DRAFT — requires source and editorial review before import. '''Get to Know the ICANN Community: ALAC and SSAC''' is a session listed in the ICANN87 programme.[https://icann87.sched.com/event/2WjfH/get-to-know-the-icann-community-alac-and-ssac Official session listing] == Session information == Stable import identifier: icann87-sched-2WjfH Scheduled start: 2026-10-17T16:30:00+08:00 Scheduled end: 2026-10-17T17:30:00+08:00 Status (schedule metadata): scheduled Access (schedule metadata): public == Official session description (source text) == 16:30 WITA (UTC+8), 17 October 202608:30 UTC, 17 October 2026Nusantara 2 (At-Large) ID# 18601 Session DetailsThis is an onboarding session for ICANN87 newcomers, including Fellowship and NextGen@ICANN Programs participants. Here, participants will have the opportunity to meet with the representatives of the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) and the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC). Main Presenter: Jonathan Zuck (ALAC), Ram Mohan and Tara Whalen (SSAC) Session Leader: Siranush VardanyanStaff Facilitator: Siranush Vardanyan Session RecordingsZoom ArchiveEnglish audio archiveArchive audio en françaisArsip Audio Bahasa Indonesia[https://icann87.sched.com/event/2WjfH/get-to-know-the-icann-community-alac-and-ssac Official session description] == AI-generated summary == The following is machine-generated interpretation, not an official conclusion. This newcomer session introduced SSAC’s technical advisory role and membership process, then At-Large’s end-user representation and participation routes. Questions covered AI and DNS abuse, DS-record automation, impact measurement, DDoS advice and independence. At-Large speakers encouraged volunteering through working groups and regional structures, while discussing language barriers and consensus. Source context: Session recording (no public source URL supplied); claim-level evidence follows where supplied. LLM terminology correction completed; source caption text remains separate. Human review not completed according to source metadata. == AI-generated key points and supplied evidence == * SSAC’s five keystone areas are DNS abuse, new gTLDs, DNSSEC, alternative namespaces, and security, stability and resilience in Internet governance.Evidence locator: {"quote": "There you go. So the SSAC focuses on five.", "segment_id": 51} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "keystone topics. Five topics that we believe are important, that we believe are essential to the continued safe, secure, and stable operation", "segment_id": 52} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "of the Internet's identifier systems. DNS abuse, new GTLDs, DNSSEC, alternative namespaces, as well as the security, stability, resilience aspects of Internet governance. So those are five areas that we have a continued and dedicated focus in terms o", "segment_id": 53} (no public source URL supplied) * SSAC membership uses an annual application and interview process. The presenters encouraged varied research, operational, registry/registrar and governance expertise, including earlier-career candidates who fill a need.Evidence locator: {"quote": "We do have a process every year. At this point, we've gone to a sort of a window based system where people can apply generally up to June, and then we spend time looking at who has applied and figuring out, you know, what our needs are. And, you know", "segment_id": 67} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "But there's a lot of differences in people's level of knowledge about different areas. So we do look at sort of many different ways that you could have come to this. We have people who do research. So they're used to forming research questions and do", "segment_id": 73} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "working somewhere where they've had to do hands-on work. And so they very much know, you know, the ins and outs that make", "segment_id": 74} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "registry and registrar experience. We have people who have experience in internet governance, so we have a lot of different things that come together to, feed into the expertise we use to approach all of these problems, which really, I think, strengt", "segment_id": 76} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "I know that we get a lot of people in SSAC who are very experienced. But we do like to look at people who are earlier career as well. So if you'd spent a lot of time with exactly the sort of experience that sort of fits that niche, then you might fit", "segment_id": 81} (no public source URL supplied) * On associated domain checks, the presenter cautioned that phishing under one TLD does not automatically imply phishing under another TLD run by the same operator, and described SSAC involvement in the GNSO work.Evidence locator: {"quote": "So the domain name, then, is really the gateway to enter into that, right? Now, most of those happen to be names at the… what we call the second level, right? So, it wouldn't necessarily be at the… just a TLD itself. So.", "segment_id": 109} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "It doesn't automatically mean that there will be an equivalent fish on Tldb, even though the Tldb may also be run and operated by Google. So you have to look at those on a case by case basis. Now there is work happening in the Gnso. This this policy ", "segment_id": 111} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "process that is happening right now on DNS abuse, there is something called associated domain checks, and that is a specific area of current abuse that is happening that is costing people", "segment_id": 112} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "And that is what the GNSO PDP, the work there is intended to go and stem that kind of abuse. And the SSAC is deeply involved in that work.", "segment_id": 114} (no public source URL supplied) * The SAC126 discussion described DS automation: signing a child zone and establishing the parent-side chain of trust are separate steps. The speaker said an approval process for gTLD registry use was underway.Evidence locator: {"quote": "I'm Peter Thomason, an ESSAC member, and 126 is an ESSAC report.", "segment_id": 134} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "on what's called DS automation.", "segment_id": 135} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "So when you have a domain that uses DNSSEC, turning that on essentially has two steps. The first step is that the DNS provider", "segment_id": 136} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "Of