Milton Mueller on domain registration as privacy blow [priv]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 23:50:11 -0400
From: "Milton Mueller" <mueller () syr edu>
To: <declan () well com>


OK, so the IPR/copyright interests aren't quite grabbing
for licensing of all Internet use. Yet. But if you register a digital
identifier (i.e., a domain name), they are trying as hard as
they can to make the doman name registration into a
record that they can access at will and require, by force
of withdrawing the name, to contain up to date an accurate
information about who you are, where you live, and how
you can be contacted by phone or email.

You see, your website might contain copyrighted information,
or your domain name might resemble a trademark. So that,
they believe, gives them a right to require all registrars to
give them (or third party service providers, like Thomson and
Thomson) bulk access to domain name zone files.

Not even the drivers' licensing regime requires you to make
your identity public to anyone who cares to rummage through
the records searching for some form of misconduct online.
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