Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 01:23:43 -0400 From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com> To: politech@politechbot.com Subject: [Politech] More on open letter to PFIR on "Whois" privacy [priv]

My own views, for what they're worth, are in a column here: http://news.com.com/Privacy+reduction's+next+act/2010-1028_3-5155054.html

An excerpt: If you buy a domain name, current regulations created by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) say you must make public "accurate and reliable contact details and promptly correct and update them during the term of the...registration, including: the full name, postal address, e-mail address, voice telephone number, and fax number." Who wants to make that kind of personal information public for the benefit of spammers, direct marketers and snoops? You shouldn't have to

publish your home address--and other personal details--to everyone in the world just to own a domain name. And if you decide to lie by typing

in "1 Nowhere Road," I don't see why you should be punished for attempting to protect your and your family's privacy. There are plenty of legitimate reasons why domain name holders might leave their address blank. [...] These rights to anonymity are enshrined in the Bill of Rights, both in the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, and in the Ninth Amendment, which was intended to curb government's power. [...]

-Declan

D McC is right on the mark, as usual. D McC is a national treasure, in the Nip sense. You rape the constitution, we go for head shots. Any questions, punk?