User Expectation and Experience

Submission #: 1026	(commercial)
Make it searchable by _any_ criteria! If you can't handle it, hire Google! Otherwise, what in heaven's name am I paying you for?

Submission #: 1055

(non-commercial)

20a. When it comes to domain name registrations, there should be NO privacy issues. If you don't want people to know who you are and how to contact you, don't set up a domain!! 20b. The most important consumer protection interest is the availability of full, complete, identification of domain owners and contact information which does NOT refer back solely to SLD. 20c. See 20b. 20d. See 20b. 20e. ? 20f. See 20b. 20g. See 20b. 20h. If rules are made which everyone agrees to, and full information is required for registration so it can also be included in WHOIS database, it's not the data base but how it is presented which could then use a change: Information visible/accessible to the general public on the new rules for WHOIS, and links to contacts for reporting or ??? In addition, is there a way the WHOIS database could be protected from BOTS [besides requiring that it be maintained on a UNIX or LINUX server at all times, and NO MicroSoft servers allowed because they are too flawed & too easy to hack]?

Submission #: 1062	(other law firm-Intellectual Property Dept.)
It is very important that the Whois query "expiration" field is updated immediately if a person re-registers the domain name. The only field that seems to update is the "last updated" field and the old expiration date stay inaccurate.

Submission #: 1086

(registrar-registry)

Let me say this: The registration of anyname.com represents a small ownership of ultimately public property. It is the beautiful and uniquely implemented process, that allows an individual to own this space, by paying a registration fee. However, since this is a public conveyance, the ownership is a matter of public record. That getting a bunch of spam mail is inconvenient is part of the deal. Owning property and business are matters of public record. This is a business franchise. It must always be clearly thought of in this way. ADDITIONALLY, the price for registration should be raised to at least $200US per name. This would fund additional services and act as a means to CONSERVE that precious resource that is the domain name. The .com is a commercial public conveyance and while it can be owned, transfered, negotiated, and considered an asset, it must be managed wisely. While I accept the domain wildcatters as GOOD for business, I bemoan the inactivity of the vast majority of these names. Therefore we need to raise the bar a bit, but without impeding access or materially changing the nature of the current market.

Submission #: 10

(commercial)

Privacy is the utmost concern to me. The whois database should not be used for any type of policing activities by anyone, whether it be law enforcement, intellectual property interests, etc. It should not be used to protect minors, or anyone else, either. The whois database is not of technical concern, and therefore should not be mandated by ICANN in any manner whatsoever. The DNS works just fine without it. The market should decide how or even IF whois data should be provided.

Submission #: 110

(commercial)

20a. Protection for those engaging in speech that may put them at risk of imprisonment or other retaliation. 20b. Being able to verify the identity and location of the persons responsible for the site, in order to make an informed decision re whether I want to do business with them. This is essential to the growth of reliable and safe ecommerce. 20c. Being able to identify and locate those engaging in criminal conduct on the internet. 20d. Protection of child identities, where feasible. 20e. Reliability and stability. 20f. Not sure the question makes sense. 20g. Being able to identify, locate, contact, and serve infringers.

Submission #: 1112

(individual)

a: Privacy: Requirements that the data not be used for mass mailings have not stopped the data from being used for mass mailings. b: When data is fraudulent (nameservers, contacts, etc.) the data provides no "consumer protection" with regards to abuses committed by registrants. c: When data is fraudulent, it is useless for law enforcement. d: When data is fake, it is useless in finding those who abuse the net and its use by minors. e: When nameservers are fraudulent, the registrar knows about it and leaves the data -also in the 'net's root servers- permitting the registrant to "hijack" others' nameservers -or other errors (intentional or not) lead to errors/abuses of third party resources, it is important for action to be taken. f: The ability of registrars to offer extra services is important ... with restrictions. Allowing them to offer the "service" of inserting known fraudulent data in the 'net's root nameservers; accepting fraudulent contact information, etc. is not what I would consider proper freedom for a registrar to compete in the marketplace. Allowing registrars to horde what they consider good domain names is also not what I would consider proper. g: With the new TLDs coming, I think there will be a problem with, for example, APPLE claiming all the "personal" "*apple*" domain names and bringing suit against those who want to talk about the current apple crop or showing a personal interest in "apples". I think a policy protecting private interest in words and topics (as opposed to giving trademark holders blanket rights even in the personal sphere) should be impleneted. h: Accuracy. It is useless if inaccurate.

Submission #: 112	(commercial)
Our interest is largely one ofprotecting our intellectual property and other rights, but as a consumer, I don't think anyone should post a public site who isn't willing to identify himself/herself/itself, particularly in the commercial arena. One can always use a p.o. box if it's a non-commercial site.

Submission #: 1138	(individual)
20 a. information cannot be sold to third parties and cannot be used for marketing purposes. Registrants should not be able to hide their identities _at all_! 20 b. see 20 a.

Submission #: 1143

(commercial)

The access to the names of the persons who are behind web sites and their content is essential public information since this is a public venue. Law enforcement should have unlimited access as should the public to the names of the individuals who are behind the URL's. This information must be kept completely public. Privacy here would without a doubt bring about abuse. Competitors and abuses should not be allowed to hide behind some third party. The is no GOOD reason for someone to want to keep their involvement in a web site secret. Keeping the information public keeps the accountability which is absolutely necessary. The people holding this information is a public trust and they absolutely SHOULD NOT be allowed to sell the names and addresses of these people. They do not have the right to sell the information. If someone takes the time to go through the records and pick up our mailing address, etc. from who is I guess I have to put up with the junk mail, but I do not have to put up with the flood of mail and other annoyances that result from this information being provided for a fee. It is not "their" information to sell.

Submission #: 116

(commercial)

a. Privacy is a false issue. For economic reasons, and in the interest of technological development, the law should afford remedies for the abuse of information, not attempt to impede the availability and flow of information. b. Identification of the source of products and services. c. Public health and safety in all of its traditional applications, including the enforcement of laws against child pornography and other fundamental law enforcement requirements; protection against the dissemination of dangerous and counterfeit products and services. d. Identification of the source of pornographic and other illicit activities e. Stability and technical integrity of the Internet f. Advancements in productivity inherent in business-to-business commerce g. Identification and location of cybersquatters and other i.p. infringers using the Web as a platform for their activity h. Minimization of costs and preventing the growth of an expensive, cumbersome and unnecessary bureaucratic superstructure h.

Submission #: 1192

(other Law firm.)

The most inportant IP interest is in preventing domain name ursurpation by parties without legitimate claims to the domain name or a trademark which is part of it. It is esential to be able to have a WHOIS database which can reveal multiple "grabbing" of the trademarks of others in order to demonstrate "bad faith". The UDRP should be amended to make the key standard: use "or" registration in bad faith.

Submission #: 120

(other non-profit org & personal)

20a - email address20b - phone number, mailing address 20c - none or name infringement/protection for the little guy or whoever acquires the domain foirst... 20d - parental education and nothing in the Whois db 20e - DNS, IP, service provider 20f - none 20g - date of registration 20h - desire of registrants not to have their data SOLD without consent or opt-out ability Other thoughts - where's my share of the $ for my data that's been sold already, I could use the cash???

