A number
of high priority topics were identified by the ICANN community for the RAA
negotiations. One of these was the accreditation of providers of privacy and
proxy services for domain name registrations. A privacy service is one in which a domain name is registered in the
registrant’s name, but other contact details displayed in the
publicly-accessible Whois gTLD registration data directory are those given by
the privacy service provider and not those of the registrant. A proxy service is one in which the
registered name holder licenses use of the domain to the customer who actually
uses the domain, and the contact information displayed in the Whois system is
that of the registered name holder. The Whois
system is a form of Internet data directory service, utilizing a protocol
that permits public lookup of a domain name, including certain contact and
technical information about the registrant and the domain.
The topic
of privacy and proxy services accreditation was not addressed in the 2013 RAA
negotiations. As such this PDP will examine the issues related to the provision
and accreditation of privacy and proxy services, with a view toward assisting
ICANN with developing an accreditation program for such services (see PDP WG
Charter for further details - https://community.icann.org/x/pCifAg).
Status:
WG commended in November 2013. Input has been requested to help inform its deliberations
from all SO/ACs.
2. Translation and Transliteration of Contact Information Policy
Development Process
This
PDP WG is expected to make recommendations to the GNSO Council on whether it is
desirable to translate or transliterate contact information. In this context
"contact information" is a subset of Domain Name Registration Data
and thus the information that enables someone using a Domain Name Registration
Data Directory Service (such as WHOIS) to contact the domain name registration
holder. It usually includes the name, organization, and postal address of the
registered name holder, technical contact, as well as administrative contact.
Translation is defined as the translation of a text into another language and
transliteration is the writing of a word using the closest corresponding
letters of a different alphabet.
Status:
WG commenced in December 2013. Input has been requested to help inform its
deliberations from all SO/ACs.
3. Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP) Part D Policy Development Process
The
Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP) Part D PDP Working Group is chartered by
the GNSO Council to answer six questions in relation to the IRTP: 1) whether
reporting requirements for registries and dispute providers should be
developed; 2) whether to amend the Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy on how to
handle disputes when multiple transfers have occurred; 3) whether dispute
options for registrants should be developed; 4) whether registrars should be
required to make information on transfer dispute resolution options available
to registrants; 5) whether additional penalties for IRTP breaches should be
introduced, and; 6) whether the universal adoption and implementation of EPP
AuthInfo codes has eliminated the need for FOAs.
Status:
The Working Group is expected to publish its Initial Report for public comment
prior to the ICANN meeting in Singapore. Input was requested at the early stages of the WG’s deliberations to help
inform its deliberations from all SO/ACs.
4.
Amending the Uniform Dispute
Resolution Policy (UDRP) and Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) procedure to enable
access to them by protected International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) and
International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) – Preliminary Issue Report
At its
meeting on 20 November 2013, the GNSO Council unanimously adopted all the
consensus recommendations made by the GNSO’s Policy Development Process (PDP)
Working Group on the Protection of International Organization Names in All
gTLDs (IGO-INGO WG). One of these recommendations was for the GNSO Council to
request an Issue Report, to assist in determining whether a PDP should be initiated
in order to explore possible amendments to the Uniform Dispute Resolution
Policy (UDRP) and the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) procedure, to enable
access to and use of such curative rights protection mechanisms by protected
International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) and International
Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs). The GNSO Council also adopted the
IGO-INGO WG consensus recommendations for varied protections at the top and/or
second level for certain specified names and acronyms of IGOs and INGOs
(including certain emblems and names of the Red Cross movement and the
International Olympic Committee).
Status:
Preliminary Issue Report is expected to be published for public comment by the
end of February 2014.
5. Policy & Implementation Non-PDP Working
Group
Mainly as a result of discussions stemming from
implementation related issues of the new gTLD program, there is increased focus
on which topics call for policy and which call for implementation work,
including which processes should be used, at what time and how diverging
opinions should be acted upon. Following several discussions by the GNSO
Council on this topic, the GNSO Council formed a Working Group which has been
tasked to provide concrete recommendations on how to address some of these
issues from a GNSO perspective.
The WG started its deliberations in
August and has been tasked to provide the GNSO Council with recommendations on:
1. A
set of principles that would underpin any GNSO policy and implementation
related discussions, taking into account existing GNSO Operating Procedures.
2. A
process for developing gTLD policy, perhaps in the form of "Policy
Guidance", including criteria for when it would be appropriate to use such
a process (for developing policy other than "Consensus Policy")
instead of a GNSO Policy Development Process;
3. A
framework for implementation related discussions associated with GNSO Policy
Recommendations;
4. Criteria
to be used to determine when an action should be addressed by a policy process
and when it should be considered implementation, and;
5. Further
guidance on how GNSO Implementation Review Teams, as defined in the PDP Manual,
are expected to function and operate.
Status:
The WG started its deliberations in August 2013 and aims to publish an Initial
Report for public comment by October 2014. Input was requested to help
inform its deliberations from all SO/ACs.
6. Cross Community Working Groups Non-PDP Drafting Team
The ICANN
community has recognized that there may periodically be issues that cut across
and are of interest to more than one of ICANN’s Supporting Organizations and
Advisory Committees. Cross-community working groups have been created
previously, including the Joint DNS Security & Stability Analysis Working
Group (DSSA) involving At Large, ccNSO, GNSO, NRO, and SSAC, and the Joint IDN
Working Group (JIG) involving the ccNSO and GNSO. Many ICANN community members
have highlighted the need for a set of principles that would guide the
formation and working processes of these cross-community working groups. This
CWG Drafting Team, co-chaired by the GNSO and ccNSO, is a renewed effort to develop
a charter for a WG tasked to develop a framework of operating principles that
would allow for the effective and efficient functioning of future CWGs.
Status:
the DT is expected to submit the charter for consideration by the GNSO and ccNSO
Council in Sinapore. Following adoption of the charter, a call for volunteers
will be circulated to the community for participation.
7. Data & Metrics for Policy Making Non-PDP Working
Group
This
effort allows for a review in how the community can collaborate with contracted
parties and other reporting service providers in the sharing of complaint and
abuse data that may also further educate Registrants and Internet users in
submission of complaints to the appropriate party. It will also investigate how
metrics can benefit the policy development process and improve fact-based
decision-making.
Status:
The GNSO Council adopted the charter for the working group in January 2014 and
a call for volunteers has been launched (open to anyone interested to join).