Aug. 16, 2022
August 16, 2022 Good afternoon, I support the transaction-by-transaction reporting because it eliminates the ability to \"hide within the aggregate\" transparency means transparency and aggregates are not transparent. Furthermore, I support the 15-minute reporting requirement, as the cost and effort are justified to prevent fraud and prevent hiding in loopholes. It has become evident that victimized companies need a greater ability to defend themselves against predators, and that \"short selling in the dark\" harms true competition and price discovery. The idea that a small number of short-selling funds \"know best\" and can hammer unsuspecting companies in the dark is shameful and unacceptable. The proposed changes will benefit retail traders from increased transparency. As a retail trader, I ought to have a much better idea of the risks of my decisions and transactions if I can see which companies have been targeted. If funds are allowed to short in the dark, retail investors remain dangerously unaware of the risks they take on when purchasing securities. It is an extremely desirable phenomenon of the public serving as first-line watchdogs in monitoring short selling data for securities fraud, which ought to strengthen the SEC and better enabling it to fulfil its mandate, at no cost. The dangers inherent in long, untracked lending chains, can lead to economic fragility. Securities lending activity can hide massively destructive chains of obligation that can even be a threat to national security, and so transparency in this area is more important than it has ever been. I hope this comment supports your review process. Thanks. Ahmed