[Fwd: FW: Financial Services Roundtable Comment on ICANN Whois Proposals]
To: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and GNSO Council cc: John Kneuer, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, US Department of Commerce Department Re: Comment on GNSO Council Motions, WHOIS Task Force Report, WHOIS Outcomes Working Group Report, and ICANN Staff Overview of Recent GNSO Activity Concerning WHOIS Dear Sirs and Madams: The Financial Services Roundtable, including BITS, (“Roundtable”) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the proposals currently pending before the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”) regarding the WHOIS database and related services (“WHOIS”), and specifically on the proposals to restrict or eliminate access to the kind of data collected, maintained, and made publicly available through WHOIS. Attached is our comment letter which includes an overview our members, explains how financial institutions use WHOIS data to combat fraud and identity theft, and outlines our concerns with the three proposals before the ICANN Generic Names Supporting Organization. We recommend that ICANN conduct a comprehensive study on the registration characteristics, uses and abuses of WHOIS data and take the results of this study into account before deciding any next steps in WHOIS policy development. We do not support the Operational Point of Contact (OPOC) option or the call for phasing out current WHOIS contractual obligations for registries, registrars and registrants over the next year. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Leigh Williams President BITS Richard M. Whiting Executive Director and General Counsel The Financial Services Roundtable John Carlson BITS 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 500 South Washington, D.C. 20004 www.bitsinfo.org <http://www.bitsinfo.org/> "This e-mail is intended solely for the addressee(s) and may be legally privileged and/or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution, forwarding or use of the contents of this email, including any information in attachments, is prohibited. Additionally, if you are not an intended addressee, please delete this email and attachments and all copies from your system, destroy any hard copies and immediately notify the sender by telephone (202.289.4322) or by email. Any unauthorized retention, use or disclosure of this email and/or attachments may be unlawful. Thank you."
Attachment:
FSRoundtablecommentsOct2007Final.pdf |