Dear ISPCP constituency members, The PDP task force for policy concerning existing registry contracts (aka "Feb06") has now come to the point where the last remaining piece of business is the recommendation concerning the 5th item in the Terms of Reference, concerning the use of registry data. Our constituency has to decide whether it supports the proposed recommendation or not. For your reference, item 5 of the TOR is:
5a Examine whether or not there should be a policy regarding the use of registry data for purposes other than for which it was collected, and if so, what the elements of that policy should be.
5b. Determine whether any policy is necessary to ensure non- discriminatory access to registry data that is made available to third parties.
The task force has been unable to reach conclusions to item 5 because of a lack of hard data concerning the type of data collected and its use. (Generally, the Registries are against recommending any policy at all, claiming our stated concerns lack any solid basis.) Accordingly, the task force is reduced to proposing the following recommendation, to be included in the final task force report:
In order to determine whether there is a need for a new consensus policy on the collection and use of registry data, including traffic data, for purposes other then which is was collected, there is first a need for a properly targeted study by an independent third party on the data collected and the uses to which it is put. The study should provide appropriate safeguards to protect any data provided for the purposes of the study, and the confidentiality of which registry, or other group, provides the data. The findings of the study should be published and available for public review.
A SOW should be developed by the GNSO council, with appropriate public review, to cover an analysis of the concerns for data collection and use, the practice involved in collection and use of data - including traffic data, and the availability, when appropriate, for non disciminatory access to that data.
It is recommended that a current processes document be developed, describing the current Registry practices for the collection of data and the uses of that data; e.g. but not limited to, operating the registry; preparing marketing materials to promote registration of domain names; gathering of null returns, ensuring the integrity of
the Registry, or the DNS. This report should be available to the group doing the external study and should be made available to the public for comment.
After examining the results of the independent study and public discussions recommended above, the GNSO council should examine the findings and determine what, if any, further policy process is required.
We simply need to report back to the Task Force whether the ISPCP supports this recommendation or not. Personally, I believe it is the best we can hope for, but I invite comments from the constituency members and will be guided by that inpur. We need to respond by 22 February 2007. Greg ____________________________________________________________________________________ Get your own web address. Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/domains/?p=BESTDEAL