WHOIS Task Force 1 minutes

WHOIS Task Force 1 Teleconference January 27, 2004 - Minutes

ATTENDEES:

GNSO Constituency representatives:
gTLD Registries constituency: - Jeff Neuman - Chair
Commercial and Business Users constituency - David Fares
Commercial and Business Users constituency - Marilyn Cade
Intellectual Property Interests Constituency - John Wolfe

Liaisons:
At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) liaisons - Wendy Seltzer and Thomas Roessler
ICANN Staff Manager: Barbara Roseman
GNSO Secretariat: Glen de Saint Géry

Absent:
Intellectual Property Interests Constituency - Jeremy Banks (alternate)
gTLD Registries constituency - David Maher
Internet Service and Connectivity Providers constituency: - Antonio Harris
Registrars Constituency - Paul Stahura
Non Commercial Users Constituency - Milton Mueller

Wendy Seltzer proposed sending additional non marketing contacts.
Jeff Neuman and Barbara Roseman proposed to work together on the covering letter for the survey.

Survey questionnaire commented on during meeting:

Questions 1) ICANN-Accredited Registrars and gTLD Registries make Whois information available through multiple query-based mechanisms, including web-based interfaces and a special network protocol informally referred to as "port-43 Whois."
How do you obtain the Whois information?
a. By submitting queries to a Web-based interface
b. By submitting queries using special tools, e.g., using port-43-based interface
c. By entering into bulk access licenses with ICANN- accredited registrars.
d. By obtaining WHOIS data in bulk from an entity that is not an ICANN-Accredited Registrar. Please specify the type of entity.
e. Other (Please explain)
f. I don't know.

2) Are you getting this information directly from an ICANN-Accredited Registrar [Provide a link] or gTLD Registry [Provide a link]?
a. Yes
b. No.
c. I don't know

3) Do you routinely disseminate the obtained Whois information to third parties (Yes/No/don't know)?
3.1) If yes, do you disseminate:
3.2) a. individual WHOIS records
b. WHOIS records in bulk
c. Other (please explain)
d. Don't know
3.2) If you answered yes to Number 3, how do you disseminate the obtained Whois information?
a) I operate a WHOIS proxy that is available through port 43
b) I operate a WHOIS proxy that is accessible through a web interface
c) Other (please specify) d) Don't know

4) Approximately how many Whois queries/lookups do you perform on average per day?
a. Less than 10
b. 10-99
c. 100-1000
d. More than 1000
e. It varies too much to select the other options: some days it is many (say, over 1000) and some days none
f. I don't know

5) Do you store the Whois information?
a. Not at all
b. I cache queries for a short period (less than a week)
c. I store it for longer periods such as more than a week

6) Please indicate the general purposes of your use of Whois data (you may select more than one item - choose as many that apply)
a. For law enforcement by public authorities
b. For intellectual property enforcement by trademark/copyright holders or their designated representatives
c. For development of commercial products or services that facilitate law enforcement by public authorities.
d. For development of commercial products or services that facilitate intellectual property enforcement
e. For marketing purposes
f. For inter-registrar domain name transfers
g. To facilitate spam prevention
h. To operate a public information service
i. Statistical research on domain name registrations, Internet users, etc.
j. For resale of Whois information as an information service
k. Other: ___________________________________

7) Please provide a brief justification of your use, if any, of query-based Whois services.

8) If you currently use Port 43 to access WHOIS information, and such access were not available in the future, would you be able to use any other source for such data?
a) If so, please explain the source?
b) If so, what do you believe will be the effect on you or your organization of using such alternate source?
c) If not, why?

9) What is the most important factor driving your access to Whois data as you currently use it? your access to WHOIS data. (Although each answer may be applicable to you or your organization, please select only the most relevant answer below):
a) the cost
b) the convenience or need for immediate online access to contact information
c) no other way to get the needed data
d) other.
Please explain your answer.

In order to ensure that your responses are considered by the Task Force, please respond to this questionnaire by no later than February 10, 2004.
Thank you very much for your time and participation.
For our complete description of work, please see
/issues/whois-privacy/tor.shtml.
Regards, ICANN Whois Taskforce 1
For more information, please contact the Whois Task Force 1 Chair, Jeffrey J. Neuman (Jeff.Neuman@neustar.biz) or the ICANN Staff Manager, Barbara Roseman (Roseman@icann.org)
*********************************************************************************************
David Fares commented as follows on the survey

Question 7 --discussed the word "justification" in the context of question 9 but believed the same arguments relating to its use apply to question 7 and proposed not using it.
Question 8. If you currently use Port 43 to access WHOIS information, and such access were not available in the future, would you be able to use any other source for such data?
a) If so, please explain the source?
b) If so, what do you believe will be the effect on you or your organization of using such alternate source?
c) If not, why?

In response to Milton's concern, it was proposed asking what other sources they would use and include a none of the above response.
Proposed wording:
What other sources would you use for such data?
Eliminate a) and c)

Question 9, concerns were expressed about deleting option (c) as proposed by Milton Mueller. Respondents were asked to explain their answer so if they choose option c., it was hoped to solicit a rationale which would help understand the views of whois data users.
New wording and new question 9 proposed:

If you were to use such alternate sources what do you believe would be the effect on you or your organization.

David Fares continued commenting on the Introductory Paragraph 2, last sentence and proposed a redraft as follows: "The GNSO's role is to help to promote the development of recommendations related to the management of gTLDs domain name policy and encourage . .

Barbara Roseman suggested categorizing respondents and Jeff Neuman suggested leaving the categories to the end when the data was collected.

A new paragraph at the end was suggested, reading as follows:
Please take a moment to tell us a little bit about your organization to assist us in understanding and organizing the results.

Discussion followed on:

The return address: tf1-survey@gnso.icann.org. would be included in the document
Barbara Roseman suggested changing the return date to February 16
Thoughts were solicited on how the respondents would be described?

The format used should be regular simple text in the emails.
Jeff Neuman and Barbara Roseman would consult together on the best way to send out the survey.
All task force members, except for the non commercial and the registrars were present at the meeting so Jeff proposed sending final copy of the questionnaire to Milton and Paul for approval before it went out the public.

Next Meeting: February 3, Needs and juqstification chart;

Jeff Neuman thanked everyone for their presence and participation and ended the call at 16:30 UTC.

Next call: Tuesday 3 February 2004, 16:00 UTC, 11:00 EST, 8:00 Los Angeles, 17:00 CET.