Aug. 16, 2022
August 16, 2022 As a retail investor I fully support these changes. I support transaction-by-transaction reporting because it eliminates the ability to \"hide within the aggregate\" - transparency means transparency and aggregates are not transparent. I support the 15-minute reporting requirement, because the cost and effort are justified to prevent fraud and prevent hiding in loopholes. Victimized companies need a greater ability to defend themselves against predators. 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. Retail will benefit from the increased transparency proposed here. We would have a much better idea of the risk involved in our investments if we can see which companies have been targeted by short sellers. If funds are allowed to short in the dark, retail investors remain dangerously unaware of the risks they take on when purchasing securities. In my opinion there is the possibility of a new and very desirable phenomenon of the public serving as first-line watchdogs in monitoring short selling data for securities fraud, strengthening the SEC and better enabling it to fulfill its mandate, at no cost. Furthermore, there are dangers inherent in long, untracked lending chains, that can lead to economic fragility. Irresponsible and poorly reported 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. Thank you for considering my opinion on this proposal.