Submission #: 1216

(other a, b and d)

a. Registrant name and physical contact address, telephone number, fax number and email address. These details should not be disclosed in any way that gives liberal and public access to real persons, families and politically sensitive orgaizations.b. Enforcement of regulations that prohibit the mining of databases to generate leads for unsolicited mail. Current practices, involving denial of service between competing Registrars fly in the face of consumer protection, for which there is no representation in the DNSO. The time it takes to deal with spam costs money and is not a trivial matter from the consumer perspective. c. This is a non issue. Criminal investigation that requires direct contact with the Registrant, does not rely on a public database to gain access to essential contact information that would, in any event, be held by the Registrar. Tech contacts can be used as a first port of call for all legal matters, including IP interests. d. Physical threats to the child. An individual Registrant's details should not be disclosed at ANY age. e. Denial of Service Attack. The very nature of a DOS prohibits a system of verifiable access by network administrators to the Whois database, but essential contact details must be available through tech contacts. f. BulkWhois. It should be banned. This would allow Registrars to protect their customer base from data mining by competitors. Economically, the Registries-Registrars already have a cash cow from annual DN renewals. Whoisbulk is pure greed. g. TM laws provide adequate protection for IP interests. The fact that a TM holder owns a particular IP interest does not mean that entity also should have free and easy access to every person in the world who has ever registered a 2TLD, and at such a high cost to personal privacy. IP interests do not override personal protection. The former is not life-threatening, the latter may well be a matter of life and death, for individuals, families and politically sensitive organizations. h. There has been no consideration given in this survey to the national privacy laws of other nations. In keeping with its mandate to represent all affected stakeholders, ICANN should not only respect the laws of California and the USA, but also the laws of other nations when considering policy decisions. The Whois database currently defies the EU laws and disenfranchises the peoples of the 15 nations that make up European Union. ICANN must not disregard that fact, or attempt to place itself above the laws of the people it purports to represent. Thank you for your time.

Submission #: 1265	(individual)
I would like to start a website for political commentary, but can't because I fear restricted employment opportunities and threats because of WHOIS.

Submission #: 1290	(individual)
Detailed information should be available on a peruse basis. Bulk sale of the information should not be permitted. Considering all the considerations listed above, it is painfully obvious that free availability of this information must be available. The privacy provisions dictate that bulk sale and use of the data must be eliminated or mitigated wherever possible.

Submission #: 1291	(non-commercial)
We must not allow anonymity and data protection to facilitate network abuseto go untracked and unsullied.

Submission #: 131

(other a, b, and d all apply)

20a The physical addresses and telephone/fax numbers.20b Verifying that the entity operating a web site is the entity described on the web site. 20c Identifying node operators providing specific content, verifying jurisdiction. 20d no interest specific to minors exists 20e Contacting the tech support staff of a node operator 20f Determining availability of domain name(s) 20g no interest specific to intellectual property exists I consider it to have been a serious lapse of judgement to allow domain names to be reserved by trademark. Multiple competing trademarks may exist with apparently equal right to a particular word. It should be considered squatting for (for example) Microsoft to register 'microshlock.com' simply to prevent parody or negative speech by someone else, just like John Doe registering 'microsoft.com' simply to go trolling for corporate dollars. I would like to see cybersquatting attacked with a policy of 'use it or lose it', so that simply registering a domain (or a hundred) does not create ownership. A person must be posting some kind of content with a reasonable relation to the domain name. Kind of like homesteading, staking out the land doesn't make it yours, working and improving the territory makes it yours. Works in cyberspace as well as it did in Kansas.

Submission #: 1329

(commercial)

Comment to 20g: A person or organization holding intellectual property rights in a form of domain name registered by another Internet user should be permitted to rely on the WhoIs information much like police organizations rely on the respective departments of motor vehicles when trying to locate owners of autos and other vehicles.When domain name registration processes allow a potential registrant to submit inaccurate registrant information and still secure a domain name registration, protection of intellectual property rights becomes greatly compromised.

Submission #: 1365

(individual)

It is an essential privacy concerne that individuals should have the option to be anonomous. It is also essential that individuals have equal opportuenty for free speech and expression, without having to sacrifice their rigt to anonomiyt. Consumer Protection should be ensured by the listing of business contact information on the web site proper. It should not be tied to the registration of a domain name and required Whois information. Fraudulent companies, would be able to list incorrect information also on the Whois database, if they so whish. For law enforcement purposes the Whois is as valuable as the telephone directory. The law enforcement agencies have authority to contact the registrars and registries directly under criminal investigations. A Whois service does not change that fact.

Submission #: 139

(commercial)

20b. The ability to verify the address of a commercial business, and to see how long they have been on the net. 20f. Since my ecommerce site has been around for a while [relatively speaking ;>) ], I want people to see the original date and to verify that the contact info on my website is the same as in the Whois data base. 20g. The ability to search by registrant's name (not by address which you have together in question 9g). If I have a case against a cybersquatter, I need to know all the different variations in domain names he may have registered in order to envoke the UDRP once. Otherwise, I have to wait until I hear about another variation on my trademark. 20d. No. 1 - Either no information on the minor or a 3rd party's info for the registrant contact info. No2. The ability to have nearly instant access to information, in order for law enforcement officers quickly shut down and prosecute child pornographers, before the offenders move on to another domain. (This also applies to 20c. 20a. I do not have a personal website and therefore feel I should not address this one. Other comments: Question 10g has "The name and postal address of the registrant". I chose searchabilty based on the name only. (In fact being able to search by name is my #1 interest in Whois.) I do not like the idea of the adrress being searchable. It has to much potential for abuse.

Submission #: 142	(commercial)
The primary purpose of WHOIS data should be to support the operation of the Internet. However, this should be balanced against the desire to support a diversity of operational and business models.

Submission #: 1433

(individual)

Q. 9. I: Publication of e-mail address, phone and fax number of the admin-c is not desirable. Publication of the postal address is not necessary (opt-out option). General comments: Widespread publication of personal data (such as in the Whois database) may lead to a variety of side uses, some of them beneficial, some not. If a publicly accessible database is (partly) restricted because of privacy concerns, some of the side uses may be restricted too. However, these side uses cannot justify negligent treatment of privacy issues. If the Whois database contains data which is superfluous for the technical operation of the Internet, this data should be suppressed. It is not ICANN's responsibility to request the publication of data which is not needed to guarantee the stability of the Internet. The com/net/org Whois currently publishes personal data which is not published in the Whois for the .de ccTLD. If the data is obviously not needed for one of the largest ccTLDs in the world, there should be no need for it in a gTLD either. Many domain name holders nowadays are not technical experts running Web and e-mail services from their own server connected to the Internet. Instead, they are customers of Web hosting companies running the servers for them and can consequently not help resolving technical issues such as tracing the source of DoS attacks. Nonetheless, their personal data is published by default. It is therefore comprehensible that some domain name holders use wrong phone or fax numbers to prevent misuse of their personal data; requiring superfluous data raises the probability for inaccurate data. Using third party contact details in lieu of personal data is more complicated and more expensive for the registrant, if he is aware of the publication of his personal data at all: The registrant has to enter into two contracts, as major domain registrars are not offering any such service. The .de ccTLD registry DeNIC has set up its Whois service in a two-level system which might be interesting for other Whois services, too: On the first Web page, the registrant is only identified with a handle. The registrant's personal data (but not his phone or fax number) is displayed only after clicking on a button on the first Web page. A built-in delay may also be used to prevent predatory use of personal Whois data. The search capabilities of the Whois database should not be extended unless a technical need for the extension can be proven.

Submission #: 1447

(individual)

For profit commerical users must reveal themselves completely (even when they use domain names for non-profit organizations - lobbiying) and make themselves easily accessible.Mid-size and large corporations should bear a larger percentage of the cost. Individual rpivacy should be protected. (Nothing more than a name and P.O. box ) this preserves law enforements ability to locate in the case of criminal activity

Submission #: 1475	(individual)
Need a clearer line between company use of a domain and individual use of a domain. Company domains should have full information disclosure, either through WHOIS ir some other systems. Individual's domains don't need this. I also don't like question 9 - there should be something below 'valuless' - 'considered harmful'.

Submission #: 1494

(individual)

20a. Protection of the private user's data20b. Allowing consumers to choose where their personal data is used. 20c. 'real' address information during criminal investigations. 20d. Not allowing access to any data on minors 20e. Public availability to register with reasonable cost. 20f. Maintaining operations 20g. Treat intellectual property investigations similar to criminal ones. Formal legal challenge should be raised before allowing access to information for these purposes (would you like someone peeping your home after looking up your address in the phone book? Even telcos allow phone numbers w/o addresses)

Submission #: 1519	(other Attorney)
My primary interest in the WhoIs database is in finding and putting a stop to cybersquatters. It would be nice to have boolean search capabiities across all tlds so that I could find infringing domains. It is imperitive that I be able to find contact information on infringing websites.

