<div dir="ltr"><div>





<p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(42,75,126)"><b style="">Periodic Reporting</b></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Dear NCSG Members,<br>
<br>
As promised <span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"></span>w<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">hen I was running for the election</span>, I’m providing a periodic report on my activities as your councilor on the GNSO Council. As one of the six NCSG representatives on the council, I have voting responsibilities on matters related to ICANN and generic top-level domains.<br>
<br>
I officially took my seat on the council during the meeting in Istanbul last Wednesday. While I’m still familiarizing myself with the processes and dynamics, I<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"> will discuss the council strategy with our other councilors and the policy committee and get back to you on a possible strategy for next year. </span> For now, here’s a brief readout of key issues, categorized into three main focus areas:</p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(63,108,175)"><b>1. Human Rights and Access to Information and Online Services</b></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(0,0,0)">This includes work on Domain Name System (DNS) Abuse and WHOIS privacy.<br>
<br>
Human Rights Impact Assessment & DNS Abuse Mitigation:<br>
- We (as NCSG, not the council) conducted a productive session on Human Rights Impact Assessment and DNS Abuse mitigation. We examined how DNS abuse mitigation measures can affect human rights. Collaborating with the Contracted Parties House DNS Abuse Working Group, the session aimed to develop guidelines for registrars to evaluate the human rights impacts of their abuse mitigation actions.<br>
<br>
Next Steps:<br>
- We plan to continue this work in Seattle, focusing on refining these guidelines.<br>
<br>
Resources:<br>
- Session Recording: <a href="https://icann.zoom.us/rec/play/ZVqYtKnrqSdgTggUA4sjd7dWUUGxbFzL42RblxZyhd32oLJFMnzwFxwWt798SCOwHFbHTEFRNVs632oh.Vr9AxTQeZQ9umijl?canPlayFromShare=true&from=share_recording_detail&startTime=1731223811000&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ficann.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2FTHJ4-2kH7mMyFBtJ475FuyzIXjCiktMZH_cWCxjjXN9L8wGvqa2XaNR8ZsHfZC6k.fABZfQomshi4rL9m%3FstartTime%3D1731223811000">Zoom Archive (link)</a><br>
- Pre-event Blog and Cheat Sheet: Domain Name System Abuse and Human Rights Impact Assessment: A Table-Top Exercise (<a href="https://digitalmedusa.org/domain-name-system-abuse-and-human-rights-impact-assessment-a-table-top-exercise/">https://digitalmedusa.org/domain-name-system-abuse-and-human-rights-impact-assessment-a-table-top-exercise/</a>)<br>
<br>
Challenges Identified:<br>
- Improving remote participation, particularly via Zoom, is a priority for future sessions.</p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(63,108,175)"><b>2. ICANN Accountability</b></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Focus areas include transparency and anti-harassment initiatives.<br>
<br>
Respect for Human Rights in RDRS Implementation:<br>
- We urged the ICANN Board to adopt a more human rights–respecting approach to the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) to preserve the privacy protections currently afforded to domain name registrants under WHOIS.<br>
<br>
Anti-Harassment Efforts:<br>
- ICANN’s ongoing initiatives to provide a safe environment for community and staff members were discussed. We emphasized the importance of fostering an inclusive and respectful space.</p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(63,108,175)"><b>3. Law Enforcement Access to Domain Name Registrants’ Data and Accuracy</b></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(0,0,0)">This includes concerns about law enforcement authentication and handling urgent data access requests.<br>
<br>
Key Issues:<br>
- The need to establish protocols for authenticating law enforcement requests.<br>
- Defining how urgent requests should be handled while balancing human rights considerations.<br>
<br>
Next Steps:<br>
- Develop NCSG’s position on these matters, ensuring human rights risks are fully addressed.</p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(63,108,175)"><b>Collaboration with GAC</b></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(0,0,0)">In exciting news, there’s potential for increased collaboration with the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) to raise awareness about human rights and advocate for a global and open internet.</p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(0,0,0)">I look forward to hearing your thoughts and collaborating on these critical issues. Feel free to reach out with feedback or suggestions as we refine our strategies moving forward.</p><p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><b>What we should monitor</b></span></p><p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><b>Content moderation: </b>There were discussions on content regulation and the role of ICANN. as you know regulating online services through ICANN violates its bylaws but we have to be careful not to go down that route. </span></font></p><p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><b>Privacy and Proxy Services: </b>I am looking into this issue and will seek more clarity with other experienced NCSG members but the gist of it is that the recommendations on PPSAI (which have some privacy and data protection issues) are very old and do not accord with data protection standards. we probably need to look closely and suggest to only implement those recommendations that are aligned with privacy and data protection standards. </span></font></p><p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><b> </b></span><br></font>
<br><font face="Helvetica">
Best regards,</font><br><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Farzaneh </span><br><font face="Helvetica">
NCSG Representative on the GNSO Council</font></p></div></div>