ICANN Proposes Policy Changes To Remove Privacy Protection Around Domain Name Owner Info

Details that currently can be listed as private - like an owner's name and address - could be made public under the new policy.

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The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reports ICANN is currently considering a domain name policy change that would make domain owner information for commercial sites public record.

Right now, domain owners can choose not to have their contact information publicly listed in the domain registration database WHOIS – instead, replacing details with proxy information to protect their privacy.

Under the proposed changes, a domain owner’s information would no longer be kept private for commercial sites – the big question being, how ICANN will determine whether or not a site is deemed commercial.

“Sites that run ads have been judged as commercial in domain name disputes,” says EFF. If ICANN chooses a similar definition to determine whether or not a site is a commercial website, many domain owners may lose their privacy rights.

The EFF says the proposed policy change is being fueled by the entertainment industry, citing U.S. entertainment companies lobbied against domain registration privacy in Congress earlier this year.

Right now, companies must seek a court order to obtain domain registration information when trying to track down website owners accused of copyright and trademark infringement. Under the proposed policy changes, entertainment companies could avoid the need for a court order if all domain information is publicly listed.

[blockquote cite = “Electronic Frontier Foundation”]The limited value of this change is manifestly outweighed by the risks to website owners who will suffer a higher risk of harassment, intimidation and identity theft. The ability to speak anonymously protects people with unpopular or marginalized opinions, allowing them to speak and be heard without fear of harm. It also protects whistleblowers who expose crime, waste, and corruption. That’s why EFF opposes the new proposal to roll back anonymity.[/blockquote]

The EFF says ICANN has already received thousands of comments regarding the proposed domain name policy changes, and that comments are being accepted by ICANN through July 7th at: [email protected].

The EFF also named the following two sites established to protect domain name owner rights: savedomainprivacy.org and respectourprivacy.com.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


About the author

Amy Gesenhues
Contributor
Amy Gesenhues was a senior editor for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for Marketing Land, Search Engine Land and MarTech Today. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.

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