Submission #: 1528

(individual)

The whois database is most important as a tool for locating available or similar domains, and for seeing who has registered a domain.It should not be used as a mass marketing tool. As an individual, I would want others to see my name associated with domains that I have registered. However, if I thought that using my name and address in the whois database would subject me to marketing campaigns, then I would want to use the 3rd party registration option mentioned above. Especially now with the new .name gtld coming online there will be many more individuals registering domains, and having the name and postal address in the whois database is useful/informative, and if an attempt is made to use that information for unsolicited marketing or too much personal information (email and phone are too much) then people are likely to supply less, or turn to other options like that 3rd party registration which would reduce the usefulness of the whois database.

Submission #: 1530

(commercial)

From our perspective, the whois database is a crucial source of geographicinformation that we use to provide an online fraud detection database. The prevention of online fraud is essential to globally creating a level playing for e-commerce and building up consumer confidence in buying and selling through the internet. While I acknowledge the privacy of indivuals to protect personal data, this protection is exploited by fraudsters using anonymity to defraud internet users. We feel a balance would be met by allowing bulk access (to approved organisations) to all whois data for the purposes of preventing online fraud while preventing access to an individuals personal details via an ad-hoc query.

Submission #: 1536

(individual)

The whois database is extremely useful in identifying the owners of web addresses. It also helps law-enforcement and helps corporations protect their intellectual property. However, several individuals like myself have registered web addresses and for obivious reasons would not wish to divulge our home addresses. ICANN should strike a balance between the needs of law-enforcement, corporations protecting their intellectual property rights, the need to prevent gouging of potential/future web addresses by parties solely interested in making a quick profit and the genuine concerns of legitimate individuals in protecting their privacy.

Submission #: 1542

(individual)

I'm not technically qualified to completely answer all the survey questions. However, my interest and concern is two-fold. One, there does need to be a way to trace a domain at least back to the hosting ISP to report violations. Two, I want to find a way to protect my email address to reduce the amount of spam mail I get. When I registered my personal domain, I used an email address that is ONLY used in that one place. So therefore, I know when I get spam to that email address that it came from either Network Solutions marketing my info or spammers accessing the database. Fully 80-90% of the spam mail I receive is to this one address and therefore is from people accessing the registrant's email address. In my view, one should be able to specify in the registration information that the email address be protected from access by anyone outside of Network Solutions and perhaps my ISP. This would go a long way to cutting down on the amount of spam mail one receives. The net itself would also benefit because less spam would mean lower network traffic. Finally, there should be a fool-proof way of tracing UCE back to the source. There should be heavy penalties for anyone who uses the data outside of the agreement mentioned above.

Submission #: 1562

(commercial)

The personal information of registrants, must be protected. Whois information is not necessary for enforcement of intellectual property rights, and should not be maintained or formatted to facilitate such use. The technical functioning of domain names (resolution) and inquiry of availability of specific domain names should be only uses of the whois database. This should not be used as a marketing resource. This should not be used as a means to facilitate corporations enforcement of their intellectual property rights.

Submission #: 1586	(other both business and individual)
whi is with the ip addresses is a sleeping demon.. fix it now before ipv6 makes it even worse

Submission #: 15

(individual)

The owner of *any* email address in thedatabase should have absolute control of its use. I have heard of several cases where the email address of someone was used without their permission and they had no way to stop the misuse of their address as they didn't have the authority to change the records for the domain. I currently have a plea for help in my mailbox from a woman who was hired to develop someone's website. They used her address in the whois registration and subsequently spammed when she no longer worked for them -- but she gets the complaints.

Submission #: 1606

(other web host)

Public "Whois" information, with the exception of the listed DNS servers, is non-authoritative- at best. Virtually no verification is done, so the accuracy is voluntary. So far this has worked well enough, but it probably won't in the future. The service should not be viewed as a tool for consumer protection. There are other, at least slightly better, mechanisms currently available for that. Protecting the rights of minors is a non-issue. They are not permitted to sign contracts, which a domain name registration agreement is. Simply ensuring that the contract is legally enforcable should be enough protection. (age verification, etc.) Synchronizing updates of whois with updates to the root servers is essential- and somehting that has not always happened in the past. (it's rare, but disruptive when it happens) Tightly integrating these services should be a high priority.

Submission #: 1612	(commercial)
The public Internet is just that, and the whois information must also be public. I would certainly like to cut down on my unsolicited emails but not at the expense of being able to solve problems and catch illegal activity.

Submission #: 1639

(individual)

The public in general must be able to identify the individual or orgnaization behind any online persona in order to protect themselves against fraud and/or deceptive marketing. The registration of a domain is not essential to engaging in anonymous protected speech online. Nor is one required to register a domain as an individual.However, since this information can be used to generate unsolicited mailings, the information should be released in such a way as to serve the legitimate needs of the public (like "who is behind this domain name") without making it easy to harvest names at random (like "gimme all the domains that start with 'a', etc.").

Submission #: 163

(individual)

20a: Individual/non-organizational users should not have to publish their name/contact information to the whole world. Use of an agent (ISP/DNS provider/registrar) should be sufficient. 20b: Consumers should be able to discern if a merchant is who they say they are. 20c: Law enforcement interests normally can be satisfied by listing in WHOIS the applicable jurisdiction of the registrant. 20d: Protection of minors, while important, is a content issue, beyond the scopeof whois. 20e: Technical contact information (the operators of the domain's DNS servers) should always be available. 20f: N/A 20g: See 20c above.

Submission #: 1657

(other Outsourced IT firm)

Although I see the shadow of "Big Brother" looming over the idea of centralized control I still prefer the way domain registration was handled under the old DARPA contract. By distributing registration and control of information to multiple parties across the network, the vagaries of individual search/change preferences tend to confuse the issue and permit inaccuracies to replicate, often causing loopbacks, misdirected pointers, etc. I would also like to see some sort of mandantory rule-set for Name Server administration and Zone transfer to insure accurate updating of DNS servers.

Submission #: 1671

(individual)

While I appreciate that the decentralization of the Internet has been both an excellent move logistically and also an attempt to further increase redundancy as given in the original 'brief' for the DARPA Internet, I still feel that the Whois network has become somewhat of a mess, which is very difficult for people to interpret and follow, let alone consumer and even technical software! I think a further standardization of the Whois protocol to allow better referral of queries between servers (especially for automated mechanisms) would probably assist in the use of the Whois data.

Submission #: 1684

(individual)

There really is no privacy anymore, especially in regards to the internet. So the best control of the information is through OPT_OUT/IN programs and infomation for a fee only. This would tend to limit the uncontrolled exchange of personal information. Intellectual property rights needs a great deal of extended study as each side has very valid arguements. Minors should not be able to register a Domain name thus there should be no information in regards to them. Information about minors should NEVER be made available to the public! Law enforcement should have access to all information in the registry via a court order. Public interests should have to pay a fee and their access to information recorded. Users of the registry should always have the written option of opting out of their information being made public.

Submission #: 1687

(individual)

There needs to be a disconnect between private data and public data. Someone's home address shouldn't be published, but there should be a way to contact them. There are lots of reasons why someone would want the registrar's info - some good, many bad. Perhaps on an individual basis - i.e. a specific search, personal info should be provided, while in bulk searches it wouldn't be. Perhaps personal info would only be provided after a second form is filled out after the results of an initial search. It's a difficult question.

Submission #: 1696	(commercial)
I feel that the current level of information required and held by the WHOIS database is good. However, I wonder if perhaps some sort of qualification system could be used with regards to divulging that information. For instance, some sort of identification (registration?) required to get detailed contact info - Sysadmins, law enforcement etc.

Submission #: 1709	(individual)
Whois should only identify the registered person/organization and a way to contact via a form that hides the registered parties email. Phone number and address should only be provided when legally necessary.

Submission #: 1710	(commercial)
All whois informaiton should be available for the public to browse on a domain by domain basis, but there should pains should be taken to prevent the bulk gathering of data by any parties. Law enforcement officials should likewise have to search for pertinent data manually.

Submission #: 1711	(commercial)
20a. Individuals should be allowed privacy in registration. Organizations/businesses should not. 20b. E-mail should be traceable to a source individual who can be held responsible.

Submission #: 1723	(commercial)
Personal privacy is paramount.Obtaining full data details but limiting exposure of that data best protects consumers. Having law enforcement agency access to full data may be permiited under proven need (rahtre than for general info purposes). There should be no selling of data. IP condistions dictate accuracy.

Submission #: 1729

(commercial)

That the physical addresses of registrants and administrative/technical contactscan be hidden if they so choose, as long as valid and current contact information is available. That a consumer can positively identify who the registrant of a domain is, as well as valid and current contact information for the registrant and administrative and technical contacts. Where any of the registrant, administrative, or technical contacts are found to be repeatedly unavailable to legitimate attempts to contact by consumers or others, that domain should be suspended from internet access until such time as the hosting company, registrant, etc can correct Whois records until such people are available through valid records. These contacts should not be at the mercy of anyone wanting to idly contact them. However, I can not count the number of times I have attempted to contact a domain that was the source of spam, attacks, etc., and have had no response to repeated attempts to contact any of these people in attempts to resolve the problem. I tend to think of such domains as "outlaw domains"; once established, they seem to pretty much do and allow whatever they feel like. They are a minority, but they need to be dealt with.

Submission #: 1742	(individual)
I am concerned about personal safety, and I am just a 'nobody'. I have a friend who is in the public eye who should have known better than to register a domain name and have her home address out there for anyone and everyone. There must be a way to address this issue, and still make available information that should be public.

Submission #: 1755

(commercial)

20a. While it is important to provide contact information in the form of email address. I would be concerned that it is available for anyone to access. There is both a necessity and a concern regarding that. 20b. Companies MUST provide direct and correct information enabling them to be contacted. 20c. Certainly law enforcement should be provided information that would enable them to track down lawbreakers. 20d. No minor information should be in the database. If they are desiring to register their own domain it should be under the auspices of their parental guardians. Therefore in my mind this should be a non-issue. 20e. If there are issues associated with reaching an entity it should be easy to determine who to contact to resolve those issues. This would be especially true if those issues impacted the general function of a portion of the Internet other than themselves. 20f. No opinion 20g. The ability for corporations to 'bully' individuals with respect to their free speech by 'redefining' what intellectual property rights means. 20h. None.

Submission #: 1762

(individual)

There should be a distinction between domain names registered for a business, and registered for an individual. An individual's privacy should be paramount. Businesses should have their contact information presented in full.This may not be feasible because of the antiquated way in which the WHOIS database was developed. New TLDs should be developed specifically for the individual who values their privacy. For example, the forthcoming .NAME TLD should do as much possible to protect the registant's personal data. .USER should be created for the same reason (without the double-name requirement of .NAME)

Submission #: 1764

(individual)

20a. The ease of acquirement of bulk sale information is what fuels that type of advertisement. Making that information more difficult would potentially cause a downturn in the amount of unsolicited contacts. 20c. Information applicable to law enforcement agencies should be available through direct contact with the registrar. 20e. Maintaining the technical contacts in the WHOIS database. 20g. As with law enforcement, this should be initiated through the registrar, after providing reasonable examples of infringement.

Submission #: 1779	(individual)
I wish that the whole address were not available until a specific email request was made. Rather than making it really hard to get the address, by using an ISP or domain registar as a front, and practically subpoena-ing the info, it would be nice if it were available, but not to easy for spammers to collect the info.

Submission #: 1791

(commercial)

Sounds to me like Internic is trying to say that if they were the only company to handle registering domain names, that they could do a better job of maintaining, reporting, and verifying of data. That would make you a monopoly again and make you happy. I don't like that idea, but I do think whoever else is ICANN certified or whatever should have to work closely with Internic and you should all work closely and well together. The database has to be up to date and accurate, that is what a database is for. Charge the cost to the people registering the domain name. Keep track of them, don't let 3rd parties register domain names for someone else. I want someone stealing information, sending unsolicited bulk e-mail, and child pornographers to be found and stopped. If Internic and other ICANN companies could work together You could accomplish these goals.

Submission #: 1805	(commercial)
20s. remove email and mailing address to prevent spammers. 20c. law enforcement (with suppenas) should have access to the database. 20g, that a quick and decisive action be taken when registered trademarks are being damaged.

Submission #: 1807	(non-commercial)
I think that the data in the Whois database should not be sold to any outside company. I also think that there should be a scheme to make it so that only a certian group of people could access the data. Maybe it could be password protected and only accessable to those people who are actually listed as administrative or techinical contacts?

Submission #: 1849

(individual)

As a individual the prtection of personal privacy is important. I have no obection to giving my full details on registering names but :- I do have concerns about the ease with which this is available to others. I have a concern that unsolicited email post or phone calls could result. Ordinary post often contains 'junk mail'. This concept should not extend to Whois. Direct contact could be received as threatening to some people who otherwise would keep identity private. A forwarding system would allow 'owner filtering' if a general policy was not quite right on a specific basis for particular idividuals. Thank you.

Submission #: 1851	(commercial)
dont have any public information. for spamming you can always trace anyway and you have the owners name.law enforcement could get access to the database by court order as they normally would have to for entrace to houses or premises.

Submission #: 1868

(commercial)

The balance of privacy and public interest is a delicate one. While in most instances privacy must take priority, the act of registering and using a domain name puts you in the position of a publisher and, in some cases, a retailer. To allow individuals to recognise who they are doing business with it is important that the information be made available.I also believe that this information be made publically available, not just to regulatory organisations. When I want to do business with someone it is important that I can carry out due dilligence, not rely on some government official. I believe the current situation provides a good balance between the various parties, if Registrars are to be given the power to market to registrants it should be with their express (opt-in) permission. Thanks.

Submission #: 1869	(individual)
you could do what ripn (www.ripn.net -- .ru/.su registry) do -- have fields that can be seen in the whois, and private fields that can only be seen either by the registry and also only seen by the registrant or its contacts when it wants to.

Submission #: 1882	(commercial)
20g. Access to an accurate, updated WHOIS database is vital. It is consistent with privacy laws, and allows IP owners to track the business patterns of infringers. Proving a history of infringement can be essential in litigation, such as a UDRP proceeding where bad faith must be proven. This differs from marketing uses and should clearly be treated differently in all discussions and policies.

Submission #: 1886

(commercial)

I think the whois service as it currently stands is ideal. I would be very cautious of any major changes as this could create oportunities for abusers. I am generally of the opinion that anyone who registers a domain name and does not want their details to be publicly available must have something to hide. I also feel that the data that is made public should not be available for any form of marketing purposes. Lastly I think that all internet users should be educated more as to how the internet works and how they can use the whois search to find abusers. This way everyone using the net would be more able to stand up for themselves against spammers and abusers and deal with them - rather than relying on passive software gadgets that can fail. The level of transparency this would offer would surely increase everyones confidence in the internet and ultimatley improve its reputation.

Submission #: 1898	(commercial)
I don't think there is a personal privacy issue here. The WhoIs database is no more than a public record similar to deeds filed in a county clerk office on ownership of property.

