Afnic launches a series of debates on the fight against online abuse

Afnic, the association that manages and operates various Internet TLDs and is the registrar for .fr, is hosting the Afnic Forum for a trustworthy Internet. This first series of debates and awareness-raising sessions on the fight against online abuse will be held from 2 July to 19 November. Through four workshops, which will be open to all, Afnic aims to spread information and disseminate best practices that can contribute to the fight against abuse. The forum will open on 2 July with an online round table session appropriately dedicated to the handling of abuse linked to the COVID-19 health crisis.

Afnic is an open non-profit organisation with its origins in the academic world. Designated by the State to manage .fr domain names, Afnic is a centre of expertise with its finger directly on the pulse of developments concerning the Internet. Its technical and legal experts and its research and development unit contribute on a daily basis to building trust on the Internet. Afnic sees this series of events as a platform for exchanges and for discussions as wide-ranging as possible.

Pierre Bonis, CEO of Afnic, defined its objective as follows: “Given its role as registry and operator, Afnic is confronted by many different kinds of online abuse, and is called upon to arbitrate in disputes that often concern parties where each one is convinced that it is the other that is committing abuse. Our conviction is that a trustworthy Internet is possible providing we share all the technical, legal and institutional levers and all the successful experiences in limiting abuse, making sure these actions do not penalise the vast majority of users of the domain names system”.

Workshop 1 (online) The handling of cases of abuse in the context of the COVID-19 crisis

How cases of abuse have been handled in a period of major health crisis, with a focus on domain names: specific context, risks identified, emergence of new types of abuse, implementation of surveillance, adaptation of means of action, etc.

• Thursday 2 July 2020 from 10am to 12 noon connect here to follow live at 10am

10:00: Welcome and opening by Pierre Bonis, CEO of Afnic

10:10: “.FR: the handling of cases of abuse during the COVID-19 crisis” by Marianne Georgelin, Head of Legal Affairs, Afnic

10:30: Round table moderated by Marianne Georgelin with:

• • • Jean-Marc Le Rest, Head of the e-commerce surveillance centre (CSCE) of the French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF)
    • Henriette Vignal-Schjøth, Head of Legal at .dk
    • Benoit Jarno, Head of Legal Affairs, Gandi
    • Alexandre Hugla, Head of Abuse Department, Gandi

Workshop 2 (online) Domain names: protecting against and reacting in response to abuse

Cybersquatting, identity theft, fraud, phishing, illegal content, infringement of intellectual property rights, personality, etc. What procedures and actions to prevent abuse and confront it?

• Thursday 24 September 2020 from 9:30am to 12:30pm 

Details and Replay for this second workshop

Workshop 3 (online) “Abuse: who is responsible for what?”

What chain of responsibility? How can we make the legal and regulatory framework better known and understood?

• Tuesday 27 October 2020 during the French Internet Governance Forum from 2 to 3:30 pm

Information and registration to the 2020 IGF France

Workshop 4 (online) Review and lessons from the Afnic Forum on a trustworthy Internet

Summary of the workshop exchanges, presentation of conclusions and aspects to reflect on for the future.

• Thursday 19 November 2020 from 2:00 pm to 03:30 pm CET

Registration