Re: [ga] Whois/Privacy

["kidsearch" <kidsearch@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

As a small businessman I disagree with this. Yesterday, I found a website that is using as it's template one of my websites that I paid to have designed. Not only that, they stole content, mail forms, etc. from another of my websites to use in the template they stole from me. They are competing with me directly using all that stuff that I personally created or paid to have done. Their contact page was nonexistant so I had to go to the whois at godaddy to find a way to contact them. The site was listed under the name Melissa Brown. The city location was Charleston, Florida. There is no such city. The area code for the phone number was Canadian. The zip code was not a zip code that has been assigned by the US postal service. 

Currently I am able to let godaddy know about this and they will take action regarding the false whois info, but it still did not let me know who owned the website and I have a legitimate concern regarding finding out who owns this website. As a small businessman I cannot run out and hire a lawyer to pursue this every time it happens. In most cases I can get to the bottom of it through the whois.

Certificates are not the answer either because it is cost prohibitive to many. Even if they came out with one that was affordable, how long would it remain so as soon as the issuing authority figured out they had the power to raise prices for the certification because people would have to have one. Until a legitimate nonprofit can issue these certifications for ecommerce websites, the whois is the only course of action to take to find the owner of a domain name. And those of us who cannot hire a lawyer to do this all the time, we have to investigate it ourselves.

I believe in privacy for those who do not sell any products or services or accept money through their website. If they do business on the web then their whois information should be public in my honest opinion. Business licenses are public info. property ownership is public info. Those who wish to remain private offline have ways like corporations and holding companies to avoid the spotlight. Online, people have the same recourse. Hiding their info by default is not the answer. And again, this applies to people involved in ecommerce, not nonprofit websites or individuals who may need to hide their identity to protect freedom of speech and to avoid persecution.

There needs to be a separate answer for businesses on the web and individuals or nonprofit entities that do not ask for money or sell products or services.

Chris McElroy aka NameCritic
http://www.articlecontentprovider.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Hugh Dierker 
  To: GA 
  Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2007 8:12 PM
  Subject: [ga] Whois/Privacy


  I believe I prefer a couple of layers of red tape prior to allowing Whois data out to the general public. I do not think the IP interests can present a strong enough case to keep it the way it is. We have gone way to far into the transparency side of the issue. Nowhere is this type of personal data laid out like this anymore. In the newest medium we have the most archaic protections of privacy, It is out of balance.

  A person or entity should have to make a formal request for the data, spelling out just as much personal information as that being sought and provide a reason for the request in recordable form for later use. It should also be done on a 1-1 basis, no bulk or multiple requests. That is it, no more or less complicated.

  This allows the IP interests the ability to locate with only a modicum of delay. Certainly cost is not an issue, except maybe to a registry. (this might actually give credence to the need of a price hike, something heretofore missing.)

  Eric


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