IGF 2017 WS #48 The Future of Internet Identifiers: How the DNS will Function in a Smart Cyberspace?

Content of the Session:
For more than 30 years the Domain Name System (DNS) provided a first hand service for Internet identifiers. A domain name, an e-mail address and an IP number were the main identifiers which enabled communication among computers and people behind the computers. But with new applications and services, in particular related to Apps, Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things, the role of identifiers in the Internet Governance Ecosystem is changing. As Karl Auerbach has said: "It is not that the Domain Name System (DNS) is becoming less important as a technical way of mapping structured names into various forms of records, most often records containing IP addresses. Nor is the Domain Name System used less then heretofore. ... And national governments continue to believe that domain names are the holy grail of levers they can use to impose their views of right and proper behavior onto the internet. All of that remains. And it will remain. What is happening to DNS is more subtle: Domain names are slowly becoming invisible." This process leads to two questions which will be discussed in the workshop:
1. What are the consequences of the growing invisibility of the domain names for the domain name market, in particular for policies around the allocation of TLDs and the mannagement of the DNS and how this will affect the use of the Internet by individuals?
2. Will we see the emergence of a new generation of Internet identifiers, in particular with regard to industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things and how this new generation Internet identifiers would be integrated into the existing systems, keeping the global Internet interoperable and unfragmented?
The workshop will provide expertise mainly from the technical and business community but also from a govenrmental perspective (ICANNs GAC and ITU-T Study Group 20). And the interests of users will be also included into the debate. The pespective of developing countries will be represented by the chair of the SG 20 (ITU-T), Mr Marzouki, from the United Arab Emirates. 

Relevance of the Session:
The management of critical Internet resources, in particular Internet identifiers as domain names, has been in the spotlight of the Internet Governance debate in the last two decades. With the completion of the IANA transition and the emergence of new applications and services, related to industry 4.0, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, the role of the DNS in the global Internet Governance Ecosystem is changing and has to be reconsidered. This will have consequences both for the development of the domain name market as well as for related governmental policies. This is also a challenge for the technical community (to keep the Internet interoperable and non-fragmented). Also user interests are involved. 

Tag 1: Internet of Things
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Interventions:
The issue seems to be primarily a technical issue. But it has a lot of economic and political implications and has also consequences for users. The selection of speakers will allow to give the various perspectives by including representatives from business (Google, ECO) and governments (ICANN´s GAC, ITU-T SG20). The moderator will raise the question what the consequences for individual users will be. 

Diversity:
The invited speakers of the session represent all involved stakeholder groups. So far, the issue is less discussed in developing countries. By inviting the chair of ITU-T SG 20, Mr. Marzouki from the United Arab Emirates, the perspective of developing countries will be included in the discussion. 

Onsite Moderator: Wolfgang Kleinwaechter
Online Moderator: Peter Koch, DENIC
Rapporteur: Marten Botterman, Chair IGF DC IOT

Online Participation:
We will reach out for an extended Online participation to the members of the ITU-T Study Group 20 as well as to members of the IGF-DC on IOT. 

Discussion facilitation:
The moderator will not allow long individual presentations by invited speakeers. He will ask direct questions to the speakers on the podium and will include, as early as possible, the audience

Conducted a Workshop in IGF before?: No
Link to Report: