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ICANN Cracks Down on Invalid WHOIS Data
DotNM writes "Internet News reports that ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is beginning a crackdown on invalid data in the WHOIS database. In ICANN's annual report, they found that nearly 5000 of the 24148 complaints were due to inaccurate WHOIS information. Some of the domain names in question had the address information of known spammers in the database. Registrars, the companies you register your domains with, are under contractual obligations to ensure this information is correct and accurate. Do you believe this is a step in the right direction? Why?"
On the people abusing the WHOIS data for spamming. If I didn't get so much damn spam (not just email, but regular mail!), I wouldn't be so included to falsify my data just enough to avoid it. If they call me on it, whoops, typo! Sorry!
Spammers are a problem, but this is a terrible way to deal with it.
What if I want to be able to host a website realtively anonymously, so that people don't know that I am running the website?
For example, what if I were gay, and wanted to host a website about gays, but I didn't want my employers to be able to do a search and find out that I am gay so they can discriminate against me?
Also, spammers and other marketers harvest the info from the registration datatbase. Back when the Internet was all educational facilitities, requiring people to register who they are made sense. Now it does not.
Hopefully this policy will not affect services that act as proxies to register names under their name rather than the name of te acual server owner.
I have registered a total of 4 domains, after using valid information on the first one I refuse to make the same mistake again. My first domain expired in 2001 and I still get credit card offers from it. Like it or not, it is still a public database containing personal information. I can't really blame people for using incorrect information.
Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
How many personal domains are out there? And how many freaks are there online who'd wet themselves over the chance to stalk people whose website the dislike or whose website turns them on or whatever the hell it is that they get off on?
My websites all point to my former address. I moved because some freak was harassing me and I was worried he was going to show up on my doorstep some day. I didn't update the listing and won't for at least another year, unless I get a PO box, and I'm sure as hell not going to spend the money on that when I'm getting zero benefit on it.
My registrar has my real contact info. That's all that matters. If someone has a complaint about one of my sites that can't be resolved by emailing me, they can write to my hosting provider or my registrar.