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New on the RIPE Labs Podcast: The Case for Revitalising Internet Governance
by Alun Davies 27 Jul '22

27 Jul '22

Dear colleagues, Are the organisations that form the Internet governance ecosystem failing to rise to new challenges the modern Internet has created? And if so, what steps need to be taken in order to revitalise Internet governance? In this new episode of the RIPE Labs podcast, my colleague Chris Buckridge and I discuss these questions in detail with Kieren McCarthy, journalist and author of the paper ‘Revitalising Global Internet Governance’: https://labs.ripe.net/author/alun_davies/the-case-for-revitalising-internet… Best regards, Alun Davies RIPE Labs Editor RIPE NCC

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Re: [ripe-list] Continued Moderation of RIPE Discussion List
by Petra.Zeidler＠dlr.de 26 Jul '22

26 Jul '22

Dear List, all of those who have been on Usenet will recognize this kind of disruptive behavior, and then it was only about rubber points and not about "resource extracting" from a commons (IPv4 addresses) that happen to be both scarce and expensive by now. I would not at all be surprised if none of the sender accounts map to real people (i.e. it's probably all sockpuppets). The point is not the "opinion" per se but to break the process - in this case the RIRs - by sowing dissent and drowning everything in a flood of filth. The originators are neither sophisticated nor particularly original. Moderation helps a lot, even if it puts undue load on the moderators. Kind regards, Petra Zeidler

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Continued Moderation of RIPE Discussion List
by Mirjam Kühne 25 Jul '22

25 Jul '22

Dear colleagues, As I explained in my previous message, moderation was enabled on the RIPE List on Saturday following an offensive email that was posted to the list. https://www.ripe.net/ripe/mail/archives/ripe-list/2022-July/002580.html Following this, myself and others who posted to the list received further offensive emails and were subjected to attacks on our email inboxes. We want to ensure that people can post safely to the list. In the meantime we will keep moderation activated. The RIPE Chair Team will moderate the mails that are sent to the list while this is active. The RIPE NCC is also investigating the legal implications of leaving offensive content on the list archives. Together with the community, I would like to discuss how we can ensure that our mailing lists remain open and enable fruitful conversations but also protect people from harm and abusive behaviour. We will arrange an online session where we can explore together where the balance should lie between these two important requirements. I will send further details in the coming weeks. Kind regards, Mirjam Kühne RIPE Chair

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Moderating RIPE Discussion List
by Mirjam Kühne 23 Jul '22

23 Jul '22

Dear colleagues, As Hisham noted in his earlier mail, the RIPE NCC last night decided to put the RIPE list into moderation, following a mail containing highly offensive racist language. I fully support this decision. The RIPE Community is open and inclusive, and I am sad that we have to take such a serious step. Over time, the community demonstrated its ability to self-govern and ensure appropriate tone and behaviour in discussions. However, in this situation, given the gravity of the violation of the RIPE Code of Conduct, I feel that temporary moderation of the list is necessary in order to protect our community. We will watch the situation closely over the next days to determine any further steps. In the meantime, I would like to encourage you all to continue to engage, and to do so in the manner and spirit that I know reflects RIPE. I would like to sincerely thank Hisham and his colleagues at the RIPE NCC who took immediate action and who did not hesitate to sacrifice their weekend. Kind regards, Mirjam Kühne RIPE Chair

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AFRINIC SUSPENDED CEO TRYING TO ASK GOVERNMENT TO APPOINT DIRECTORS OF RIR
by Adrie Schmidt 23 Jul '22