Submission #: 189	(commercial)
The most upsetting thing to me is the unpredictable and extremely long time periods between the expiration of certain domain names and their re-release to the public. I've been watching one name that expired 7 months ago and is still not available. There is no recourse for me that I am aware of. If there is, please let me know! den@axyl.net

Submission #: 1900	(individual)
I build non-commercial websites. I dont like the fact that people can not only see my or my children's faces and then find out what my name, address & telephone # is!

Submission #: 1918

(individual)

The host ISP should be available in WhoISThe host ISP should be obliged to hand over customer details for law-enforcement purposes Personal data would then not need to be revealed publically, but would be available in legal cases with an applicable warrant The host ISP should also act as point of contact for technical issues. The host ISP should be free to pass on any associated costs of this additional responsibility to the customer. This is iterally 'the price they pay' for their privacy.

Submission #: 1923

(non-commercial)

20a. Registrants should be notified of the circumstances under which data they provide will be made publicly available and should be allowed to opt out of marketing-related uses and bulk access, but not to legitimate individual queries. 20b. Consumers need publicly accessible, free, real-time access to Whois data in order to protect themselves and seek redress when needed. 20c. Law enforcement needs unfettered access to accurate Whois data for the enforcement of consumer protection, intellectual property, and other laws on the Internet. 20d. Parents benefit from Whois access as a means of verifying the legitimacy of the web sites their children visit, as a means of determining who is respoisible for online content, and as a means of determining the source of unwanted solicitations directed at their children. Law enforcement shares an interest in Whois access for the purpose of enforcing child pornograph and other laws directed at protecting children. 20e. Whois access contributes to network stability. 20f. Publicly accessible Whois promotes e-commerce and builds consumer confidence in the Net. Unfettered public real-time access to accurate Whois data should be a baseline, not a competitive issue. All registries should accept similar obligations and responsibilities. 20g. Whois provides accountability and transparency and assists in the identification of parties who are infringing intellectual property rights online. Real-time accesss to complete and accurate Whois data is particularly critical for copyright owners whose works are pirated on the Internet, inflicting mounting damage for every minute a pirated copy of a work remains on a site available for the world to copy. 20h. The role of Whois in the promotion of electronic commerce. All of the above questions touch on important interests. The Whois database is key to maintaining transparency and accountability on the Internet, which is in turn key to maintaining stability and consumer confidence in the DNS. Privacy interests of individuals are important, and registrars' privacy policies should be enforced, as should contractual obligations of those who use Whois data. The public must continue to have, however, real-time access to registrant contact data if they are to haev confidence in the Web.

Submission #: 1927

(individual)

I'm nervous about my address and phone number being on there- name okay.as a consumer i want to know their name and business address. law enforcement should be allowed all the info. let em have we need them.miners are the parents problem no one elses.. networks email address. competively i need their name and city i dont like my address and phone number on their. i think we should delete the phone numbers definetly, and replacing with mandatory email. and address of business only. everyones name needs to be there...

Submission #: 1940	(individual)
Personal data for individual (as opposed to corporate) registrants should not be available.

Submission #: 1948

(commercial)

20a Private Citizens personal data, by default, should not be published.20c Simply having the ability to call an administrator who is directly responsible for network operations and not a manager in some accounting office. 20d There is none. What protection can you provide minors in your database? Is ICANN going to determine what minors should be protected from? Is ICANN going to start protecting single women...cats owners...corporate CEO's. Just give data regarding the registration leave protection up to application developers. 20e What it was meant for to begin with. One engieer can pick up the phone and call another directly to solve network problems. Determine the difference between a corporate account and a personal account. Personal details (address, phone etc) except a valid email address should be delivered to whois queries only if pre approved by registrants. Domains registered to organizations other than personal accounts should have all information available easily accessable. This will allow technical and administrative contact between administrators quickly and efficiently. If contact with a registrant of a personal account is required, a valid email address for that individual should be sufficient for contact purposes. If the person wants more informaiton delivered they can do it at their own discretion.

Submission #: 198	(commercial)
I have to register with you if I want a domain. It is not like a credit card or a bank where I have and chonce. If you mistreat me, I have to continue to do business with you. So, you have no choicne but to maintain privacy. I need my domains protected from thieft and distructive use.

Submission #: 201

(individual)

The urgency of providing absolute anonymity for Chinese political dissidents far outweighs the value an (easily falsified) mailing address might have to FBI special agents chasing the next Tim McVeigh. De Facto anonymity must be preserved. ICANN might be able to provide a voluntary service to assist in certifying the authenticity of commercial websites but that very useful service pales in importance to the protection of political actors. This is no mere First Amendment issue. Lives are at stake. The WHOIS database won't be very useful to law enforcement if the data is so well-publicized that everyone is forced to falsify their personal data. The interests of marketers (and those who seek to sell data relinquished for other purposes to them) are therefore antithetical to those of everyone else and we should all be aware of that.

Submission #: 206

(commercial)

I believe that the WHOIS database maintained by the various registrars and registries is invaluable to the policing of the Internet by parents, consumers, law enforcement agencies and intellectual property owners. The Internet is a public playing arena. Persons that choose to particpate must be willing to submit a public record that makes them accountable for their actions on the Internet. Should a person have privacy concerns, the current environment allows persons to license the use of a domain name.

Submission #: 23

(commercial)

As I have said, the argument that DNS "whois" is useful for "Internet stability" is laughable. Those of us who actually run the net rarely use DNS whois and instead use the whois data associated with IP address registrations. The privacy aspects of all whois data are significant and the present balance is skewed far and away too much in favor to those who want to use the data and not nearly far enough to protect the person who the data is about.

Submission #: 241

(commercial)

The primary intention of the whois database was and should remain to be a way of identifying the nameservers, administrators and registrars responsible for the proper operation of that domain and access to it. All other uses are secondary. If the smoothe operation of the internet is sacrificed for any other interest, it will be a deteriment to the entire network. While it may be desireable for other interests such as policing and marketing to use this information, it is an abuse of the whois data and the intention of the database(s) to use this data in ways other than it was intended by the registrants who provided it. We can make an analogy to the telephone directory databases that telephone companies maintain. A phone book is meant to find a phone number where a given, known individual can be contacted. It is an abuse to simply phone people at random out of the phone book for whatever reason. Also when such services as a *69 or call display are available, there is always the option for the other party to disable their usage, in the interests of preserving the integrity of the database and the reasons for its existance. A similar attitude should be taken with regards to the whois database, that it exists to provide technical and diagnostic information about a known domain, and should not be provided in another capacity without the express consent of the registrants involved.

Submission #: 243

(individual)

As it is, right now, I think the data base has gone far enough, is complete enough, and is probably accessable enough to provide necessary information to the users. Law enforcement agencies have plenty of technology and legislation to go from there when necessary without the general public having unnecessary access to private information. There is too big a tendancy to over-regulate, over- medicate, and over-inform now that we have this magnificant internet. Instead of reducing the amount of paper we use, we are using much more because we have more access to interesting information and want a personal copy. Exercise restraint ! If it ain't broke.....don't fix it. You got it good now. As per all your questions If I don't seem to really be answering what you wanted to know, it is because You didn't ask in a way I understood. :)

Submission #: 252

(commercial)

First, This form should have been multiple choice, particularly question 6, where an obvious answer is "all of the above" Second, WHO is "bulk access" should be ONLY allowed to companies posting SERIOUS bond to cover people suing them for privacy infringements. I'm SO fed up of who-is-based spam.... Third, I want is my ISP N-O-T to represent me, I can do it myself, having said that there should be a forwarding system by which the whois system will forward communications to a contact for a domain, after verifying the identity of the sender. Something like "eBay" where you just can't SPAM people. I strongly suggest requiring people requiring access to mail others to FAX a copy of driving license or password to obtain access to the forwarding system.

Submission #: 2557

(individual)

The most important issue in my opinion is: Law enforcement (in all its facets including intellectual property etc.)and the contribution that whois must make in order to facilitate it. The second most important issue is consummer confidence and how whois can bolster e-commerce by bolstering consummer confidence, re-assuring the public that the internet is NOT a place where online merchants can simply hide and disppear at will. Admittedly proper identification of domain owners is only one element that will boost public confidence and e-commerce. All other security issues remain but it is an important element.

