All, Attached please find two documents related to the WHOIS studies project, including staff analysis of the costs and feasibility to conduct a WHOIS Privacy and Proxy "Relay and Reveal" study. This is the staff analysis on the last of 4 study areas that the Council requested be scoped in March 2009. I will be providing a short overview of this analysis on the upcoming 24 February GNSO Council call. The second document is an update on all of the studies in chart form. Here are the highlights: 1. WHOIS "Misuse" study - Staff is negotiating a contract with an independent research firm to do this study and we hope the research will begin in March. 2. WHOIS "Registrant Identification" study - awaiting Council decision 3. WHOIS "Proxy and Privacy Services Abuse" study - awaiting Council decision 4. WHOIS "Proxy and Privacy Services Relay and Reveal study - analysis attached. We did not receive any responses to the RFP, we did solicit and receive other input, explained further in the report, and based on that input we are proposing a pre-study survey. Note that a WHOIS Service Requirements Inventory Report was completed in July, 2010 and is awaiting Council discussion and next steps (please see link to study #6 in the chart that is attached). Links to these documents will be added/updated on Monday here: http://gnso.icann.org/issues/whois/ . Please let me know if you have any questions or would like additional information. Thanks, Liz