Re: FYI - Suspension of Cogent access to ARIN Whois

[Owen DeLong <owen () delong com>]

ARIN can’t do much about that… Have you contacted RIPE and/or APNIC and asked them to take appropriate action?

Owen


> On Jan 6, 2020, at 07:58 , David Guo via NANOG <nanog () nanog org> wrote:
>
> Good News! But we still received several spams from Cogent for our RIPE and APNIC ASNs.
>  
> From: NANOG <nanog-bounces () nanog org> On Behalf Of John Curran
> Sent: Monday, January 6, 2020 11:43 PM
> To: nanog () nanog org
> Subject: FYI - Suspension of Cogent access to ARIN Whois 
> Importance: High
>  
> On 22 Sep 2019, at 8:52 AM, Tim Burke <tb () tburke us <mailto:tb () tburke us>> wrote:
>  
> That is just The Cogent Way™, unfortunately. I just had (yet another) Cogent rep spam me using an email address that 
> is _only_ used as an ARIN contact, trying to sell me bandwidth. When I called him out on it, with compliance () arin 
> net <mailto:compliance () arin net> CCed, he backpedaled and claimed to obtain my information from Google.  
>  
> ARIN has repeatedly informed Cogent that their use of the ARIN Whois for solicitation is contrary to the terms of use 
> and that they must stop.  Despite ARIN’s multiple written demands to Cogent to cease these prohibited activities, 
> ARIN has continued to receive complaints from registrants that Cogent continues to engage in these prohibited 
> solicitation activities.  
>  
> For this reason, ARIN has suspended Cogent Communications’ use of ARIN’s Whois database effective today and 
> continuing for a period of six months.  For additional details please refer 
> tohttps://www.arin.net/vault/about_us/corp_docs/20200106_whois_tos_violation.pdf 
> <https://www.arin.net/vault/about_us/corp_docs/20200106_whois_tos_violation.pdf>    ARIN will restore Cogent’s access 
> to the Whois database at an earlier time if Cogent meets certain conditions, including instructing its sales 
> personnel not to engage in the prohibited solicitation activities. 
>  
> Given the otherwise general availability of ARIN Whois, it is quite possible that Cogent personnel may evade the 
> suspension via various means and continue their solicitation.  If that does occur, please inform us (via compliance 
> () arin net <mailto:compliance () arin net>), as ARIN is prepared to extend the suspension and/or bring appropriate 
> legal action.
>  
> FYI,
> /John
>  
> John Curran
> President and CEO
> American Registry for Internet Numbers