <http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/09/28/should-the-us-give-up-overs…> and Brett Schaefer <http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/09/28/should-the-us-give-up-overs…> in *The New York Times*’ Room for Debate - Berin Szòka’s testimony <https://techpolicycorner.org/sz%C3%B3ka-to-congress-dont-rush-the-iana-tran…> before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the transition - Our white paper <http://techfreedom.org/post/150134750119/iana-transition-is-premature> on the concerns that must be addressed before the IANA transition - Coalition letter <https://techpolicycorner.org/congress-should-sue-to-pause-the-iana-transiti…> urging Congress to temporarily block the IANA transition *About TechFreedom* TechFreedom <http://techfreedom.org/> is a non-profit, non-partisan technology policy think tank. We work to chart a path forward for policymakers towards a bright future where technology enhances freedom, and freedom enhances technology. And, in case you were wondering, no one has given TechFreedom a dime to work on this issue. We have raised concerns because we actually believe them, not because someone paid us to. On Saturday, October 1, 2016, Andrea Beccalli <andrea.beccalli(a)icann.org> wrote: > mi scuso per il cross-posting, inoltro qui un messaggio inviato alla lista > IGF Italia 2016. (Per chi fosse interessato a partecipare alla > preparazione dell’IGF Italia 2016, Venezia 14-15 Novembre, può iscriversi > mandando una email a 2016(a)IGF-ITALIA.IT > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','2016(a)IGF-ITALIA.IT');>). > > Salve a tutti, la transizione delle supervisione USA sulle funzioni IANA > di ICANN (la gestione delle risorse critiche del sistema DNS di Internet) > e’ completata. > > Qui sotto il comunicato stampa del Dipartimento del Commercio USA (NTIA), > e a seguire un articolo <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37527719> interessante > della bbc che racconta il processo storico alla base di questo risultato. > Chi e’ interessato a saperne di più non esiti a contattarmi. > > Saluti e buon we! > Andrea Beccalli > > http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2016/statement-assistant-secretary- > strickling-iana-functions-contract > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: > October 01, 2016 > News Media Contact: > Juliana Gruenwald > > Statement from Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and > NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling: > > The federal court in Galveston, Texas denied the plaintiffs' application > for declaratory and injunctive relief. As of October 1, 2016, the IANA > functions contract has expired. > > > -- -- I speak only for myself. Sometimes I do not even agree with myself. Keep it in mind. Twitter: @andreaglorioso Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrea.glorioso LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=1749288&trk=tab_pro

Oct. 1, 2016

il DNS e' indipendente, il contratto USA e' scaduto

by Andrea Beccalli

mi scuso per il cross-posting, inoltro qui un messaggio inviato alla lista IGF Italia 2016. (Per chi fosse interessato a partecipare alla preparazione dell'IGF Italia 2016, Venezia 14-15 Novembre, può iscriversi mandando una email a 2016(a)IGF-ITALIA.IT) Salve a tutti, la transizione delle supervisione USA sulle funzioni IANA di ICANN (la gestione delle risorse critiche del sistema DNS di Internet) e' completata. Qui sotto il comunicato stampa del Dipartimento del Commercio USA (NTIA), e a seguire un articolo<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37527719> interessante della bbc che racconta il processo storico alla base di questo risultato. Chi e' interessato a saperne di più non esiti a contattarmi. Saluti e buon we! Andrea Beccalli http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2016/statement-assistant-secretary-st… FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 01, 2016 News Media Contact: Juliana Gruenwald Statement from Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling: The federal court in Galveston, Texas denied the plaintiffs' application for declaratory and injunctive relief. As of October 1, 2016, the IANA functions contract has expired.

Oct. 1, 2016

ProPublica: "Breaking the Black Box: What Facebook Knows About You"

by J.C. DE MARTIN

Prima puntata di quattro (le rimanenti tre verrano pubblicate il 5, il 12 e il 19 ottobre). juan carlos ----------------- *Breaking the Black Box** **What Facebook Knows About You* by Julia Angwin, Terry Parris Jr. and Surya Mattu, ProPublica September 28, 2016 We live in an era of increasing automation. Machines help us not only with manual labor but also with intellectual tasks, such as curating the news we read and calculating the best driving directions. But as machines make more decisions for us, it is increasingly important to understand the algorithms that produce their judgments. […] Continua qui: https://www.propublica.org/article/breaking-the-black-box-what-facebook-kno…

Oct. 1, 2016

How Bulk Interception Works

by J.C. DE MARTIN

How Bulk Interception Works by Privacy International (Sent from my wireless device; please excuse brevity and typos (if any))

Oct. 1, 2016

Announcing YouTube-8M: A Large and Diverse Labeled Video Dataset for Video Understanding Research

by J.C. DE MARTIN

*Announcing YouTube-8M: A Large and Diverse Labeled Video Dataset for Video Understanding Research* Wednesday, September 28, 2016 Posted by Sudheendra Vijayanarasimhan and Paul Natsev, Software Engineers Many recent breakthroughs in machine learning and machine perception have come from the availability of large labeled datasets, such as ImageNet, which has millions of images labeled with thousands of classes. Their availability has significantly accelerated research in image understanding, for example on detecting and classifying objects in static images. Video analysis provides even more information for detecting and recognizing objects, and understanding human actions and interactions with the world. Improving video understanding can lead to better video search and discovery, similarly to how image understanding helped re-imagine the photos experience. However, one of the key bottlenecks for further advancements in this area has been the lack of real-world video datasets with the same scale and diversity as image datasets. Today, we are excited to announce the release of YouTube-8M, a dataset of 8 million YouTube video URLs (representing over 500,000 hours of video), along with video-level labels from a diverse set of 4800 Knowledge Graph entities. This represents a significant increase in scale and diversity compared to existing video datasets. For example, Sports-1M, the largest existing labeled video dataset we are aware of, has around 1 million YouTube videos and 500 sports-specific classes--YouTube-8M represents nearly an order of magnitude increase in both number of videos and classes. […] Continua qui: https://research.googleblog.com/2016/09/announcing-youtube-8m-large-and-div…

Oct. 1, 2016