Privacy Digest

Domain Name Rights Coalition: Special Circumstances My Foot - Karl Auerbach: "The 'whois' system for domain names is the single greatest violation
of privacy rights on the internet.

A reasonable cure has been put forth that would require only that domain name registrants designate a contact, who could be an agent, to receive communications pertaining to the technical operation of the domain. This is not unlike the way that corporations keep much of their structure private by designating an agent for the receipt of legal notices. ICANN and Verisign both do this.

The industry that protects intellectual property (not to be confused with the industry that creates intellectual property) does not like this proposal; they would prefer that every person go naked on the internet, with their names and numbers tattooed to their chests, and live in glass houses.

The trademark industry wants domain name registrants to reveal their information, and that of their families and children, to the anonymous predators of the world on a 24x7 basis.

The trademark industry will allow but one exception - if a person claims sanctuary on the basis of 'special circumstance'. What this means is that a few shelters for bettered women might be allowed to refrain from publishing their contact information.

This 'special circumstances' proposal is contrary to one of the most fundamental tenets of modern society, that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The 'special circumstances' proposal is nothing short of a systematic conclusion that you and I and every other domain name registrant is to be presumed to be a thief and unworthy of privacy. The burden is placed not only on us to rebut that presumption but to do so in advance even of an accusation.

We are being told in no uncertain terms that our privacy, and that of our families and children, is worth less than a trademark."