ALAC Submits Statement Regarding the Current Situation in Egypt

The attached Statement [PDF, 469] constitutes the official position of the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) on the Internet shutdown in Egypt. The Statement was initially drafted by Olivier Crépin-Leblond, Chair of the ALAC, with the assistance of the members of the ALAC Executive Committee, after calls from several At-Large Structures (ALSes) for a statement to be released by the ALAC.

The draft Statement was sent to the ALAC Working list for comments on 1 February. Many comments were received resulting in consensus on this statement, but divergence on whether a more strongly worded, wider statement should be supported.

The situation in Egypt was also intensely discussed by the members of the Regional At-Large Organisations (RALOs) and reflected the different views held in the At-Large community with its rich and diverse historical, legal and cultural traditions.

A final call for objections to this statement yielded no reply and on 2 February 2011, the Chair of the ALAC submitted the attached Statement to the ICANN Board of Directors.