Dear colleagues, To comply with Dutch data protection legislation regarding personal data, the RIPE NCC has developed a legal framework that guarantees the proper and lawful use of personal data. This framework has been established in cooperation with the RIPE community through a task force created for this purpose, the RIPE Data Protection Task Force (DPTF). Recent discussion on this list has suggested that a clear overview of the legal background to the framework and procedures proposed by the DPTF may promote better community understanding of the RIPE Database rules and the justification for them. In the interests of transparency and understanding, the RIPE NCC has produced a report that provides the legal background to the framework and procedures relating to personal data in the RIPE Database and other RIPE NCC services. The RIPE NCC Data Protection Report is available at: https://www.ripe.net/lir-services/ncc/legal/ripe-ncc-data-protection-report The RIPE NCC Data Protection Report was presented to the community at RIPE 65 in October 2012. The presentation can be viewed at: https://ripe65.ripe.net/archives/video/137/ Kind regards, Axel Pawlik Managing Director RIPE NCC