In response to a request this summer from the Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC) that privacy officials intervene in ICANN negotiations to amend ICANN’s Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) out of concern the proposals violate international and national privacy protections, privacy authorities have sent a letter to ICANN.
The European Union Article 29 Working Party, the authority for privacy regulations in Europe warned ICANN that its proposals are “unlawful” because they mandate the collection and publication of personal information in excess of the law and merely to cater law enforcement requests. ICANN works closely with law enforcement agencies in the development of its policies, while privacy authorities and related concerns are routinely overlooked.
In the letter, the EU privacy officials asked ICANN to be included in discussion of such policies going forward, and since ICANN’s policies apply to Internet users worldwide, it is a good idea whose time has come.