ICANN Community Warning on Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) Changes
ICANN Community receives a critical warning about significant alterations to the Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) process outlined in the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook. The modifications, initiated by select members of the SubPro Implementation Review Team, pose a serious threat of misusing prominent community titles, especially those of Indigenous Peoples, Tribes, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) globally.
The original emphasis on allocating.CHEROKEE for the Cherokee Nation and other Indigenous groups and NGOs is at risk of being overshadowed by unrelated entities, thus leading to unintended misappropriation and potentially severe consequences.
Previously, the SubPro PDP Working Group, as approved by the GNSO Council and ICANN Board, established a fair balance between applicants and dissenting communities during the CPE application evaluation. However, recent revisions implemented by the SubPro Implementation Review Team have skewed the evaluation criteria, diminishing the power of established communities to prevent unwarranted name usage.
