Re: [ga] .us Policy Council

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The action taken, in this case against privacy rights of .us domain
registrants, seems illogical. If I am a terrorist, it is highly unlikely
that such a measure will stop me at all, because I will simply "do whatever
bad thing I am doing online" through one of the hundreds of other TLDs to
which these measures have not (yet) been extended.

Is the US Govt going to check the contact addresses of every single domain
in the world? Is the US Govt going to phone up every telephone and mobile
phone in the world? And check the addresses of the users (or those who
borrow or later dispose of the devices)?

No, the action is intrusive without any productive rationale to it.

Unless the NTIA insists on (and imposes) a new policy for *all* domains
operating through *all* registries then their action against .us registrants
is futile and smacks of a political gesture and gross political
interference.

It is for reasons such as these that government and politicians should be
kept out of DNS oversight; and it is exactly for these reasons that ICANN
should attempt to legitimise its mandate by breaking loose of NTIA/DOC and
seeking instead to build a structure based on open consultation and the
worldwide endorsement of internet users.

In the end, you can't control the minds and actions of 6 billion people.

The Internet is merely a reflection of that fact.

Unless you 'switch it off', or control access via ISPs, then people are
going to use it as they choose to use it, the vast majority for good
purposes. Those who choose to use it for 'bad' purposes are not going to be
stopped just because NTIA chooses to blow the privacy of all its .us
registrants.

This action demonstrates the sad mindset of elements inside the US political
establishment, and illustrates exactly why its oversight of the world's DNS
resources and the Internet is wrong.

Yrs,

Richard H

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff Williams" <jwkckid1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "General Assembly of the DNSO" <ga@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; "Danny Younger"
<dannyyounger@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2005 9:47 AM
Subject: Re: [ga] .us Policy Council


> Richard and all former DNSO GA members or other interestes
> stakeholders/users,
>
>   Well Richard, in the USA, we have a fairly new broadly encompassing
> law enforcement tool put into effect sense 9/11 called the Patriot Act.
> As such and to many Americans chagrin, due process has been all
> but eliminated.