Network Solutions Threatens Your Privacy

From: der Mouse <mouse_at_Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
Date: Thu Jan 8 18:29:54 2004

>> Second, NSI claims on the "product" information for this "service"
>> that "ICANN requires this personal information to be available for
>> anybody to view on the web."

> Nope. That's kaka. It's up to the domain owner whether they're public
> or not, at least over here anyway.

I'm sorry to have to inject some actual facts into such a lovely
acrimonious discussion, but....

Extracted from the ICANN Registrar Accreditation Agreement:

   F. Public Access to Data on SLD Registrations. During the term of this
   Agreement:

     1. At its expense, Registrar shall provide an interactive web page
     and a port 43 Whois service providing free public query-based
     access to up-to-date (i.e. updated at least daily) data concerning
     all active SLD registrations sponsored by Registrar in the registry
     for the .com, .net, and .org TLDs. The data accessible shall
     consist of elements that are designated from time to time according
     to an ICANN-adopted policy. Until ICANN otherwise specifies by
     means of an ICANN-adopted policy, this data shall consist of the
     following elements as contained in Registrar's database:
[...]
     g. The name and postal address of the SLD holder;

     h. The name, postal address, e-mail address, voice telephone
     number, and (where available) fax number of the technical contact
     for the SLD; and

     i. The name, postal address, e-mail address, voice telephone
     number, and (where available) fax number of the administrative
     contact for the SLD.

I have been unable to find any ICANN policies that modify any of these.
Of course the tech and/or admin contacts may be the registrar itself,
or any other organization for that matter, proxying for the domain
holder. But II.F.1.g is quite clear.

If this contravenes the law in some jurisdiction, well, it's too bad,
but any such jurisdiction will have to stay out of the .com/.net/.org
domain space until they fix their laws.

(No, I'm not stupid enough to think that will actually happen, though
it's what should. What will actually happen is that they will ignore
the ICANN requirement, ICANN will (eventually) get upset, there will be
a big squabble, and something - I don't know what - will settle down
out of the resulting dust cloud.)

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Received on Thu Jan 08 2004 - 18:29:54 GMT