the domain has to generate keys and sign all the records.", "segment_id": 137} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "And the second step is to include those validation keys in the chain of trust that comes from the DNS root and goes through the TLDs onto that child domain, so that DNS resolvers actually can retrieve and validate the key that they need in order to v", "segment_id": 138} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "That second step, pushing these keys into the parent zone in the form of so-called DS records is often a manual process. And there is automation technology for it available, but not very commonly deployed.", "segment_id": 141} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "And so the report recommends that I can facilitate a process where the GTLDs are also allowed to do this.", "segment_id": 145} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "I would say, roughly, that process is two-thirds done or something. So there is something that's called an RSEP process, where the registries can request a new feature, and that is being, underway, and I guess it'll take a few more months, and then p", "segment_id": 146} (no public source URL supplied) * SSAC described measuring its impact mainly through qualitative community feedback, having failed to find a suitable empirical method. It emphasized clear actionable advice and outreach with other groups.Evidence locator: {"quote": "we don't… we were looking at empirical methods to measure that, you know, what might be a baseline and how do you measure it, but we were not able to find that. So, at best, Amrita, what we've been able to do has been qualitative.", "segment_id": 153} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "You know, we've been polling and asking community members whether the reports that we are writing, whether they are meaningful, whether they actually help", "segment_id": 154} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "Right? So, what we, as a result, try to do is to strive to provide clear", "segment_id": 159} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "actionable advice aimed at specific communities. And we're working with the at-large, whom you'll hear from in a short while. We work with the at-large, we're working with the ISP constituency and the contracted parties, so working with each one of t", "segment_id": 160} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "on ways to take the work that we have done and bring them, you know, to their audiences, because they have a reach to an audience that we don't have, right? So, with the ALAC, we have a program that's called Safer Cyber.", "segment_id": 161} (no public source URL supplied) * Asked about revisiting DDoS advice, the speaker said the last review had found no materially new advice despite increased attack scale, and invited operational data that could reveal gaps.Evidence locator: {"quote": "Thank you, great question. We look at our reports, and especially on important topics like DDoS, we look at them on a regular basis to assess whether they, whether we have something new to say.", "segment_id": 173} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "From the time we wrote it to now, in at least the last time we looked at it, what we found was the scale of it has increased dramatically. The size, all of those things have increased.", "segment_id": 175} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "But we didn't believe at that time in the SSAC that we had materially new advice to provide. So, in general, the SSAC's approach is, if", "segment_id": 176} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "So, but happy to get any experiences that you have or any data that you have that might inform us, especially if you feel like there are pieces of data and information.", "segment_id": 178} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "that our current reports or our current advice does not cover, that would be helpful. Thank you. Thank you. And the last question, Roshate, please.", "segment_id": 179} (no public source URL supplied) * SSAC members disclose interests and contribute as experts rather than constituency representatives. The chair linked independence to the quality of advisory work and the absence of voting power.Evidence locator: {"quote": "the people often with the most expertise are also the people who are involved in industry or involved in commerce or things like that, right? So the SSAC's policy is what we call disclosure of interest, right? So we require every SSAC member", "segment_id": 182} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "to, on a frequent basis, disclose what their interests are, what their affiliations are, right?", "segment_id": 183} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "to provide their advice, right? So that's… that's one piece of it. So we don't tell our members, just because you have a conflict, you should leave the room. We tell them, everybody knows that you work for somebody, or you have a particular point of ", "segment_id": 185} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "Having taken that into account, you know, come and contribute. That's one part. The other part on independence is that the biggest freedom for the SSAC is that we have no power.", "segment_id": 186} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "And the value of what we provide is totally based on the quality of our advice, right? We don't get to vote in the empowered community model. We don't, you know, so, so as a result.", "segment_id": 189} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "based on whether they are, you know, from a particular constituency. There is no quota, or there is no intent like that. SSAC members are selected because they are subject matter experts, and when they are in the SSAC,", "segment_id": 193} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "they do not represent their employer, they do not represent their government or something like that. They stand in their own right, right? Now, doubtless, if you look at the work that we do, you'll find that, you know, we are chartered inside of ICAN", "segment_id": 194} (no public source URL supplied) * Claire Craig described her path from Fellowship participation to incoming ALAC chair and encouraged saying yes and volunteering.Evidence locator: {"quote": "Thank you, Jonathan. My name is Claire Craig, as Jonathan and Suna said.", "segment_id": 214} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "So I will start by saying, one, just say