[council] Registrant Representation in WHOIS Workshop

["Milton Mueller" <Mueller@syr.edu>]

Re: Thomas's message, 
It is interesting to characterize domain name registrants
as "Whois data providers." Technically it is correct, 
however there is an important distinction between 
commercial suppliers of registration services who must
in the course of their business, supply Whois capabilities, 
and the customer or consumer, who in the gTLD space 
participates in Whois involuntarily, following terms and 
conditions set in a contract of adhesion. 

One serious problem with the way this issue is being 
addressed is that individual domain name registrants are 
unrepresented in the process. 

The so-called "user" constituencies in GNSO are, with the 
exception of NCUC, really trademark protection constituencies.
All the others are provider constituencies (including ISPs).

The interests of registrars and registrants are often 
aligned in this process, and the registrars recently have
done a good job of raising some of the privacy issues, but
at various points their interests diverge from those of
consumers. 

So, one suggestion, Marilyn, is that the program include 
speakers who are genuinely advocating the interests of
domain name REGISTRANTS, and not people who want to
track, litigate against, spy on or market to individual
registrants. Both Alan Davidson of CDT, and Marc Rotenberg
of EPIC will be in Montreal and take a user perspective.
Their contact info is easily accessible at www.cdt.org 
or www.epic.org