Registrar Constituency:
FYI - Aug
14th is the deadline for public comments on the WHOIS Task Force's
recommendations, prior to submission to the ICANN Board.
If anyone has specific comments questions
on any of the recommendations below, best you get "on the record"
ASAP...
Ken Stubbs
For your reference, here are some
key recommendations for this document:
1. Accuracy of the data contained in
the WHOIS database
The Task Force
believes that the approach of actually enforcing the existing contractual
provisions is the essential first step toward improving WHOIS data accuracy in the gTLD
environment.
The Task Force
believes that a method of graduated sanctions or enforcements
against parties who breach the requirement to provide accurate information
and to maintain an accurate Whois database, potentially as a combination of
policy and financial penalties, should be considered, in order to facilitate
the actual enforcement of the current policy with respect to WHOIS data
accuracy.
If enforcement of
current contractual provisions
does not lead to an improvement of WHOIS data accuracy, then more
substantial changes to the RAA itself or the establishment of consensus
policies (as necessary) should be considered.
2. Uniformity of data formats and
elements across various TLDs and registrars, including ccTLDs
The Task Force
believes that the questions of uniform data formats and uniformity of data
elements need to be discussed and handled
separately.
The present Task Force believes that the use of such a uniform data
format across gTLD and ccTLD environments should be
evaluated.
The Task Force believes
that WHOIS data elements should be uniform across all
gTLDs.
The Task Force believes that this topic should be
the subject of separate deliberations.
These deliberations should take into account specific aspects of the TLD environments, as well as the
value of accountability and
transparency across the domain name system. Public interest concerns
should be taken into account in an appropriate manner. The objective should be to identify the
best way to make progress toward the goal of the uniformity that all users of the system clearly
desire.
3. Better
searchability
To facilitate the
restoration of full searchability of Whois databases [see (1) and (2)
above], ICANN should explore both enforcing the mandate to registrars and registries to provide
(or to cooperate in the provision of) such complete WHOIS search service, and a
market-based approach based on bulk access to WHOIS
data.
With respect to the more advanced services described in
(3) above, the Task Force does not recommend any policy changes. The Task
Force suggests that ICANN explore how best to swiftly develop and implement a plan for cross-registry
Whois services, including through
third party services, based on bulk access to WHOIS data.
4.
Better protection of data subjects from
marketing use of the data contained in the WHOIS database
Based on these results, the Task Force recommends a
review of the current bulk access provisions of the Registrar Accreditation
Agreement. In
particular, the following possible changes should be examined more
closely:
·
The policy could attempt to ensure that
protection mechanisms can’t be circumvented by third parties selling
indirect access to bulk data. This could, for instance, be
accomplished by changing “may require” in section 3.3.6.5 to “shall
require.” It could also be
accomplished by requiring bulk access users to impose conditions on the
use of their products and services which are similar to the ones in
ICANN’s policy.
·
Sections 3.3.6.3 (prohibition of use of bulk access
data for marketing purposes) and 3.3.6.6 (opt-out provision) could be
simplified, unified, and
extended to include contact data of organizational entities. Marketing use
of registrants’ data outside existing business relationships could depend
on the registrant’s prior agreement (“opt-in”).
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 5:26
AM
Subject: [nc-whois] Public comment period on
WHOIS TF final report untill 14 August