Submission #: 2564	(commercial)
We believe it is essential that, in so far as possible, a detailed and accurate record of domain owners be available for the public. We do NOT support anonymous registration or the withholding of information pertaining to domains.

Submission #: 2565	(non-commercial)
As a non-profit corporation we are especially concerned with privacy issues. However, we believe it is _essential_ that information about domain owners be available to the public. We do not support anonymous registration.

Submission #: 2566	(commercial)
whois should hold a list of what domain names are available and what domain names are unavailable and when they expire. It should also be used to help matain DNS records. All registrants personal information should not be advertised on the internet. If someone wished to contact the owner of a domain name, they should have to do this through the central registration body.

Submission #: 2586	(individual)
Businesses should be required to provide and allow to be published full, accurate contact information, including a physical address and a valid e-mail address. Non-business domain holders should be able to keep their details fully confidential -- except for a valid e-mail address.

Submission #: 259	(non-commercial)
I see both sides of this, because as a 'member of public' I see the benefit in being able to see who owns a site/domain. On the other hand, as a user, I see real need to ensure my name is NOT included in any way on the WHOIS search - this is what must win out in the end.

Submission #: 2600

(registrar-registry)

20a. Protection from spam and tehnical abuse from hackers is the the most important personal privacy interest. 20b. Protection from spam and tehnical abuse from hackers is the the most important consumer protection interest. 20c. Protection from fraud and hackers. 20d. No importance unless the registrant is under age. 20e. Technical stability and functionality. 20f. The most important economic interets is that with over 30M domain names registered internationally, WHOIS offers registrants the ability to offer additional information about their website and contact information. As the internet continues to grow, search engines will have greater difficulty managing access to information. WHOIS offes stability and the possibility of at least some accurate information. 20g. Fraudulent transfers and legitimate trademark abuses, not percieved trademark abuses. 20h. WHOIS should be enhanced with additional fields so that additional information about a domain name can be offered. ICANN should be less concerned about privacy and more concerned about offering a single point of pressence of accurate information. It is quite simple to create an anonymous WHOIS record. ICANN should be moving in the opposite direction and should concentrate on enabling domain registrants to offer more details about their websites and the nature of content being distributed. If ICANN were to move in this direction, WHOIS could one day become the next "caller ID."

Submission #: 2646

(commercial)

My biggest concvern about WHOIS is those domain registration authorites which offer an indirect access to it. Through various jobs with ISPs, I have encountered custoers who have spent time trying out different domain names by typing them into some "Domains Are Us" style web site search tool, to find out if they're free. On more than one occasion, our customer has found a "good" domain that wasn't registered at the time, and thus cusome to my company to register and host it. When we come to do so, we find that it was registered - and is for sale - by the organisation running the web site our customer was using. When I want to do a WHOIS search, I go direclty to whois.internic.net and then wherever it takes me, as that is the only source I currently *trust*. This lack of trust must be addressed.

Submission #: 2691

(commercial)

The Database needs to be both freely available, yet protected, posing an almost impossible to solve problem. Limiting data mining though a means of single lookups at a time may help - most legitimate users do not need to harvest huge quatities of domain information at a time. Also, Whois data needs to be accurate. There are so many registrations with a full address of: maryland, usa, 0 000 000 0000 0 000 000 0000 How can this be allowed? Costs: I think legitimate users (ISP's, Developers, etc) would accept a small annual fee for access to the DB, registration providers would most likely then provide basic WHOIS data to their visitors for free, making back the costs in registrations

Submission #: 2692

(individual)

Similar to my response to question 12, anyone who makes any material "public" via a web site or who "forces" material on others via e-mail should not have the right to privacy. They should have no more right to privacy than a person standing on a street corner selling goods, in a theatre shouting fire, or who knocks on the front door to your home. The originator of all content, via web or e-mail, should be easily identifiable so that they may be held accountable for their actions. This is the only way to protect the public from the modern day equivalent of snake oil salesmen and phone dialers, be they of criminal intent or simply electronic nuisances. Directly related to this, questions 18 and 19 ask, in effect, if you are currently able to "mask" your identity and would you. I believe no-one should have this opportunity, particularly when you consider there is no means to prove the relationship of the third party to the registrant without a costly legal proof. The whois function provides the means (normally) to directly contact people who have a techincal association with a registered domain. Surely there needs to be a means to more easily identify and directly contact the actual first party registrant in order that they may be held accountable for the content of the material they make available.

Submission #: 269

(individual)

a- personal contact information. why do they have to know who "I" am, where "I" live and such when I want to be anonymous on the Internet and host a controversial website? b- nonmandating postal addresses, name and such information. an anonymous but contactable person should be able to registrar names and no one should be able to take that away from them. c- I don't see what the law inforcement needs to know. IP addresses? They have resources to find anything they may need. d- minors should be ablel to access the whois just as well. they are smart, they need technical info just like any one else. nothing unsuitable for a minor is in the whois database. e- Domain name to IP address translation (possibly an email contact for tech Qs) f- someone wanting to buy someone else's domain name because its really clever and they have developed a nice site/popularit with it. economic- wanting to purchase domain names. g- the domain names is owned by that 'anonymous' person and no one can take it away from them or refuse them to continue 'renting' if from the ICANN. h- Regitrants should be ANONYMOUS and remain in CONROL/OWNERSHIP of the domain name solely without complication. They should be able to provide as much info as they desire, but should be contactable (anonymously/psuedoanonymously) and IP addresses are needed for troubleshooting.

Submission #: 2852	(other Web site development/consulting/domain resales/internet commerce)
The registered owner should have the option of either providinghis/her personal details or hold them private. But there should be a method to voice complaints through a third party.

Submission #: 2856

(isp)

We need to absolutely require functional contactinformation. We also need to squelch companies which use registration information for marketing, because if they didn't do this, people would be less shy of entering their personal data correctly. Using Whois data for marketing should result in immediate termination of any and all domain and network services. The whois database must be seen, not as property of some lying bunch of incompetents like network solutions, but as a natural quality of the internet. Administrators for it should be guardians, not "owners". All of the data should be available for anyone to use in any way that contributes to the usability of the internet. (For instance, services like geektools, which collect and refine searches, should be allowed and encouraged.)

Submission #: 2868	(individual)
access to this information should not be limited. registrants are well aware or should be made well aware that this information is going to be made available. It's the internet and access to this information and any information is paramount to its success.

Submission #: 2871	(commercial)
Invalid registrations are still a problem. Some measures need to be put in place requiring verified contact information from the registrant to protect against invalid registrations. Further, any invalidated contact information should constitute refusal of the registration by the registrar.

Submission #: 2872

(individual)

Whois data should be restricted to use for technical purposes and should be restricted to answering single queries. Bulk mining should be strictly prevented by implementing filters. People who are seen to bulk mine.. more than x queries per y time should be filtered permanently. Those with legitimate need should sign and abide by a AUP stating that data will be used for technical purposes only and not passed on in any form.

Submission #: 2887	(individual)
Whois should return to its original function as a service to provide vital information regarding internet zones and other related registrations. It should not be used as a free-for-all source of information to businesses and individuals seeking non-technical-maintenance goals.

Submission #: 2901

(individual)

From our perspective, the WHOIS database should only show information needed to either do a complete trace for investigations for fraud, misuse, spam, etc. And it should show the date of expiry, where the TLD is hosted, and that it is. We believe that any other info should remain private with exception to the hosting provider, and the governing body of the registration process. (Should an investigation be required, the investigating party can request information to either the governing body, or the host provider.) As it stands currently, the WHOIS database is too often abused, resulting in spam and other similar offences. Curbing access to this information is a positive step in resolving the issues. A perspective buyer of a TLD does not need to know anymore details other than if a name is avaliable for registration, and if not, when it may expire. If the owner wishes to sell their TLD, there are many methods available to do so, without their contact info being revealed in the WHOIS database.

