At 3:10 PM -0700 6/12/02, Robert L Mathews wrote: >Nobody has to demonstrate a "need" for privacy. Confidentiality of >personal information is a fundamental right and a reasonable default >assumption.
If you don't try to "own" part of a worldwide-shared-namespace maybe. But just as I can walk into the local town clerk's office and get the name, address, phone-number, of the person who pays the land next door me, the "right to be anonymous" in this case is NOT the same as the generic "right to privacy". >It is the law of many countries (you'll note that the .uk >WHOIS does not reveal contact information), and even in the United >States, which has weaker privacy laws, courts have long held that >government must keep the records of individuals private unless there is a >compelling societal interest served by making the information public. "long held"? I'd like to see your documentation on that. Public records were generally quite available to anyone who walked in the clerk's office until probably the last 20 years or so. >Anyone reading this list could come up with legitimate reasons why >someone might not want their home address and phone number published when >they purchase a domain name. If you want to be "secret", then don't own a part of the public namespace. >The burden is not on an individual to >demonstrate why their contact information should not be a matter of >public record. Rather, the burden lies with those who want the >information to be public to demonstrate why it should be. There are plenty of compelling reasons why $RANDOM_PERSON would need access on a random basis for the contact information for $RANDOM_DOMAIN. In times of network abuse, outages, etc. etc., the contact information in WHOIS is invaluable, and the need to access it in real-time is often critical. D -- +---------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | "Thou art the ruins of the noblest man | | Derek J. Balling | That ever lived in the tide of times. | | | Woe to the hand that shed this costly | | | blood" - Julius Caesar Act 3, Scene 1 | +---------------------+-----------------------------------------+
