Comments on Report from the GNSO's Policy Development Process Working Group on issues relating to the accreditation of privacy and proxy service providers.

[dg v-mata <dgvmata@xxxxxxxxx>]

​Dear Members of the Group,

Please keep the accreditation of the privacy services.  There are many
reasons for this need:

1. Safety issues.  Those who have fled domestic violence or who are victims
of stalking.
There are laws in place in many States (not sure if there are any federal
laws) that do not allow even the names and addresses of those attending
college and universities to be released to those inquiring; also in the
medical field: the HEPA laws.  All designed for privacy but also for the
rising increase in domestic violence at the workplace, educational areas,
and homes --for those who have fled to secure safety.   A perpetrator who
knows that a person does a particular kind of work would then easily find
her (or him) home address through WHOIS, were it not for the proxy services.

Having work in these fields, that was the first thought that I had when I
read the possibility that you would do away with privacy and proxy
services.  I said to myself, "My God. If they did do away with those
services, all those women who wanted to start over and have businesses
trying to get ahead, working out of their homes would be put at high risk."


2. Small businesses.  I fall into this category. I work from my home. I do
not want my Home Address and other contact information out there, esp. in
WHOIS.  If my business had its own physical structure -- a commercial
building --that would be another story.  But I and many thousands of others
-- work out of our homes.

Question:
If there is a need to track down the owner of a site, why can't there be
some sort of procedure instead -- to ask the proxy services to release that
information to the authorities that are legitimately in need of finding
out?​

I trust that you will continue to give accreditation and whatever else that
is needed to allow proxy and privacy services to continue. Please find
another way to give out site owners' names to the appropriate authorities.
Keep the proxy services going.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,

DG V-Mata