Submission #: 2906	(other all of the above (except government) at different times)
Whois information is provided by the registrants for the purposes of facilitating Internet technical operations. Any use of the information for any kind of marketing (from the registrar, from the registrar's affiliates, from ISPs, from other vendors) is inconsistent with the purpose for which the data was provided, should be prohibited, and should be punished where it is discovered to occur.

Submission #: 2907	(commercial)
There should be a reasonable right ofprivacy, a reasonable way to get private information to proceed with abuse and illegal activities investigations, and some form of protection against harassment and investigational abuse. I expect this will be an extremely difficult balance to achieve.

Submission #: 2915	(commercial)
It would be extremely helpfull if the whois registration also contains the type of information any domain provides. This could allow for active filtering (e.g. filter pages for children).Furthermore the privacy should be protected. If informations is spread, it should be with the consent of the registree of any domain.

Submission #: 2919	(non-commercial)
20a I want my personal address to be private20b The need to be able to idebtify the trader in case of problems 20c To be able to effectly track down and prosecute offenders (especially hackers) 20d The need for sites to use an international contents rating system so that adults can prevent unsuitable material being viewed/received by minors

Submission #: 2932	(other IP Lawyer)
20a. No interest, if you choose to communicate you shoud take your resposibility20b. Consumer can check on the seller of the products 20g. To check ownership for due diligence investigations and for infringement of IP rights.

Submission #: 2935	(commercial)
i have performed searches for a domain name, where there are more than, say, 50 results. however, it will only display the first 50. there is no way to get the next set of results.

Submission #: 293

(individual)

With respect to question 19, though I myselfwould probably not make use of such a service, due to other methods at my disposal for privacy protection, I think such a service could be of great benefit to many individuals. It would be good to have such a service available. As regards personal privacy protection, I am frequently frustrated that there currently seems to be absolutely none available. My personal data is being sold and traded as if it were someone else's commodity. This must change. Regarding network operations, the most critical piece of the puzzle is that a network administrator anywhere in the world _must_ be able to find the name, e-mail address, and phone number of a responsible contact person for any given domain name or IP address block. Regarding economic interests, I feel it must be made very clear that the information contained in the whois database is not the property of any registrar or other such entity, but of the registrants themselves. A final note; whois access to IP address block assignments wasn't discussed in this survey. This is an often overlooked feature of the whois system, and one which is often of great utility to network administrators in determining who is responsible for a given IP address, since the DNS by its very nature cannot be relied upon to give authoritatively accurate information. This is functionality which needs to be preserved and provided for in any future modifications to the whois system.

Submission #: 2950	(other Law firm)
20g. It is imperative to be able to identify the registrant accurately so that trademark owners may resolve disputes without having to go to extreme measures.

Submission #: 2952

(commercial)

20a. You should be able to learn who it is that is obtaining your personal information.20b. People registering domain names should not hide their identity, and if they abuse Intellectual Property rights, there should be a way to track down the abuser 20c. People posting offensive material online should be accountable and reachable. 20d. By not requesting the age of the registrant, you are not aware the registrant is a minor - that's fine. The public deserves the right to contact those who post offensive material, using the whois database to find abusers of what they might consider offensive to minors. 20e. The most important thing is being able to contact domain name owners when determining 1. if they want to sell the domain name 2. if they are cybersquatting 3. if they are infringing Intellectual Property 4. If they are posting offensive material 5. If they are spamming and will not shut down the spam, you should know who their hosting agent is so you can voice a complaint 20f. Economically, we should know what domain names are available, to purchase when desired 20g. We absolutely must be able to find those who abuse our Intellectual Property rights 20h. People should be given the right to opt in for any unsolicited advertising, so that the person remains reachable. If you jam their mailbox with spam, you can not expect the individual to constantly monitor their e-mail box for important e-mail such as a legal notice, request to stop any particular activity, or an offer to purchase their domain name.

Submission #: 2956

(commercial)

20a. It is a public record, and no presumption of privacy applies to public records. 20b. Correct identification of ownership interests is essential. 20c. Correct identification of ownership interests is essential to law enforcement. The only people who would want to hide their interests are those whose motives are suspect. 20d. Accurate identification of ownership is essential to protecting minors; for example, the persons offering remaxsw.com and austin-remax.com for sale have also associated porn sites with URLs formerly hosted by church groups and homeschooling organizations, exposing innocent children to inappropriate adult materials. 20e. Traceability of the source. 20f. Trademark protection. 20g. Like with trademark protection, you should be able to accurately locate responsible parties if legal action is required. 20h. Like all other ownership matters, this is public information, and the public has a right to open access to it.

Submission #: 2958	(commercial)
Ideally Information should be available, and agreements made as to the use of the information. abusers of the information should be held accountable, and the owner of the information should have legal recourse against the abuser of the information, but not the provider of the information.

Submission #: 2963

(isp)

(20e) we established whois for technical and operational reasons, and there are no other reasons for its existance. (20a) since the purpose of the whois database is communication between publically announced participants, there are no personal privacy interests. (20f) while various commercial interests would like to "mine" it, the data should be protected via opt-in agreements, and (20b) participants should be notified about each and every bulk commercial transfer of their information. (20c+g) law enforcement and intellectual property enforcement are matters for elected legislatures to establish. (20d) since minors are by definition incapable of executing contracts, there are no minors to protect. (20h) accuracy and timely responses of contacts should be required for continued use of the operational services, and domain and address announcements should be automatically removed for non-compliance.

Submission #: 2983

(commercial)

a. Notification to registrants of uses which will be made of data (including public access through Whois).b. Accurate publicly accessible Whois so consumers can protect themselves and seek redress. c. Enforcement of consumer protection, intellectual property and other laws will be facilitated by continued unrestricted public access to Whois. d. Parents can use publicly accessible Whois to find out who is responsible for web sites their children visit, or to identify source of unwanted solicitation. e. Network stability through accessible Whois with accurate data. f. Public realtime access to Whois should not be a competitive issue. All registrars/registries should accept similar or identical obligations. g. Assists in identification of parties who are infringing IP rights online. h. Unrestricted free public access to realtime Whois data promotes electronic commerce.

Submission #: 2990

(commercial)

As to question 20: Participation in the Internet is a privilege. One choosing to operate a website must surrender some privacy for the greater good of protecting society from the misbehavior of some website operators. Operation of a website should be contingent on the operator's observance of some minimum standard of behavior, including disclosure of identity and maintenance of current contact information. However, website operators, having disclosed their identities and contact information, should be protected from marketeers attempting to misuse this information.

Submission #: 308

(commercial)

20a. A domain name should be considered to be analogous to a corporate entity. To this extent personal privacy is not a consideration with respect to the Whois database. The owners of domain names need to be accountable for what emanates from their domain, just as a company is accountable for its products. This accountability is best achieved if information about the owner is readily available; imagine not being able to get in touch with Ford if you started experiencing tyre problems on your SUV. 20f. An accurate single global Whois database would vastly improve demographic analysis of server log files. By being able to see which pages are of most interest to people in particular countries cmpanies may be able to modify marketing and advertising strategies approriately. At present trying to resolove the true origin of visitors to a web site involves analysis of imperfect data in two differing formats from RIPE, ARIN and APNIC.

Submission #: 312

(commercial)

Consumer profiling (not a process of WHOIS, but rather of thosewho acquire the data), wherein one becomes targeted for various kinds of spam because of purchasing habits. (This, of course, is outside of the scope of the WHOIS issue.) The profiling, however, becomes possible because of the mining of data. No one knows how many different CDs of "millions of email addresses" one may be on. The law enforcement access is essential in order to track down those who have interjected viruses onto the net. Protection against exposing pornography to children is essential, but there has been no technical means for doing so that really works. The operational interest lies in allocating IPs geographically. There should be no dabbling by registrars, registries or anyone else in intellectual property rights. The UDRP should be abolished, and leave people to their own lawful recourses. There should be no "economic interest" in WHOIS data, and should only be used for limited investigative purposes, never commercialized at all.

