Dear Susan, I understand your desire to see a Thick Whois Model imposed across the board. Watching the users on the video we watched in MDR struggle with the searches was painful. Knowing that you struggle with this issue every day is even worse. However, adopting the Applicant Guidebook provisions for New Registries I don't see as being the right answer. In part, because it raises as many questions as it answers, and it may pose instability to the Net. To expand: As we have discussed, in the early days, the functions of Registry and Registrar were not separate and Network Solutions both managed the database for .COM, .ORG and NET, and also registered domain names into it. In 1999, I believe, ICANN introduced the first bit of competition, 4 registrars to register domain names into the new gTLDs. As more competition in the registrar business came in (considered a hallmark of ICANN's work to introduce competition into the domain name space), the registrars began banging on Network Solutions, then owned by SAIC, then purchased by Verisign, to stop their compete ownership and control of the Whois information. It was an element of the competitive nature of the new domain name space to break up the information so one registry would not own and control it all. The key concern was, of course, .COM. And these issues, and the real concern of this largest of the registry database, now numbering almost 100 million names (Oct 2011), would control the customer data and be able to bypass the new registrars and compete directly for the registration business, as well as creating a series of additional business functions. It's an enormous set of competitive data (as we heard from the Registrars in the Registry/Registrar meeting in Singapore with us) Registrars remain very committed to this model, and for legitimate reasons. Further, the danger of converting a 100 million database is enormous. When the Public Interest Registry took over the .ORG contract (after competitive applications), among the first things it had to do was convert the ORG registrations to thick ones. There were only a few million registrations at the time and it was still an enormous and delicate task. It was a huge moment. Such a change, now to the enormous .COM database, is not an easy one to think about. Every major company in the world has a .COM registration. These websites are 24*7 operations. The risk to the Security & Stability of the Net would be one to study closely and carefully. The difficulties, not to mention risks and liabilities, would be enormous. Is there something we can do, within the confines of our mandate and our fact-based research and assessment. Yes, I really think there are. We have some key things we have agreed to: *1) Findability *- thin registration data should be findable. That's a technical issue (broken links) and an educational issue (what's a thin Whois, or better yet, how to I find .COM data). On education, there is much we can do to educate and help Law Enforcement and Fraud Investigators (public and private) to find the data we need. Let's include some recommendations on these. *2) Access & Accuracy *- as we have already been discussing and which are key. One thing we could do (and it will make us few friends) is to throw this kettle of fish into the hands of the registries and registrars on a timeframe, e.g., six months or one year, for their solutions and recommendations. They, together with the Community which must review and accept their solutions, must move quickly. But I don't think we can mandate a specific answer. Best, Kathy :
Just realized that I did not attach the document to this email last week.
*From:*Susan Kawaguchi *Sent:* Tuesday, November 08, 2011 11:13 PM *To:* rt4-whois@icann.org *Subject:* Adopting Specification 4 of the AGB
Attached is a draft of recommendations for adopting Specification 4 of the AGB for existing gTlds.
At the end of the document are rough thoughts on ICANN creating a voluntary program for registrars to be considered*A* list registrars. This would recognize the responsible registars and the proactive service they provide.
I will not be on the call tonight since it is 3 am my time. Not sure anything I would say would make any sense.
Susan Kawaguchi
Domain Name Manager
Facebook Inc.
1601 California Avenue
Palo Alto, CA
Phone - 650 485-6064
Cell - 650 387 3904
Please note my email address has changed to skawaguchi@fb.com
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