Dear Councillors, Below is the Triage decision on the request for comments on the Study on Misuse of WHOIS contact information for gTLD domain names. Please, let me know if you object to the recommended action by Friday, 6 December at the latest. Kind regards, Gabi

Topic: Study on misuse of WHOIS contact information for gTLD domain names

Originator: ICANN

Summary of request: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/whois-misuse-27nov13-en.htm <http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/whois-misuse-27nov13-en.htm> The study, conducted by Carnegie Mellon University¹s Cylab (CMU), examines the extent to which public Whois contact information for gTLD domain names is misused (i.e. harmful actions such as spam, phishing, identity theft or data theft are taken using gTLD registration data). The findings from the study provide empirical data needed by the ICANN community to assess community concerns about misused Whois contact information, identify the most common forms of misuse, and highlight the effectiveness of anti-harvesting measures in reducing misuse. The findings will also inform future policy development by ICANN and the GNSO in relation to improvements to the Whois system.

Date received: 28 November 2013

Last day for Comments/input/response, if any: 27 December 2013

Recommended action, if any: Inform community email lists (done)

Expertise needed, if any: General

Date of submission to Council: 4 December 2013

Last date of Council decision: 6 December 2013

Impact on ccNSO/ccTLDs: Low