GNSO Working Session Buenos Aires Sunday 2013-11-17

RAA Privacy & Proxy Services Accreditation Issues PDP

What It's About: An update on the status of this PDP and call for volunteers for the Working Group.

Background: The GNSO, as requested by the ICANN Board, is launching a PDP to consider issues relating to the accreditation of privacy and proxy service providers  for domain name registration data.  ICANN has previously committed to developing an accreditation program for providers of these services. This PDP will potentially impact registrars in that the new 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) has only a temporary specification on the issue, and it will potentially affect registrants in that it could affect who, how and the extent to which they use privacy and proxy services.

Who Should Attend: Anyone interested in the issues relating to the provision, use and regulation of privacy and proxy services for domain name registrations.

Policy Staff Member: Mary Wong

Jonathan Robinson

What It's About: An update on the status/timetable of the upcoming GNSO Review effort and a discussion about appropriate Council and community next steps.

Background: The ICANN ByLaws (Article 4 Section 4) provide that “the Board shall cause a periodic review of the performance and operation of each Supporting Organization and each Supporting Organization Council…” The Bylaws mandate that periodic reviews “shall be conducted no less frequently than every five years, based on feasibility as determined by the Board.”

The Structural Improvements Committee (SIC) recently recommended to the Board that ICANN would benefit from delaying the initiation of the latest GNSO review in order to factor-in valuable inputs from the ICANN's Strategic Planning Process and the ongoing work of the second Accountability and Transparency Review Team convened under the Affirmation of Commitments (ATRT 2). A public comment forum was conducted and yielded eight responses.  Seven responders indicated that the GNSO review should not be postponed.

At its 28 September 2013 meeting, the Board directed the SIC to schedule the GNSO Review to commence in 2014, and that preparations for the review should commence as soon as feasible.

Who Should Attend: GNSO Councilors and GNSO community members.

Policy Staff Member: Robert Hoggarth