<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;}
@font-face
{font-family:-apple-system-font;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
h1
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
h4
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 4 Char";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.msonormal0, li.msonormal0, div.msonormal0
{mso-style-name:msonormal;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.Heading1Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1";
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
color:#2F5496;}
span.Heading4Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 4 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 4";
font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
color:#2F5496;
font-style:italic;}
span.EmailStyle21
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1027" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><a name="_MailOriginalBody">See
</a><a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/data-protection/news/privacy-regulators-in-hotseat-over-future-of-fundamental-website-owners-list/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWkRkalptRmxNRFk0Wm1NMyIsInQiOiJuNk9qa1JsTkppaE1NdkcxdzY3bEhqZUx0akl3U2t1dHVacjFPS1pqVUVPT1BcL1V6enhieStEaVBYRTgxeGtadkRaNldjak1Gb1V0NGxIN3duWDh5QVltYmxQUFBYT3M0SkhIZ1VzcGRHRjQxc1JWZUU5NFFiREl2Z294NEpzeDEifQ%3D%3D"><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody">here</span><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody">
and below. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div id="article">
<div>
<h1 style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:14.55pt">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Privacy regulators in hotseat over future of ‘fundamental’ website owners list<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The internet is at risk of becoming fragmented if online databases that show who owns websites are shut down after the EU’s new data protection law takes
effect next month, the head of internet domain organisation ICANN has warned.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">National data protection authorities from EU member states are under pressure to spell out whether the databases, known as the WHOIS system, can stay online
and continue displaying personal information like names, email addresses and phone numbers of people who registered internet domain names.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Law enforcement authorities say that information is often useful for criminal investigations, like in the aftermath of WannaCry, a major cybersecurity attack
last year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The European Commission and EU police agency Europol have lobbied Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the US-based non-profit organisation
that oversees the databases, to find a way to keep the website information online without breaking the strict new EU privacy law. Europol asked ICANN to make sure law enforcement authorities are excluded from any new access restrictions to the system.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom:13.8pt;max-width:100%;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.65098)">
<h4 style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:16.8pt"><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"></span><a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/data-protection/news/commission-lobbies-for-police-access-to-website-owners-list/"><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"-apple-system-font",serif;color:#416ED2">Commission
lobbies for police access to website owners list</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"-apple-system-font",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h4>
<div style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-bottom:6.0pt;max-width:100%;-webkit-margin-start: 0px">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:16.8pt"><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"-apple-system-font",serif">The European Commission has suggested that law enforcement authorities could soon have restricted
access to the WHOIS database that identifies website owners because the system is on a collision course with the EU’s strict new data protection law.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The organisation has proposed fixes like an accreditation system to control who access the databases, or a new limited version that displays less personal
information about website owners. But so far, there is still no sign of what will happen to the WHOIS system.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Time is running out—the data protection regulation takes effect on 25 May—and ICANN is alarmed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Göran Marby, ICANN’s CEO, said EU data protection regulators need to publish legal advice so that companies and people who run WHOIS databases can be sure
they will not face fines under the new regulation, which is also known as the GDPR.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">They have reason to be afraid: the legislation comes with record-high sanctions that could cost misbehaving companies up to €20 million, or as much as 4%
of their annual worldwide turnover. The law will also give national data protection authorities an arsenal of new powers, including the ability to set those fines.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">“The balance is really in their hands now to say ‘we believe that it is important for police forces to get access to this information’,” Marby told EURACTIV
in an interview.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The umbrella group of regulators, known as the Article 29 working party, will meet in Brussels next week (10-11 April).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Marby said he has asked the regulators to draft a legal opinion on how the system can comply with the GDPR during the two-day session. A spokeswoman for
the group declined to say whether the WHOIS showdown is on the meeting agenda because it is not yet public.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">“If we don’t get clear guidance, one of the fundamental things that’s been around for a very long time, since the beginning of the internet, could be fragmented
and that could have severe effects,” Marby said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">“Until we have that guidance, I will be frustrated,” he added.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The privacy showdown is having ripple effects. The US government has also weighed in on the potential effects that the EU’s watershed privacy law could have
on WHOIS. If information is removed from the database, police outside Europe will also have access to less information about website ownership.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">A Trump administration official warned at an ICANN meeting last month that “the United States will not accept a situation in which WHOIS information is not
available or is so difficult to gain access to that it becomes useless for the legitimate purposes that are critical to the ongoing stability and security of the internet,” technology news website
</span></span><a href="https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/03/13/us_government_icann_domain_privacy/" target="_blank"><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><em><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#416ED2">The Register</span></em></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#416ED2">
reported.</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">But Marby said it is hard to predict what could be the immediate effects on the WHOIS system because companies operating databases need “proper implementation
time” to adjust how they publish information in order to meet the privacy regulators’ demands.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">If operators of WHOIS websites do not receive a legal blessing from the authorities, they might remove details from the databases according to their own
interpretation of the GDPR, Marby warned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">“I don’t think that’s good for privacy and I don’t think that’s good for police forces that use that data for purposes of their own. That is our worst-case
scenario,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:18.0pt;max-width:100%">
<span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">“We don’t know today where the threshold is when it comes to the balance between the right to privacy and the need for information according to the GDPR
because it has not been set.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><img src="https://bowtie.mailbutler.io/tracking/hit/B1A31195-AB1F-4A44-A6D4-91DD854D8D82/AAFDD64C-0CA6-46BB-81E4-12D33CD58F20/t.gif" align="left" alt="https://bowtie.mailbutler.io/tracking/hit/B1A31195-AB1F-4A44-A6D4-91DD854D8D82/AAFDD64C-0CA6-46BB-81E4-12D33CD58F20/t.gif"><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_MailOriginalBody"></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>