yes.", "segment_id": 219} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "And two, volunteer.", "segment_id": 220} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "So… I, as they said, I started as a fellow at ICANN", "segment_id": 222} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "elected by the ALAC to be the incoming chair at the end of this session.", "segment_id": 254} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "So, so that's… so I go back to say, just say yes.", "segment_id": 257} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "and volunteer.", "segment_id": 258} (no public source URL supplied) * At-Large speakers acknowledged interpretation limits, described regional and local structures as ways to bring perspectives upward, and argued that a unified position increases influence.Evidence locator: {"quote": "More of our meetings have interpretation, but there's a limit to what can be done.", "segment_id": 298} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "But there are limits to your participation in the absence of French, Spanish and English, the primary languages that we currently use for interpretation. But there are tools that are coming and we're doing our best.", "segment_id": 300} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "afford to do interpretation of all the languages that are out there. And so, part of what we hope will help with this is the bottom up nature of the at large community. In other words, if you're.", "segment_id": 302} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "part of an ALS that's part of a RALO, then maybe there's a way to participate in that RALO to percolate up a perspective that then makes its way up to", "segment_id": 303} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "of the CPWG and the OP working groups, but it's, it's… we're not there yet, as far as everyone being able to participate in whatever language they choose. But it is the problem that ICANN's working on.", "segment_id": 304} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "It's certainly been my belief, as I've participated in the at-large community and in the ALAC, that unity on the part of the at-large community inside ICANN is critical", "segment_id": 353} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "to our influence. In other words, if there's three different versions of what the end user interests are, we're abdicating our responsibility. We're giving it to other people to decide which of those three, whether it's the board or the GNSO or elsew", "segment_id": 354} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "So building consensus and coming up with a unified position and then adopting it, even if it's not exactly what you hoped for, it will ultimately give the the group of more influence generally. And so that's what we strive for. We try to listen to ev", "segment_id": 355} (no public source URL supplied) == AI-generated TL;DR == * SSAC described its advisory work, technical membership expectations and active topics; it reported AI primarily increasing attack scale, speed and sophistication in its observations.Evidence locator: {"quote": "and board members, of course, on matters that relate to the security and integrity of the internet's naming and address allocation system. So, the charter of the SSAC is directly tied to the mission of ICANN. Next slide, please.", "segment_id": 28} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "of the Internet's identifier systems. DNS abuse, new GTLDs, DNSSEC, alternative namespaces, as well as the security, stability, resilience aspects of Internet governance. So those are five areas that we have a continued and dedicated focus in terms o", "segment_id": 53} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "But then you have to think about, then, what would it mean to be ready to join, and are you prepared to do that? So we have people with lots of different types of expertise in SAC. So there's a baseline of technical expertise, because we are, fundame", "segment_id": 71} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "a brand new threat that has been created by AI. It has been primarily in our observation so far, primarily about scale and speed and the sophistication. Now.", "segment_id": 99} (no public source URL supplied) * At-Large represents end-user interests. Newcomers can participate in CPWG policy work, OFB organizational work and regional meetings without first becoming formal members.Evidence locator: {"quote": "Our primary objective is to represent the interests of typical end users.", "segment_id": 206} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "One is called the Consolidated Policy Working Group.", "segment_id": 271} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "Operations. Operations, Finance and Budgets Working Group. The O. I'm always missing. I want to say overhead, but.", "segment_id": 273} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "And then the other one, the OFB, is working on, you know, internal issues, the multi-stakeholder model. It's more like our relationship to ICANN, if you think of it that way, and how we exist within the ICANN community. And that's the OFB working gro", "segment_id": 276} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "gTLD policy, for example, then the CPWG would be the place to come, and there's no… cost to entry, you don't have to be a member of anything to be on those calls. You can just start", "segment_id": 278} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "you can attend all of the Atlas… at-large meetings. You don't have to be a member, so you could attend your RELO meeting, so you… you now know who are the RELO reps in the room.", "segment_id": 327} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "So you could get information about when our meetings are. They're usually monthly meetings and anybody is free to attend without being a member. Fact.", "segment_id": 328} (no public source URL supplied) * Speakers stressed volunteering, mentorship and reading documents as accessible first contributions; full participation in every language remained a work in progress.Evidence locator: {"quote": "people talk to you, and you can also approach persons. So I suggest that you identify people who you want to learn from.", "segment_id": 237} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "and approach them, you would find that the community is very supportive in that regard, and they", "segment_id": 238} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "But there are limits to your participation