Privacy and Proxy Services Accreditation Implementation

Privacy and Proxy Services Accreditation Implementation
Status:	Completed
Issue Areas:	Domain Name Registrant Data, Contracted Party Agreements
Date Established:	October 2013
Charter:	[ WG Charter]
Workspace:	[ Community Wiki]

The Policy Development Process (PDP) Privacy and Proxy Services Accreditation Issues Working Group (WG) was chartered by the GNSO Council in October 2013. The WG’s purpose is to review and make policy recommendations regarding privacy and proxy services accreditation issues that were not addressed in the development of the 2013 new Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA).

The 2013 RAA — which was adopted from the 2009 RAA and subsequent amendments in 2011 — is the contract between ICANN and accredited registrars that sell domain names. During the negotiations for the new RAA, the issues of privacy and proxy services were not considered. Subsequently, ICANN called for a working group to evaluate those issue areas.

The WG finished its initial report in May 2015 and finished its final report December 2015.

Policy Recommendations

The WG ultimately reached full consensus and sent recommendations to the GNSO Council in December 2015. The general final policy recommendations included:

• Adopting certain definitions of “privacy service,” “proxy service,” “affiliate,” “publication,” “disclosure,” “person,” “law enforcement authority,” “relay,” and “requester.”
• Treating privacy and proxy services the same
• Validating and verifying customer data
• Labelling domain names correctly in WHOIS
• New mandatory provisions for the provider terms of service and minimum requirements for terms to be communicated to customers
• Increased accessibility to privacy and proxy service providers’ contact information
• Increased responsiveness from privacy and proxy service providers
• Creating a standardized form and requirements for requesting information and reporting abuse
• Standardizing how third party requests are forwarded
• Establishing conditions under which customer identity or contact details can be disclosed or published
• Establishing process of de-accrediting a privacy and proxy service provider and consequences

Policy Adoption and Implementation

The GNSO Council unanimously voted to adopt the recommendations in January 2016, and the Board formally adopted the recommendations in August 2016.

Policy Development Process

Generic Names Supporting Organization. Develops and recommends to the Board substantive policies relating to generic top-level domains and other responsibilities set forth in the Bylaws (ICANN Bylaws).