Submission #: 316

(commercial)

a. Accuracy of information & freedom to withhold items not vital for conduct of internet traffic (ie DNS)b. Provision of real-world contact details for online merchants. c. None. LEAs can ask registries, with warrants if necessary. Provision of detailed info on demand (w/o warrant) to LEAs should be made a condition of becoming a registry. d. None. If a minor chooses to register a domain, they have chosen to act like an adult. Personally, I would not permit minors to register on their own behalf, but require an adult as contact. e. Accuracy. It all hinges on this one aspect. f. Ask a lawyer. I consider this irrelevant to the proper conduct of DNS / domain registration & WhoIS g. Irrelevant. Domain names are not trademarks. If some-one is infringing, we have passing off laws. See answer to 20c. h. I am at least 5 different people on the NSI database, most of whom have no valid email address - not through lack of trying to sort things out. It is too difficult to sort things out. Registries need to first allow, then require domain holders to keep info up to date. For example - I have registered domains for a number of different organisations. For each different org, a new Matthew Pemble is created, without giving me the chance to say "no, I am actually MPE84".

Submission #: 318	(isp)
Please understand the whois database is not a marketing tool, or a cure all for tracking down pedophiles or terrorists. It is simply a way to contact domain holders, please treat it as that.

Submission #: 332

(commercial)

While I feel that access to WHOIS data is valuable for both intellectual property rights and criminal investigation, there are legal organizations and provisions that are already established to provide access to such information... for instance, a warrant from the government stating the answer needed and why it is needed. Otherwise, I believe a good portion fo the WHOIS database should be made inaccessable to the general public. Personally I have used the WHOIS database to check the validity of a domain soliciting me- and found it was bogus and a fraud. So it is indeed useful. However, I do not need home phone numbers, etc. Nor do I, as a multiple domain name registrant, approve of my home address and phone number being made publicly available to anyone who does a WHOIS on my domain name. I hope this is an opportunity to restrict sch information from the general public, which establishing the ground rules and proceidures to continue to make such information readily available to those international agencies who need access to it.

Submission #: 335	(non-commercial)
Privacy for individuals is good, but a shield for corporations is harmful to consumers. For example, sites paid for and developed by corporate interests should be easily traced to that company.

Submission #: 337

(individual)

20a. I have an explicit personal privacy concern. I have received marketing emails, faxes, and voice telephone calls as a result of the domains that I have registered. I wanted none of these, and I took whatever actions were available to me to prevent these things, and still they occurred. 20b. Consumer protection is partly enhanced by commercial registration data being available, so commercial registrants must have their data available for legitimate queries with a minimum of difficulty placed in the way of the requester. While this policy would prohibit mass use of registration data of commercial entities, unfortunately abuse would occur unless adequate technical steps are taken to ensure that the search systems are not practicably usable to develop bulk databases. 20c. Law enforcement of course can always acquire a subpoena to get this data, so none of the privacy policies apply directly. Clearly, the registration database is of value to law enforcement actions resulting from claims of fraud perpetrated by registrants. 20d. As minors should not be able to enter in to the business relationship of registration, I do not see that this is any issue. 20e. It is a sad statement that the most common operational use of the registration database is the tracking down of frauds and spam abuses, and it will likely remain this way for years to come. Beyond that, legitimate operational uses of registration data includes tracking back broken equipment and software configurations to keep the Internet running smoothly. 20f. The competitive / economic interest in the registration data is directly at odds with the privacy interest - marketing. I prefer to pay for the real cost of services rather than have that cost subsidized by the loss of my control over my personal information and the loss of my control over who contacts me how and when. 20g. Except for data mining to attempt to construct a broad picture of the activities of a registrant by assembling many references to that registrant in multiple registration records, I do not see significant intellectual property concerns. 20h. The primary purpose of the registration databases is the correct operation of the Internet. Marketing has co-opted that purpose and damaged it. We should return the underpinnings of the Internet to their pure operational status, leaving marketing and secondary uses far away from this critical but private data.

Submission #: 338	(registrar-registry)
First and foremost the Whois is there for technically and investigative reasons. All commercial use of this information should be in an OPT-IN format whenever possible, you don't own that data, and a contract won't make it yours either. Data is specific to individuals so it is inherently proprietary.

Submission #: 342

(individual)

I have 2 comflicting interests. I want to be able to protect my privacy as a domain contact. I've received unwelcome snail mail (and probably spam too) as a consequence of registering. I'm now considering not updating my contact details so I don't get the junk. (Deliberatly corrupting the data.) On the other hand, its a really useful source of information to track down the spamming scum who infest the internet, I'd really like their details to be freely available. No doubt they think like I do when it comes to being a domain contact. I see lots of bad contact details from spammers. I really don't want my details to get me on any marketing list.

Submission #: 353	(commercial)
Over 90% of the SPAM I receive comes because of/via the WHOIS-visible contact/admin email addresses (or else the email info is being sold for such use). This is unacceptable (and is currently combatted by providing inaccurate and/or constantly changed information)!

Submission #: 356	(individual)
In the interest of free speech and open expression, anonymous domain registration services should be available. This is not a very well designed survey. The questions were repetitive and sometimes confusing. I sincerely hope that statistical results will not be reported, as they are highly likely to suffer from the difficulties associated with a self-selecting population.

Submission #: 357	(commercial)
Please note the UDRP is hard to uphold if no identification of the potential respondent is possible or when the process is too costly. Maybe a duty for registrars to provide for the name of the registering user upon first request could solve some privacy concerns. Keep up the gfood (whois) work!

Submission #: 358

(individual)

20a. Do NOT sell Whois data, or list private information.20b. List company purpose, and contact information of domain. 20c. Maintaining personal privacy, releasing on court order only. 20d. Whois is not 9and should not be) a law enforcement agency. 20e. Maintaining accurate Domain/IP address databases. 20f. Should be non-profit interest only. 20g. First-come, first served. Domain and IP registration only. 20h. Non-competitive operation only. Competition can only lead to opportunity of personal greed, and damage the whole system!

Submission #: 364	(isp)
DNS is the most important part of the internet technicallyWHOIS is the most important part of the internet administratively

Submission #: 366

(other Network Security Provider)

For security reasons it is vital that thecontact information for domains be made openly available. However for privacy and safety reasons it is vital that those people whose contact information is listed in the WHOIS database be made aware of the specific details of who is looking up their WHOIS information and when. Before accessing the WHOIS database people should have to register. Whenever someone looks up a WHOIS record that access should be record. Anyone who is listed in the WHOIS database should be able to find out how often their contact info has been viewed and by whom. Go ahead and let people sell portions of the WHOIS database, just let me know EACH AND EVERY TIME my record is shared and who it is shared with.

Submission #: 36	(commercial)
I am most interested in receiving complete information. Having name searches abort after 50 hits is frustrating.

Submission #: 376

(individual)

The Whois database should only displaythe minimum technical details required for operation. This should include contact details for the technical contact. The database should *store* more information about the registrants and administrative contacts, but this information should only be used a) for running the service (billing customers etc) or b) on presentation of suitable legal authority (court warrant, etc) Currently the whois database seems to be primarily a marketting tool. This is wrong - it is a technical instrument for helping run the domain name service.

Submission #: 381	(other law firm)
20g.The Whois database information should be available to anyone similar to the information provided on the trademark database at the U.S.P.T.O. There is a need to contact persons or entities in the event legal issues arise out of use. Most parties like to resolve legal issues independently rather than to institute formal proceedings to obtain basic information.

Submission #: 382	(commercial)
The biggest abuse is still cybersquatting