Definitions
When we use a word…
In our work a number of words and terms have specific meaning. We introduce these terms here.
Policy
In this work, we use the term “policy” to mean a specification of which data elements are collected from a Registrant or generated during the course of registration and the rules governing responses to various types of queries. Our emphasis is on the details of the Data Elements collected and created, the assignment of attrbutes to those Data Elements and the specification of which Data Elements are returned in response to various types of queries.
We assume there is a rationale for collecting each Data Element and a rationale for determining which Data Elements to return in response to each query, but our tools do not include an evaluation of the rationale. We assume those determinations are made by others.
This assumption is closely related to current concerns and rules governing privacy. Unless there is a justified and approved rationale for collecting data, it should not be collected. Unless there is a justified and approved rationale for disclosing each Data Element in response to a particular query, it should not be disclosed.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.”
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.“
“The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master — that’s all.“
Policy Bodies: Operational Bodies and Policy Authorities
One of the sources of complexity in this area is multiple organizations have policies — or want to have policies governing the collection and disclosure of registration data. Our Framework provides for each Policy Body to have one or more policies, and we provide rules how the policies interact with each other. A Registrar will necessarily have a policy governing what data is collects from a Registrant and under what circumstances to disclose that data. Similarly, a Registry will also have one or more policies, and it will generally require Registrars to abide by its policies too. Registrars and Registries are operational bodies that actively participate in the Collection, Use and Disclosure of registration data. Other organizations, particularly ICANN and governments have policies that apply to operational bodies operating under their authority. We use the term Policy Authority to refer to these, we use the term Policy Body to include both operational bodies and Policy Authorities.