[gnso-whois-wg] Proxies & Revised Registrar Data Escrow Provisions

[Danny Younger <dannyyounger@xxxxxxxxx>]

Mike Zupke, ICANN's Registrar Liaison Manager, has
posted a revised version of the registrar data escrow
provisions wherein the topic of proxy registrations is
cited.  

The document: 
http://regbits.info/wp-content/uploads/registrar-data-escrow-specifications-crev3.doc

The concern:  In the Format section the following
comment is made:  

?       "Registrars that allow registrants to register
domain names through Whois privacy or proxy services
that effectively prevent escrow of the beneficial
domain name users' contact information may optionally
include additional fields in the text file to escrow
the names, addresses, telephone/fax numbers, and email
addresses of the beneficial users."

I asked Mike why this was an optional instead of
mandatory consideration.  Mike replied:

"Under the current RAA, there is no provision
requiring registrars to escrow underlying customer
data when a privacy service is the registrant.  (The
registrant - for whom data must be escrowed
- is the registrant listed in whois.)  That's
something that should be addressed in the RAA revision
process, but until it is, the Registrar
Constituency has suggested that registrars at least be
allowed to escrow such data.  Registrars have
generally expressed that they intend to take
advantage of the option to escrow underlying customer
data as many believe their customers would want it
that way.  In the short term, we will have to
come up with a way to notify registrants which
registrars are escrowing underlying customer data and
which are not so consumers can at least make an
educated decision."

As I understand it, the current Operational Point of
Contact Proposal being discussed by this working group
could similarly raise data escrow questions of the
type enumerated above.

Comments?

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com