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<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal>All,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Attached and following, please find an update on the Whois
studies that the policy staff has been working on.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><b><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>I.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></b><![endif]><b>Background:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>The GNSO Council concluded that a comprehensive, objective
and quantifiable understanding of key factual issues regarding the gTLD Whois
system would benefit future GNSO policy development efforts. In March 2009, the
GNSO Council asked ICANN staff to conduct research on feasibility and cost
estimates to study several high priority aspects of WHOIS, and to report back
to the Council with that information for further decision-making. Staff has
categorized these studies into three areas (the first three areas listed in the
attached chart), and is soliciting bids from independent researchers to help
determine costs and feasibility issues in each area using an RFP
approach. The GNSO Council resolution making this request can be found
here: <a href="http://gnso.icann.org/resolutions/#200903">http://gnso.icann.org/resolutions/#200903</a>.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.5in;
line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><b><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>II.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></b><![endif]><b>Update:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Following is a list of the study RFPs that are being issued
(may include more than one study), with a short update on each:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst style='text-indent:-.25in;line-height:normal;
mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span
style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>WHOIS
Misuse -- Studies w<span lang=EN-GB>ill assess extent of misuse of public Whois
data to generate spam or for other illegal or undesirable activities. </span><span
lang=EN-GB> </span><span lang=EN-GB>One Misuse study will</span><span
lang=EN-GB> survey registrants about specific acts they have experienced that
they believe occurred using Whois contact data; survey registrars about how
Whois can be queried, and survey others about reported incidents from
cybercrime, research and law enforcement organizations. A second Misuse
study will measure a variety of harmful acts by classifying messages sent to
unpublished test domain names registered specifically for the study using a
representative sample of registrars. The study will compare harmful acts
associated with public vs. non-public addresses and examine impact of public
Whois and anti-harvesting measures. </span><span lang=EN-GB>An </span>RFP was
released on 28 September and closed on 27 November 2009. 3 responses were
received. Staff review and analysis is underway. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:
.0001pt;line-height:normal'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpLast style='text-indent:-.25in;line-height:normal;
mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span
style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>WHOIS
Registrant Identification – Study will explore Whois registrations and
the extent to which domains used by legal persons (commercial entities) or for
commercial purposes are: 1) not clearly identified as commercial entities in Whois
(perhaps their identity is obscured or suggests the registrant is a
non-commercial entity); and 2) are correlated to use of privacy and proxy
services. An RFP was released October 23 and closed on 23 December 2009.
5 responses were received. Staff review and analysis is underway.<o:p></o:p></p>
<ol style='margin-top:0in' start=3 type=1>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo4'>Whois Proxy and Privacy
Services – Studies will look at: 1) the extent to which domain names
used to conduct illegal or harmful Internet activities are registered via
proxy and privacy services to obscure the perpetrator’s identity;
and 2) the degree to which proxy and privacy services impede or delay
timely identification of perpetrators. More information about these
studies will be available in the coming weeks.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraph style='margin-left:.75in;text-indent:-.5in;
line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><b><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>III.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></b><![endif]><b>Next steps and timeframe:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>There is a significant amount of work involved in drafting
RFP terms of reference for the third set of studies at the same time that we
are analyzing responses for the first two study areas. Staff is taking
great care with the analysis and budget implications, and the third set of
studies is complex. Due to delays in preparing an RFP for the third set
of studies, we have been delayed in our review of the RFP responses. We are
just beginning that analysis now, and following that review, we will then be
presenting information to the GNSO Council for its consideration and action.
For these reasons, the staff analysis on the first two sets of studies will
likely take several more weeks to complete.<span style='color:#1F497D'> </span>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Please let me know if you have any questions or would like
more information.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Thanks, Liz<o:p></o:p></p>
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