23 Jul '22

Dear Global community I have very unfortunate news to share with you. The suspended CEO of AFRINIC, Eddy Kayihura - has written to African Telecommunication union, an Inter-government body and requested them to appoint the directors of AFRINIC. This is a clear attempt to avoid the legitimate election by depriving AFRINIC members' right to select their own directors. According to ATU's reply, they have proposed four directors. One of them is involved in fraud proceedings. https://www.lawandpowerkenya.com/interconsult-engineers-ltd-director-six-ot… The RIR community has been running on the principle of community-drive bottom up process for years. This is the foundation of today's Internet. By adhering to this principle, the RIRs have successfully resisted external interference from governmental bodies such as ITU. It is extremely regretful to see that a suspended CEO of one of the RIRs, is trying to ask a governmental body to interfere with RIR's independent procedure. This is putting the entire system at a tremendous risk that we have never had before. The suspended CEO is continually trying to take further legal action in secret. He is spending members money on this. We were lucky to retrieve this letter, from the case Eddy filed against AFRINIC, in an attempt to appoint four directors suggested by ATU as elected directors, in which in that affidavit in the case, Eddy admitted that AFRINIC is lacking of quorum and can not defend its own case, so Eddy is trying to use this opportunities to bypass the very election allows member to have their voice heard. The suspended CEO is acting without authority and in secret and is out of control. The organization is failing. Members have no oversight on what he is doing unilaterally. He is out of control and not acting in the interests of members. We have attached the relevant letters in this email. You may read them yourselves. This is unprecedentedly shocking and disappointing. It is a spectra that the RIRs may fall into the hands of governmental bodies - a scenario that none of us would like to see in the community. NRS team

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NRO NC Call for Nominations
by Hans Petter Holen 22 Jul '22

22 Jul '22

Dear colleagues, This is a call for nominations from the RIPE NCC service region to fill one seat on the Number Resource Organization (NRO) Number Council (NC). The three-year term started by Filiz Yilmaz and continued by James Kennedy ends on 31 December 2022. The election for this NRO NC seat will take place during the RIPE 85 Meeting that will be held online and onsite in Belgrade from 24-28 October 2022. All members of the Internet community, except RIR staff, who are attending the RIPE Meeting (online or onsite) and have checked in may vote in the election. The deadline for nominations is Friday, 30 September 2022. Any individual residing within the RIPE NCC service region is eligible for nomination, except Regional Internet Registry (RIR) staff members. Self-nominations are permitted. The nomination process is available at: https://www.ripe.net/nro-nc/nominations-oct-2022/nro-nc-nomination-process Please send your nominations to <nominations(a)ripe.net> by 23:59 UTC on 30 September 2022. All confirmed nominations will be listed on the RIPE NCC website by Wednesday, 5 October 2022. All nominees may submit a written statement in support of their nomination for publication on the RIPE NCC website. Other people can express support for nominated individuals by sending an email to <nominations(a)ripe.net>. Expressions of support will also be published on the RIPE NCC website. ------------------- About the NRO NC ------------------- The NRO NC performs the role of the Address Supporting Organization Address Council (ASO AC), including: - Overseeing the Global Policy Development Process. - Providing recommendations to the ICANN Board concerning the recognition of new RIRs. - Nominating individuals to serve in the ASO’s two seats (Seat 9 and Seat 10) on the ICANN Board of Directors and other ICANN bodies. - Advising to the ICANN Board on Internet number resource allocation policy, in conjunction with the RIRs. - Developing procedures for conducting business in support of their responsibilities, in particular, for the appointment of an ASO AC Chair and definition of the Chair’s responsibilities. For more information about the ASO AC, please see: https://aso.icann.org/aso-ac/ To find out more about the NRO NC and the election process, please see: https://www.ripe.net/nro-nc/nominations-oct-2022/ Regards, Hans Petter Holen Managing Director RIPE NCC ------------------- Important Dates ------------------- 30 September 2022: Deadline for NRO NC nominations 5 October 2022: Deadline for all confirmed nominees to be posted on the RIPE NCC website 24-28 October 2022: Election to fill NRO NC seat during the RIPE 85 Meeting 28 October 2022: Announce successful candidate at closing plenary of RIPE 85

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An interesting article on the NRO letter
by Adrie Schmidt 22 Jul '22