in the absence of French, Spanish and English, the primary languages that we currently use for interpretation. But there are tools that are coming and we're doing our best.", "segment_id": 300} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "of the CPWG and the OP working groups, but it's, it's… we're not there yet, as far as everyone being able to participate in whatever language they choose. But it is the problem that ICANN's working on.", "segment_id": 304} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "is just being somebody that's willing to read it and say, yes, I see a end user issue here and bringing it to the CPWG.", "segment_id": 364} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "I just wanted to make sure that you didn't think you had to write. You don't have to write. Read probably helps, but you don't have to write.", "segment_id": 369} (no public source URL supplied) == Possible follow-ups - inferred == * Return to the root-KSK adoption question after the session; it was not answered in the available discussion and the moderator invited the questioner to speak with the SSAC member who had explained DS automation.Evidence locator: {"quote": "So, what happens to those, who have not yet", "segment_id": 120} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "updated their records, because, that poses a security risk. Is there any work, that has been.", "segment_id": 121} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "Planned to make sure that they're quickly adopted.", "segment_id": 122} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "Thank you, Peter. Back to you, Sirunesh. And the first question, I can also answer that. No, I don't think we're going to have time. Let's go to other people.", "segment_id": 147} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "Thank you, but please, Cliff, meet with Peter after the session, and if you have any questions to talk. Amrita, please, let's go with you, and then Daniel, you'll be the next one.", "segment_id": 148} (no public source URL supplied) * Prospective volunteers can begin by attending CPWG or OFB and reading documents for end-user issues, rather than assuming they must immediately write public comments.Evidence locator: {"quote": "gTLD policy, for example, then the CPWG would be the place to come, and there's no… cost to entry, you don't have to be a member of anything to be on those calls. You can just start", "segment_id": 278} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "And your voice will be heard alongside everyone else's. And so, I wouldn't start by talking, I'd start by listening, but you'll very soon see what interests you, and then give you the opportunity to speak up, to work on a public comment if we're maki", "segment_id": 280} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "is just being somebody that's willing to read it and say, yes, I see a end user issue here and bringing it to the CPWG.", "segment_id": 364} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "I just wanted to make sure that you didn't think you had to write. You don't have to write. Read probably helps, but you don't have to write.", "segment_id": 369} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "10.30, and then there is the OFB meeting in the afternoon, and that's… it's a two one-hour session, so there's a part one and a part two, there's a break in between, and there you would hear a lot about the work that we are doing, and you are able to", "segment_id": 373} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "Join the community, join your RELO and or well, yes, let me just say join your RELO and begin to get involved. As Avri said, you don't have to write. You could read. Just begin to contribute.", "segment_id": 376} (no public source URL supplied) == Open questions == * How could SSAC establish an empirical measure of whether advice improves safety?Evidence locator: {"quote": "security advice has been actually been adopted and made the internet safer, rather than simply being published. Thank you.", "segment_id": 150} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "we don't… we were looking at empirical methods to measure that, you know, what might be a baseline and how do you measure it, but we were not able to find that. So, at best, Amrita, what we've been able to do has been qualitative.", "segment_id": 153} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "Those are safeguards, but in many, many ways what really happens is it's hard to prove a negative. It's hard to prove that something bad didn't happen.", "segment_id": 158} (no public source URL supplied) * How can broader non-English participation be supported beyond current interpretation and regional channels?Evidence locator: {"quote": "how is ALAC ensuring non-English speaking end-user committees can actively participate in real-time policy discussions, because most of the people may not be speaking English as well? So, how can ALAC, ensure that every end-users are being represente", "segment_id": 296} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "But there are limits to your participation in the absence of French, Spanish and English, the primary languages that we currently use for interpretation. But there are tools that are coming and we're doing our best.", "segment_id": 300} (no public source URL supplied)Evidence locator: {"quote": "of the CPWG and the OP working groups, but it's, it's… we're not there yet, as far as everyone being able to participate in whatever language they choose. But it is the problem that ICANN's working on.", "segment_id": 304} (no public source URL supplied) == Source materials == * [https://hosted-files.sched.co/icann87/7e/Get%20to%20Know%20ICANN%20Community%20SSAC.pptx.pdf Official document][https://hosted-files.sched.co/icann87/7e/Get%20to%20Know%20ICANN%20Community%20SSAC.pptx.pdf Official document; metadata: {}] == Provenance and attribution == LLM terminology correction completed; source caption text remains separate. Human review not completed according to source metadata. Processing metadata: {"asr": "completed", "human_reviewed": false, "semantic_check": "passed", "summary": "ai_generated", "terminology": "llm_corrected"} Caption note: Not supplied Raw captions and corrected/derived transcript segments remain distinct in the JSON bundle. A local raw-caption path is a locator, not an included or publicly accessible file. [https://agentcommunity.org Made by AgentCommunity // Balázs Némethi] Community export attribution; this does not assert ICANN or ICANNWiki affiliation or endorsement. == References ==