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NSI sells registrant info. Again.

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the fun-with-our-profiles dept.

Well, it appears that a number of you noticied NSI's latest escapade. Yes, this time our friends have decided to create company profiles of all registrants - including addresses, ownership, number of employees, years in business, annual sales, and phone and facsimile numbers. Mmm...I thought spam was bad enough. Who the heck is the . in .com? Um-a bunch of you needed to be told this was a joke (the last sentence). Sarcasm, folks.

3 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. ownership of domain and whois databases by Eric+Smith · · Score: 3
    When I signed up for my domain in December of 1995, I don't recall that the domain agreement gave the Internic (or NSI) ownership of my data. The information I provided was for the sole purpose of allowing the Internic to effectively maintain the domain name system under contract to the NSF.

    Now they claim that they own the data, and that the database is proprietary such that they can do with it as they will. I think this is a load of crap, and am tempted to have a lawyer draft a cease and desist order demanding that NSI refrain from claiming that the data I've provided to them regarding my domain is proprietary to them, selling that data to a third party, or using the data in any other way not explicity authorized by their contract with the NSF.

  2. This isn't from the registration database... by MikeM · · Score: 3

    The information in the database mentioned in the article is not from the registration database. Read the first paragraph again, NSI isn't licensing the database _to_ infoUSA, its licensing the data _from_ infoUSA. infoUSA is an aggregator of data about companies. They get it from public sources like the yellow pages, SEC filings and by calling the company directly.

    NSI is _not_ selling the data to infoUSA and its not getting the data from registrants. Its using already public information the same way that 411 and the other yellow pages services do.

    The service is no different from the services that infoUSA already sells their info to: Yahoo, MSN, AOL, etc.

    --
    (Yes I work for NSI. No I don't pretend to speak for them since they don't pretend to speak for me.)
  3. Okay, enough reading... by Androgynous+Coward · · Score: 3
    Here's my letter via their feedback form and it is being sent to my Representatives in New York State which I retrieved from Yahoo's Gov't Directory . Stop this BS now...it's unacceptable that they are delaying the ability to "Opt Out".

    I'm writing in regards to an article I've just read on news.com concerning your intention of selling business info from the InterNic database (http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,0-35228,00.html ?st.ne.fd.mdh).

    I do not recall ever seeing any mention of this ability of yours to do this with the information I have supplied to you over the past few years. As it stands now, I am offically requesting for you to "Opt Out" my information from this planned availability as soon as possible.

    In instances when I have found this practice occuring with other companies I've dealt with they've assured me that they would remove me from the databases of solicitaion lists they were using. I supplied my infomation to you with payment to obtain a service that I had no option but to use; meaning, I wasn't *giving* you my info for a free t-shirt or for the ability to win a prize. If I choose to do that I am aware of what the information is used for.

    I am cc'ing a copy of this letter to my Representatives in Congress (you don't have to look it up...it's NY State) and hope that you reconsider not offering the ability to get removed from this proposed "service".

    Just another A.C.