ICANN Community

Welcome to the world of ICANN!

If you are new, or even if you aren't, here are a list of important terms that you may need to know.

ICANN

ICANN stands for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. It is a private, non-profit organization for the management of the Internet DNS, IP Addresses and Autonomous System Numbers, and the structures that underlie them. It runs on an international, multi-stakeholder model.

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) MAIN ARTICLE: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) SEE ALSO: ICANN Board ICANN Staff ICANN Meetings ICANN Bodies

ICANN Organizational Chart

GNSO

Main article: GNSO

The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) is an ICANN body that develops policies, forms consensus, and makes recommendations to the ICANN Board related to gTLDs.

ccNSO

Main article: ccNSO

The Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) is an ICANN body that develops policies, forms consensus, and makes recommendations to the ICANN Board related to ccTLDs.

ASO

Main article: ASO

The Address Supporting Organization (ASO) is an ICANN body that develops policies, forms consensus, and makes recommendations to the ICANN Board related to Internet Protocol and addresses.

GAC

Main article: GAC

The Government Advisory Committee (GAC) is an ICANN body that consists of representatives from various governments and advises the ICANN Board on public policy issues, national laws, and international agreements.

ALAC

Main article: ALAC

The At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) is an ICANN body that presents the voices and concerns of individual Internet users, as represented by the At-Large Community.

RSSAC

Main article: RSSAC

The Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC) is an ICANN body that advises the ICANN community and Board on issues pertaining to the operation, administration, security, and integrity of the Internet's Root Server System.

SSAC

Main article: SSAC

The Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) is an ICANN body that advises the ICANN Board on matters related to the security and integrity of domain names and the allocation of IP addresses, including security assurance for operational matters, administrative matters, and registrations matters.

NomCom

Main article: Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee (NomCom) is the ICANN body that oversees the selection of various ICANN officers. It is designed to operate independently of all other ICANN bodies and to act in the interest of the global Internet community.

Ombudsman

Main article: Ombudsman

The 'Ombudsman is an informal dispute resolution office for members of the ICANN community who wish to lodge complaints about ICANN staff, board, or supporting organizations.

IETF

Main article: IETF

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is a large open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet.

The following are all past or present bodies within ICANN's structure:

Supporting Organizations (SOs): ASO CcNSO DNSO GNSO CPH NCPH Stakeholder Groups (SGs): CSG NCSG RrSG RySG Constituencies: CBUC IPC ISPC NCUC NPOC Advisory Committees (ACs): ALAC GAC, GAC Members RSSAC SSAC Other Committees: BGC CEO Search Committee NomCom OSC PPSC SIC

At-Large Structures (ALSes): RALOs: AFRALO APRALO EURALO LACRALO NARALO Working Groups (WGs), Drafting Teams (DTs), Work Teams (WTs), etc: CCT FFWG GCOT IDN WG IRT JIG PEDNR WG PDP-WT RAP WG STI-DT TDG VIWG WGIG Other: GA ICANN Board ICANN Studienkreis IESG MAG RSTEP TLG TMC Whois Task Force

Generic Names Supporting Organization. Develops and recommends to the Board substantive policies relating to generic top-level domains and other responsibilities set forth in the Bylaws (ICANN Bylaws).

Country Code Names Supporting Organization. Develops and recommends to the Board global policies relating to country-code top-level domains (ICANN Bylaws).

Address Supporting Organization. Advises the Board with respect to policy issues relating to the operation, assignment, and management of Internet addresses (ICANN Bylaws).

Governmental Advisory Committee. Considers and provides advice on the activities of ICANN as they relate to concerns of governments, particularly matters where there may be an interaction between ICANN's policies and various laws and international agreements or where they may affect public policy issues (ICANN Bylaws).

At-Large Advisory Committee. Considers and provides advice on the activities of ICANN related to the interests of individual Internet users (ICANN Bylaws). Not to be confused with the Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group.

Root Server System Advisory Committee. Advises the ICANN community and Board on matters relating to the operation, administration, security, and integrity of the Internet's Root Server System (ICANN Bylaws).

Security and Stability Advisory Committee. Advises the ICANN community and Board on matters relating to the security and integrity of the Internet's naming and address allocation systems (ICANN Bylaws).

Nominating Committee

Internet Engineering Task Force