[ga] [Fwd: Re: [ PRIVACY Forum ] New Low! Network Solutions Now Selling Ads on WHOIS]

["Jeffrey A. Williams" <jwkckid1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

All,

  As an FYI.  Enjoy!  >:)

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [ PRIVACY Forum ] New Low! Network Solutions Now Selling
Ads on WHOIS
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:21:22 -0800
From: "Jeffrey A. Williams" <jwkckid1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Organization: IDNS and Spokesman for INEGroup
To: PRIVACY Forum Digest mailing list <privacy@xxxxxxxxxx>,Lauren
Weinstein <lauren@xxxxxxxxxx>
CC: privacy-list@xxxxxxxxxx,"Nevett, Jonathon"
<jnevett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
References: <20090220004650.GD14219@xxxxxxxxxx>

Lauren and all,

  Never underestimate the innovative sprit!  NSOL will do whatever
it believes it should to improve it's profit margins.  Whois not
withstanding.
NSOL runs it's own Whois, and if it chooses to use it for advertising
and promotion for a  bit of potential revenue, certainly it can and has.
I think long term it's bad business on appearances reasons alone, but
seems that NSOL could care less about image as it compairs to $$...

privacy@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>             New Low! Network Solutions Now Selling Ads on WHOIS
>
>               http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000507.html
>
> Greetings.  I had to perform a WHOIS domain search a few minutes ago.
> Since it led to a dot-com address hosted at Network Solutions I didn't
> necessarily expect to find much of value.  As you may recall, Network
> Solutions routinely claims all manner of rights and restrictions over
> WHOIS use.  They also constantly are pushing private registrations in
> a manner that morphed from a legitimate service for occasional use
> into a routine haven for spammers and phishers, and a risk to network
> stability.
>
> But never mind all that for now.  I accessed WHOIS through my local
> command line interface, since I just wanted whatever facts were
> available, not all the decorations.  Imagine my surprise when I was
> greeted with what amounted to a "This Space Available For Rent!"
> promotion along with the listing.
>
> I can't find the exact date that this got started, but I haven't heard
> anyone mention this before -- and the press release I dug up looks
> very new.  Given the volume of WHOIS searches I do, I'm sure I would
> have noticed this earlier if it hadn't just gotten going.
>
> Network Solutions has turned WHOIS into their own creepy version of
> the "Yellow Pages" directory.  Here's what I actually found stuffed in
> the middle of current WHOIS listings:
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Promote your business to millions of viewers for only $1 a month
> Learn how you can get an Enhanced Business Listing here for your domain name.
> Learn more at http://www.NetworkSolutions.com/
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The actual Network Solutions Press Release makes it clear that NetSol
> now considers WHOIS to be a "value proposition" that they've
> transformed from its traditional role "which has no marketing value."
> Oh, by the way -- take a look at the actual URL for the press
> release -- see the funny characters in there?  NetSol stuck a "registered
> trademark" character after their name in the URL!  Isn't that just too
> cute?  And the URL won't work if you remove the mark -- I just
> checked.
> ( 
> http:about.networksolutions.com/site/network-solutions%C2%AE-launches-enhanced-business-listings/
>  )
>
> In fact, they're actually pushing both their ad service and private
> registrations at the same time -- suggesting that you can hide your
> administrative address from the public but still promote your
> business!  I kid you not.
>
> I won't belabor this here, except for one point, one question, and a
> thought.
>
> First, the continuing pattern of WHOIS mutations is an utter
> perversion of what WHOIS is supposed to be, and is putting key
> information critical to the continued stable operation of the
> Internet, and protection of consumers, more and more out of reach.
>
> And secondly -- I'd appreciate it if someone with a deeper
> understanding of the contractual relationships between NetSol (and
> other registrars for that matter), ICANN, and the Department of
> Commerce would confirm for me that Network Solutions' deployment of
> this service is entirely within the bounds of legality.  In fact,
> let's apply this test to all registrars and their handling of WHOIS,
> not just NetSol.
>
> Finally, as a thought experiment, if NetSol's latest ploy is legal,
> what can we do to change that state of affairs or otherwise get WHOIS
> back onto the track of being an open and free, useful and accurate
> resource for the global Internet community -- not a cash cow being
> promoted as a cloak for the unscrupulous.
>
> Enough is enough of WHOIS exploitation.
>
> --Lauren--
> Lauren Weinstein
> lauren@xxxxxxxxxx or lauren@xxxxxxxx
> Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
> http://www.pfir.org/lauren
> Co-Founder, PFIR
>    - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
> Co-Founder, NNSquad
>    - Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
> Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
> Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
> Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> privacy mailing list
> http://lists.vortex.com/mailman/listinfo/privacy

Regards,

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