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?"

Comments

First, ICANN should crack down

[Anonymous Coward]

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!

Ironic

[shirai]

I remember I got this email from NetworkSolutions promising to hide your contact information so I looked it up in my email archive. It costs an extra 5 bucks and promises to protect you from spammers and telemarketers.

Something about this is ironic.

Someone needs to speak to NetSol about the ICANN report. :)

-----
Protect Your Privacy
from Spammers and Telemarketers

When you register a domain name, your address, e-mail, and phone number are published in the public WHOIS database. ICANN requires this personal information to be available for anybody to view on the web. With
Private Registration you can deter spammers, telemarketers, identity thieves, harassers, stalkers and others who access this database.

Private Registration provides you with alternate contact information for your domain name registrations. The contact information you want to keep private is kept out of the public WHOIS database.

For a limited time you can add Private Registration to each of your existing domain name registrations for the introductory price of just $5 a year. Terms and conditions are included in our Service Agreement.

To add Private Registration
1) Log into your Network Solutions Account
2) From the Account Details page, click on one of your domain names
3) In Domain Details, click "Make this a private registration"
4) Check the domain name registration(s) you want to make private and
click continue

Introductory Offer Only $5 a year

This policy sucks.

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Proxy Registration Services

[Jonathan Quince]

For those who fear stalkers, etc., there are services like Domains by Proxy (related to the registrar Go Daddy). These services will register the domain on your behalf; they require valid contact info from you, and they put their own contact info in the WHOIS database. This is technically in line with the ICANN rules because the proxy registrant is the real registrant of the domain. (Although they have a contractual obligation of doing it on your behalf.)

If you break the terms of service -- for example, if you use the domain for spam support or to commit illegal activities -- the proxy registrant will expose your real identity. Otherwise, your privacy is pretty well protected with these services.

I've used those types of services (including Domains by Proxy) to register domains on behalf of minor children who shouldn't have their contact info exposed online, and for other purposes requiring some level of privacy. For my own domains, I'm not afraid to use my valid PO box address and phone number.

(Note: I am not affiliated with these services in any way, except as a customer.)

Re:It's a rule, play by it.

[JPriest]

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.

Forget the spammers... it's the stalkers!

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Re:It's a rule, play by it.

[Anonymous Coward]

postmaster@ is required (RFC822 6.3, C.6), webmaster@ is just a convention, for now.

RFC 2142, "Mailbox Names for Common Services, Roles and Functions" is a proposed standard and includes 'webmaster@', 'abuse@', 'noc@', etc.