Event Information

MTI Distinguished Seminar: Steve Crocker, Shinkuro, Inc., "Reshaping the Internet Whois System" Monday, March 2, 2020 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. 6137 McKeldin Library (Special Events Room) For More Information: Connie Tang 301 405 9803 ctang12@umd.edu https://umdcee.wufoo.com/forms/x1icr4ub1ks7nkw/ MTI Distinguished Seminar Series Reshaping the Internet Whois System Dr. Steve Crocker CEO Shinkuro, Inc. A networking reception precedes the lecture from 11:30 a.m. to Noon. Please RSVP at https://umdcee.wufoo.com/forms/x1icr4ub1ks7nkw/ Abstract The Internet's system of registering domain names includes the "Whois" system of providing contact information for the registrant and related administrative roles.  There have been long standing concerns about the necessity of collecting this data, its accuracy, the privacy implications and its utility in combating malware, intellectual property infringement and control of botnets.  Recently, the implementation of the European General Data Protection Law (GDPR), which places great emphasis on the protection of personal data, triggered an abrupt and blunt reduction in availability of Whois data.  This talk describes the ongoing efforts to develop a more balanced and effective policy that is both consistent with the emergent privacy laws and the needs of the Internet community. Biography Dr. Crocker is an Internet pioneer and computer scientist, with expertise in computer and network security and formal methods.  He is CEO of Shinkuro, Inc.  At ICANN, he was the founding chair of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) and served on the Board of ICANN for 14 years, including 6 ½ years as chair. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, while he was a graduate student at UCLA, he was part of the team that developed the protocols for the Arpanet and laid the foundation for today’s Internet.  He organized the Network Working Group, which was the forerunner of the modern Internet Engineering Task Force, initiated the Request for Comment (RFC) series of notes through which protocol designs are documented and shared, and laid the foundation for the open architectural structure of the Internet Protocols.  For this work, Dr. Crocker was awarded the 2002 IEEE Internet Award.  He remained active in the Internet standards work through the IETF and IAB and served as the first security area director on the Internet Engineering Steering Group from 1989 to 1994. Dr. Crocker experience includes research management at DARPA, USC/ISI and The Aerospace Corporation, vice president of Trusted Information Systems, and co-founder of CyberCash, Inc. and Longitude Systems, Inc. Dr. Crocker earned his BA in mathematics and his PhD in computer science at UCLA, and studied artificial intelligence at MIT.  He has an honorary doctorate from the University of San Martín des Porres in Lima, Perú, was selected in the initial group of members of the Internet Society’s Internet Hall of Fame Pioneers, and has a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Internet Society.