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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0in; line-height: 18pt;
background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;"><span
style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New
Roman"">ARIN has issued its final response to ACSP
Suggestion 2012.3. The suggestion and response text are provided
below. This suggestion remains is now closed and is available
at: </span><span style="font-family: Times;"></span><span
style="font-family:Times;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""></span><span
style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;
margin-left:0in;line-height:18.0pt;background:white"><span
style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times
New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New
Roman""><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.arin.net/participate/acsp/suggestions/2012-3.html">https://www.arin.net/participate/acsp/suggestions/2012-3.html</a></span><span
style="font-family:Times;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><br>
<br>
</span><span
style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times
New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New
Roman"">Regards,</span><span style="font-family:
Times;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><br>
<br>
</span><span
style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times
New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New
Roman"">Communications and Member Services</span><span
style="font-family:Times;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><br>
</span><span
style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times
New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New
Roman"">American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)</span><span
style="font-family:Times;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><br>
<br>
</span><span
style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times
New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New
Roman"">***</span><span style="font-family:
Times;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p></o:p></span><b><span
style="font-family: Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times
New Roman";color:black"><br>
Suggestion: </span></b><span
style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New
Roman";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
Add (and begin enforcing) the following language to the STLS
TOS/AUP:<br>
<br>
Any STLS participant (requestor, provider, or facilitator) found to
be advertising their need/services/availability via unsolicited
email validated by at least three complaints including copies of the
email with full headers from three independent organizations shall
have their use of STLS suspended and/or permanently revoked at the
discretion of the ARIN CEO (suspension) or simple majority vote of
the ARIN BoT (suspension or revocation).<br>
<br>
For a period of at least 6 months after this is added to the
TOS/AUP, a first offense shall result in a warning referencing this
update to the TOS/AUP.<br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times
New Roman";color:black"></span><span
style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New
Roman";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;
margin-left:0in;line-height:18.0pt;background:white"><b><span
style="font-family: Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times
New Roman";color:black">Response:</span></b><span
style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New
Roman";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<meta charset="utf-8">
We have carefully reviewed your suggestion internally, and with ARIN
Counsel, and have concluded the proposal, if adopted, would
improperly overstep ARIN's authority to regulate content and
communications. Specifically, the proposal seeks to place limits on
STLS facilitators contacting community members based on complaints
that could be subjective and not objective and readily provable.
ARIN has no ability to readily determine or confirm whether an email
message reported to it is unsolicited or not, or how the address was
obtained, and would therefore have to take action based on the
subjective judgment of the reporting party.<br>
<br>
Any ARIN attempt to improperly limit these types of commercial
communications is unlikely to be upheld based on the proposal you
provided, and could even result in claims of ARIN legal liability
for interfering with commercial speech. The subjective complaint
criteria may also permit abuse: e.g. one facilitator complaining
about another simply to limit their communications efforts. It might
also convince brokers not to become STLS facilitators.<br>
<br>
As you know, ARIN has prohibited the use of Whois for marketing
purposes and will investigate violations thereof regardless of the
forum. If you believe that Whois contact information is being used
for marketing purposes, please contact us immediately. We will
continue to review such matters aggressively, consistent with that
policy.<br>
<br>
As we gain more experience with such communications we will continue
to consider whether existing practices to curb abuse need to be
tweaked.<br>
<br>
Suggestion 2012.3 is now closed.<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family:Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times
New Roman";color:black"></span>
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