IGF 2018 LIGHTNING SESSION #2 The DNS and Children’s Rights

• Session Type: Lightning Session
• Title: The DNS and children’s rights
• Date & Time: Nov. 12th, 13.00 – 13.20 o’clock
• Organizer(s): John Carr / Jutta Croll
• Chair/Moderator: John Carr
• Rapporteur/Notetaker: Jutta Croll
• List of speakers and their institutional affiliations: John Carr, UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) UKCCIS (male)
• Theme: Human Rights, Gender and Youth
• Subtheme: Child Online Safety

Key issues for the discussion:

1. The Domain Name System is a key part of the infrastructure of the internet
2. It is managed by ICANN with Registrars and Registries as the  principal actors
3. High volumes of child sex abuse images on the internet attributable to failures to police the DNS, particularly in respect of the ownership details  of web sites
4. Only 23% of ownership details accurate i.e. accuracy the exception rather than the rule
5. Self-regulatory initiatives by banking, insurance and pharmaceuticals show an alternative

Three key messages from the discussion

1. ICANN is positioned perfectly well to help fight child sexual abuse imagery at the roots
2. When awarding a contract or license to an entity to become the registry for a country code or generic toplevel domain, ICANN should include clear requirements to have due regard to the best interests of children. Such requirements should cover, for example, a clear prohibition by the registry of the registration or use of any domain name which advertises or suggests that child sexual abuse material may be available on any domain within the registry’s purview and the establishment by the registry of mechanisms to ensure this policy is enforced, including by registrars and registrants, as requested from States by the Council of Europe Guidelines to protect, respect and fulfil the rights of the child in the digital environment (Art. 80) adopted on July 4th, 2018.
3. The Verified Topel Level Domain Consortium should be taken as a model to set up respective procedures supported by funds from ICANN to ensure domains registered under certain generic top level domains do not infringe the rights of the child.

Further information on the session

• Number of paricipants: 15 - 20
• Gender equally represented
• Gender issues discussed in regard of female and male children both affected by CSAM.