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[council] Registrant Representation in WHOIS Workshop
Re: Thomas's message,
It is interesting to characterize domain name registrants
as "Whois data providers." Technically it is correct,
however there is an important distinction between
commercial suppliers of registration services who must
in the course of their business, supply Whois capabilities,
and the customer or consumer, who in the gTLD space
participates in Whois involuntarily, following terms and
conditions set in a contract of adhesion.
One serious problem with the way this issue is being
addressed is that individual domain name registrants are
unrepresented in the process.
The so-called "user" constituencies in GNSO are, with the
exception of NCUC, really trademark protection constituencies.
All the others are provider constituencies (including ISPs).
The interests of registrars and registrants are often
aligned in this process, and the registrars recently have
done a good job of raising some of the privacy issues, but
at various points their interests diverge from those of
consumers.
So, one suggestion, Marilyn, is that the program include
speakers who are genuinely advocating the interests of
domain name REGISTRANTS, and not people who want to
track, litigate against, spy on or market to individual
registrants. Both Alan Davidson of CDT, and Marc Rotenberg
of EPIC will be in Montreal and take a user perspective.
Their contact info is easily accessible at www.cdt.org
or www.epic.org
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