<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">Dear GNSO Councilors: </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">We are writing to report some specific recent actions by the EPDP
team. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">As you know, the EPDP Charter states that, "the Initial
Report should be submitted to the European Data Protection Board [EDPB] or
other relevant DPAs to request feedback on the applicability of the law in
relation to the proposed recommendations, particularly those that may
carry over from Temporary Specification to Consensus
Policy recommendations to the ICANN Board.”</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">After a detailed and constructive discussion, the EPDP team has
decided (for the time being) to not directly contact the EDPB in order to
request feedback on the Initial Report. We are writing to explain the thought
process that went into that decision and seek any feedback the Council has to
offer. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">As the EPDP team debated and discussed charter questions and
issues leading to the publication of the initial report, it identified a set of
legal questions (i.e., interpreting the GDPR) that required resolution before
certain policy recommendations could be made. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">During an EPDP meeting, the team debated whether: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt 36pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">1.<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">To send the set of legal
questions to the EDPB for input, and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt 36pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">2.<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">To send the Initial Report
to the EDPB along with certain messages: </span></p>
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</span></span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">the Initial Report is available for their review and comment,</span></p>
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</span></span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">the Initial Report is a prelude to the Final Report, likely to
become ICANN Policy, and</span></p>
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</span></span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">that we are wading through certain legal questions and are getting
independent input on those</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">So far, we have decided to do neither, primarily for two reasons.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">First, the EDPBs own writings and the personal experiences of some
EPDP members indicate that the EDPB is NOT a consulting resource. The EDPB
provides advisories and guidance to governments and DPAs. The EPDP team
determined that we should seek answers to our legal questions through
independent legal advice and, perhaps through DPAs. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">Second, perhaps recognizing that the Initial Report had not yet
resolved all issues, the EPDP Team thought that is would not yet be a good use
of the EDPB’s time and good will to ask them to opine on something that is
incomplete. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">So, other than a notice that ICANN is working on GDPR issues and
is making progress, the team believes that a letter to the EDPB would have
little to offer. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">It was suggested that such a letter would be useful as it would
serve to manage EDPB expectations: so that the final report would not provide
the “first look” at our work. While some in the EPDP that agreed with this, there
were also strong opinions in the EPDP that the letter as currently drafted and
timed might actually harm relations with the EDPB.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">Given that one cannot “unsend” a letter, it was decided to hold
off for the time being. As we progress our discussions and watch the
interactions between the EDPB and ICANN or between the EDPB and other
organizations, we can continue to re-assess our decision and possible send a
notice (or a more meaningful notice) at a later date. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">We would be pleased to provide additional detail or discuss this with
the Council in greater detail at your convenience.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">Sincerely,</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0mm 0mm 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:black">Kurt & Rafik</span></p>
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