22 Jul '22

I have come across this article on recent NRO Letter written by a prominent Law professor. I think it may be of value to the community, please see below: " The world's Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), coordinated by Number Resource Organization (NRO), manage the distribution of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in five continents respectively. Although far less well known than domain names, IP addresses are also the critical resources essential to the proper function of the global internet. As the steward of the critical address resources, NRO and all the Regional Registries are highly respected technical organizations. However, many people in the internet community are surprised, though not in a lovely way, by the NRO's public call requesting Mauritius government to intervene in a court case in which AFRINIC was sued by a company reportedly located in Hong Kong for a contractual dispute. AFRINIC is the RIR for Africa, established in 2004 and headquartered in Ebene, Mauritius. Since the case involves the complicated legal and internet governance issues during a long period of time, the merit and procedure of the case cannot be elaborated in such a short piece. But anyone, of course, has the right to comment or opine on the case and may well have the different propositions or preferences. But the NRO's Open Letter dated July 12, 2022 to Mauritius Foreign Minister and Attorney General uncommonly requests the government take action against the on-going court proceeding in a country with "stable and consistent legal system." Should the NRO's request be successful, Mauritius would hardly be able to maintain her "stable and consistent legal system" simply because judicial independence, the cornerstone of rule of law, would be subverted. Since AFRINIC deliberately chose "Mauritius as the most appropriate place to host this fundamental role for the regional Internet", it shall comply with the laws and court orders of that country. The NRO's belief that preservation and protection of "the independence of AFRINIC" be only achieved through repudiating Mauritius legal system that actually "benefit" AFRINIC is entirely paradoxical. The contractual dispute is a civil dispute in nature. The NRO's blames on both the "abusive" litigation and Mauritius court orders (such as the interim measure to freeze the AFRINIC's bank account) should be able to be reviewed or resolved within the legal system of Mauritius. Instead of keeping any faith in the "stable and consistent legal system" from which AFRINIC chose to reside in order to obtain the benefit, the NRO's resort to the government powers to influence or control the court proceeding seems arbitrary, cynical and a bit arrogant to a sovereignty state. Doing so is of little help to AFRINIC that is subject to the territorial jurisdiction of Mauritius. Doesn't NRO consider that its proactive Letter could make AFRINIC less welcome in local host country? More interestingly, the NRO requests in the letter that the AFRINIC be recognized from Mauritius "as an international organization." Actually, what's requested by the NRO is the legal immunity granted to the legal status of an international organization. However, only Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) created through multilateral international treaties, like the UN based in New York or World Trade Organization (WTO) based in Geneva, are entitled to the legal status of privileges or immunities based upon the respective founding charters or treaties. AFRINIC, as stated at www.afrinic.net, is a nonprofit and member-based organization registered and operating under the Corporate Legal Frameworks of Mauritius. Irrespective of the NRO's call to recognize AFRINIC as an international organization "as rapidly as possible", obviously, no such international treaty exists at the moment. Before requesting for AFRINIC's legal status of an international organization, the international treaty that can support the NRO's request has to be concluded. Notwithstanding AFRINIC's importance to Africa, including but not limited to providing the services to internet operators, fostering digital culture throughout the region, and supporting regional digital economy, it will inevitably take years for African countries to convene, negotiate and reach an agreement on the treaty for AFRINIC. Actually, very few internet organizations transform into treaty organizations. Most of them remain non-governmental nonprofit organizations. For example, both the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and Internet Engineering Task Force, two most influential global internet organizations, are incorporated under the American laws without any treaty immunity status. Although the pros and cons about the so-called "UN model" has been hotly debated for a couple of years, technical community is largely not keen of transforming into treaty organizations for a variety of reasons. The NRO's request that AFRINIC be recognized as an IGO is an eyebrow-raising move to the internet technical community. Alternatively, Mauritius legislature may extraordinarily enact a special law to grant the legal immunity for AFRINIC. If NRO calls for this approach, it is ironical that the call was made to the Foreign Minister and Attorney General, none of whom has the legislative powers. By all means, transformation of AFRINIC into an international organization either through an international treaty or a special Mauritius law deserves strategic thinking and planning, not just for convenience. Further, should AFRINIC obtain the legal immunity of an international organization, such legal status generally shouldn't be applied retrospectively. In an unlikely scenario that Mauritius government did address this issue "as rapidly as possible" as urged by NRO, it is still highly contentious why AFRINIC should be allowed to resort to the newly-gained legal immunity in the preexisting legal proceeding of a contractual dispute. Since non-retrospective is the commonly-recognized legal principle in the world, NRO's request for AFRINIC's international organization status, no matter successful or not, is unlikely to have any effect on the current court case. Although internet technical organizations origined from North America and Europe, they now commit to function as the steward of critical internet resources in the global public interests. They should keep in mind that mutual respect and trust between the internet organizations and sovereign states in the Global South are very important to the stable operation and development of the internet. NRO's Open Letter not only shows little understanding of the real legal issues in the proceeding but the striking sense of superiority in the post-colonist world. If NRO really wants to ensure AFRINIC "to remain accountable and subject to Mauritian laws", it should contribute to resolve the dispute, not to cause collateral damage." (The author is a professor of law with the Beijing Normal University.) https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202207/1271059.shtml

