Re: RBL quandry - opinions hereby solicited

[Mike Reno <mreno () earthlink net>]

Rodney,

ISPs are businesses and have a right to protect their customer database.  I
don't think JC Penneys would want Sears to be able to grab their customer
base and slam them with enticements to switch their alliance.

While the sharks are swimming in these waters the ideal world you and I
would like to see just simply won't exist.  We must choose to either do
whatever is necessary to protect our investment or take our chances.  As
most hosting providers leave the Organization information alone, anyone
with a VALID reason to contact the owner of the domain could use snail mail
or ask the information operator for the phone number.  If the owner of the
domain has his/her number unlisted .... guess they want to be left alone.

NSI does use snail mail to send out invoices.  It's not as if these
precautionary steps being taken are resulting in any serious problems that
will bring the world to an untimely demise.  If the domain owner wants to
move his domain, he can FAX an authorization to NSI on the Organization's
letterhead.  That is a very common practice as domain owners are not in the
habit of updating their contact records which results in a failure to
approve modifications based on 'Mail From'.  

Business is business.

-=Mike Reno=-
Hostmaster, EarthLink Network


> No. I think this is an extremely *bad* idea. I don't argue that the
> issue of spam needs to be dealt with. But the registration of data like
> email addresses and phone numbers is critical from an operational point
> of view. These are needed when conatct has to be made because of an
> operational failure. The purpose of whois data has become corrupt and
> corrupted over the last couple of years, but we can't lose sight of it. 
>
> If you can solve the problem of accurate contact data for operational
> failures, fine. Until then, the data has to be accurate, and useful. Not
> bogus.
>
> /rlj
>
> CenterGate Research  LLC