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ICANN Complaints Office

Overview

The Complaints Office is a function within the ICANN org that:

  • Provides a centralized location to submit complaints related to the ICANN org.
  • Receives complaints, researches them, collects facts, reviews, analyzes, and resolves issues as openly as possible.
  • Helps the ICANN org build on its effectiveness, and contributes to increased transparency from the Org.
  • Aggregates the data from complaints to identify and solve for operational trends that should be improved.

The Complaints Office handles complaints regarding the ICANN org that don't fall into an existing complaints mechanism, such as Contractual Compliance, Request for Reconsideration and the Ombudsman. This may include complaints about how a request has been handled, a process that appears to be broken, insufficient handling of an issue, or something that may be an indication of a systemic issue, among other things.

The Complaints Office reviews verifiable information to ensure recommendations and resolutions are based in fact. It strives to be open and transparent, responsive and accountable to all parties, and to make recommendations that are constructive and actionable. Above all else, the Complaints Office acts with the utmost integrity in service of ICANN's mission.

Submitting a Complaint

Anyone wishing to submit a complaint related to the ICANN org may do so by completing this web-form. When submitting a complaint, please be sure to include all relevant information. Once a complaint is received, it will be reviewed to ensure it falls within the scope of the office and you will be notified of next steps via email. Out of scope submissions are forwarded and responded to by ICANN's Global Support Center team who has expertise in navigating the entire ICANN org and will get the submitter the information and/or assistance they are looking for.

Submissions that fall within the scope of the Complaints Office, will be handled in the following stages:

  • Receive, Acknowledge, and Publish:
    • Acknowledge receipt of the complaint.
    • Remind submitter that the process is transparent, that the complaint will be published on the Complaints Office Report page with personal information redacted (as appropriate), and provide estimated timeframe for next update.
  • Evaluate and Consider:
    • The Complaints Officer interviews ICANN org employees with subject-matter expertise, collects, reviews and analyzes facts, researches appropriate data, and works with management to determine if improvements are warranted and if so—what can be done.
    • The Complaints Officer is independent and will make recommendations based on research and facts.
    • If there is disagreement regarding improvements between the Complaints Officer and relevant department executives, the issue is escalated to the Complaints Officer's supervisor and the ICANN CEO.
  • Response Drafting:
    • Once a complaint is fully researched, a path forward is identified.
    • A path forward can be many things, for example: improvements to a process, an educational opportunity, no improvements can be implemented, among others.
    • The path forward is agreed upon and the Complaints Officer drafts a response to the submitter.
  • Response Issued and Published:

Resources about the Complaints Office

Terms and Conditions for Submission to the Complaints Office

Submitted complaints will be handled in accordance with the ICANN bylaws and the ICANN Privacy Policy. By submitting this web-form you acknowledge that the complaints process shall operate to the maximum extent feasible in an open and transparent manner and consistent with procedures designed to ensure fairness. Except as noted above, information you submit is subject to being published on the ICANN website.

By submitting my personal data, I agree that my personal data will be processed in accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy, and agree to abide by the website Terms of Service.

A note about our privacy policies and terms of service:

We have updated our privacy policies and certain website terms of service to provide greater transparency, promote simplification, and align with recent changes in privacy laws applicable to us. Learn more.

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