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[news] RIPE NCC Community Projects Fund 2022
by projectsfund＠ripe.net 21 Jul '22

21 Jul '22

Dear colleagues, I hope you are keeping well. For the sixth year in a row, the RIPE NCC is committing to support activities and projects for 'the good of the Internet'. We are pleased to invite applications for funding from the RIPE NCC Community Projects Fund. Through this initiative, the RIPE NCC distributes up to EUR 250,000 per year to support projects of value to the operation, resilience and sustainability of the Internet, with a focus on tools and services benefitting the technical community in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. The call for applications is now open: https://www.ripe.net/support/cpf/call-for-applications <https://www.ripe.net/support/cpf/call-for-applications> On Tuesday, 26 July, from 10:00-11:30 UTC, we are organising an Open House with brief presentations from previous fund recipients along with members of the selection committee where you can ask your questions. The session is open to anyone, and if you're interested in applying for project funding or want to learn more, you can register at: https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/open-house/ripe-ncc-open-house-co… <https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/open-house/ripe-ncc-open-house-co…> If you have any questions, please reach out to me. Kind Regards, Alastair Strachan RIPE NCC

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New on RIPE Labs: Where Did My Packet Go? Measuring the Impact of RPKI ROV
by Alun Davies 19 Jul '22

19 Jul '22

Dear colleagues, Koen van Hove and colleagues recently conducted an experiment to find out what impact RPKI ROV has on whether packets end up in their intended location. Read all about the experiment and its results on RIPE Labs: https://labs.ripe.net/author/koen-van-hove/where-did-my-packet-go-measuring… Best regards, Alun Davies RIPE Labs Editor RIPE NCC

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New RIPE Document: RIPE Task Forces: Definition and Guidelines (ripe-782)
by Niall O'Reilly 14 Jul '22

14 Jul '22

Dear Colleagues, A new RIPE Document, [ripe-782][], "RIPE Task Forces: Definition and Guidelines" has been published at https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-782/. This document sets out how RIPE Task Forces are created and how they operate; it updates and expands on the information on RIPE task forces contained in Part II, Chapter 4 of [ripe-464][], the report of the RIPE Enhanced Cooperation Task Force. Mirjam and I would like to thank each of you who gave suggestions, feedback, and editorial support during the preparation of this document. I have tried to acknowledge all of you by name in the document itself, and ask you to pardon any inadvertent omissions. Best regards, Niall O'Reilly RIPE Vice-Chair --- [ripe-782]: https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-782/ [ripe-464]: https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-464

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