Affirmation of Commitments
The 2009 Affirmation of Commitments (AoC) is a foundational mission document and set of commitments between the United States Department of Commerce and ICANN.[1] It is the basis for the drafting and adoption of Article 4.6 of the ICANN Bylaws, which establishes specific reviews for each commitment within the Affirmation of Commitments.[2][3] Article 4.6 was adopted and incorporated into the bylaws in October 2016.[4]
The agreement was designed to provide ICANN the flexibility to grow and evolve along with developments and technological evolution of the Internet, but hold ICANN to the tenets of its core mission of administering and coordinating the DNS. Section 9 of the Affirmation of Commitments specifies the following commitments "together with ongoing commitment reviews:"
- Ensuring accountability, transparency and the interests of global Internet users;
- Preserving security, stability and resiliency;
- Promoting competition, consumer trust, and consumer choice; and
- Enforcing its existing policy relating to WHOIS, subject to applicable laws.[1]
The specific reviews contained in Article 4.6 of the ICANN Bylaws directly address the review and improvement these four commitments.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Affirmation of Commitments, September 30, 2009
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 ICANN Bylaws, Article 4.6
- ↑ See also Article 1.2 of the ICANN Bylaws
- ↑ [https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/bylaws-2016-09-30-en#article4 ICANN.org Archive - Bylaws as adopted October 1, 2016