In this series, I examine past behavior at ICANN, contrasting it with the Expected Standards of Behavior (ESOB), and ask you to decide for yourself whether it has been applied equally to everyone, or instead is applied selectively to achieve different results when different people are involved.
Recall that ICANN General Counsel John Jeffrey has claimed that there is “zero tolerance” for conduct in violation of the ESOB. The preamble to the ESOB makes it clear that it should apply to ICANN staff.
Those who take part in ICANN multi-stakeholder process, including Board, staff and all those involved in Supporting Organization and Advisory Committee councils, undertake to:
Fadi Chehade, in his position as CEO of ICANN at the time, disrespected a segment of domain name registrants in 2015, accusing them of “hogging” domain names, and equating them to cybersquatters.
ICANN CEO Fadi Bites The Hand That Feeds It Calling out Those “Hogging” Domains”
ICA Responds to ICANN CEO’s Davos Remarks on “Hogging Names” and “Cybersquatting”
Are those statements by Mr. Chehade consistent with the ESOB? Does it “respect all members of the ICANN community equally”? Or is this yet another example of a double standard? I leave it to you to make up your own mind.