Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!


ICANN is considering public whois for "Commercial activity" domains
New on LowEndTalk? Please Register and read our Community Rules.

All new Registrations are manually reviewed and approved, so a short delay after registration may occur before your account becomes active.

ICANN is considering public whois for "Commercial activity" domains

Namecheap has sent this email recently.

Hello,

Did you know that your privacy rights are currently under threat? ICANN is considering introducing a rule that would impact all netizens. If you care about your online privacy, this is a big deal.

Under new guidelines proposed by MarkMonitor and other organizations who represent the same industries that backed SOPA, domain holders with sites associated to "commercial activity" will no longer be able to protect their private information with WHOIS protection services. "Commercial activity" casts a wide net, which means a vast number of domain holders will be affected. Your privacy provider could be forced to publish your contact data in WHOIS or give it out to anyone who complains about your website, without due process. Why should a small business owner have to publicize her home address just to have a website?

We think your privacy should be protected, regardless of whether your website is personal or commercial, and your confidential info should not be revealed without due process. If you agree, please contact ICANN right away and demand your right to privacy and due process. Let them know you object to any release of info without a court order. There's no time to waste -- the close date for comments is July 7, 2015.

Visit our new site RespectOurPrivacy.com and we'll guide you through the process of calling or emailing ICANN. Thanks!
«13

Comments

  • ClouviderClouvider Member, Patron Provider

    I actually think that's a good idea to get rid of summer hosts and similar type of 'black' business. If you do business, you shouldn't worry about hiding your address.

  • AnthonySmithAnthonySmith Member, Patron Provider

    alexvolk said: domain holders with sites associated to "commercial activity" will no longer be able to protect their private information with WHOIS protection services.

    That seems fair to me.

    alexvolk said: We think your privacy should be protected, regardless of whether your website is personal or commercial

    That seems unreasonable to me, personal... yes, commercial ... if you don't want to be known don't trade online, you expect others to give you financial information to do trade with you so what makes you as a commercial entity special?

    That's my take on it for the 99% of cases anyway, I am sure there will be exceptions that make me think "I understand why they want privacy" but they will be just that//// exceptions.

    Hardly a SOPA scale issue, more like namecheap etc being worried about whois privacy revenue.

  • I agree that it'd raise the barrier to entry for those with something to hide...

    Though their idea of commercial would also likely include affiliate sites where you're not necessarily taking in any details from anyone.

    Good luck to them trying to prove you're using a "WHOIS protection service". It rules the registrars out of the game though.

  • Clouvider said: I actually think that's a good idea to get rid of summer hosts and similar type of 'black' business. If you do business, you shouldn't worry about hiding your address.

    Highly agreed.

    Thanked by 1Clouvider
  • DroidzoneDroidzone Member
    edited June 2015

    It's a welcome relief. There's no good reason that a web business owner should want to protect his privacy. Providing details makes him more accountable legally. Why should he be facilitated in escaping with customers' money, in case of sleazy establishments?

    What I think feasible is that all .COM and newer commercial domains shouldn't be allowed private whois, while purely personal domain extensions may be allowed them.

    .in registry doesn't even have an option of privacy protection.

  • LeeLee Veteran

    sdglhm said: Highly agreed.

    Not really, they will use fake details. So many on WHT for example have a real name but fake address, some here have a completely fake profile.

    Thanked by 1netomx
  • @Lee said:
    Not really, they will use fake details. So many on WHT for example have a real name but fake address, some here have a completely fake profile.

    And they have the risk of the domain getting taken from them, if complainants can prove the fact of deliberate misrepresentation.

  • LeeLee Veteran

    Droidzone said: And they have the risk of the domain getting taken from them, if complainants can prove the fact of deliberate misrepresentation.

    I highly doubt when they go to the trouble of using fake details that they worry about that.

  • @Lee said:
    I highly doubt when they go to the trouble of using fake details that they worry about that.

    If they're commercial, they would.

  • mike1smike1s Member

    People can still use either PO boxes, or mailbox rental places...

    Thanked by 1netomx
  • LeeLee Veteran
    edited June 2015

    @Droidzone said:
    If they're commercial, they would.

    Faking WHOIS is the easiest thing ever to do, it's been getting done for years and the ability to do it is not going to change.

    All we are talking about here is not allowing Private WHOIS protection for those that use it.

  • shafireshafire Member
    edited June 2015

    Privacy Policy: This is the Internet, you have no privacy.

  • lifehomelifehome Member
    edited June 2015

    My solution: Name + PO Box + Prepaid Card + catch-all spam-(mostlikely)filtered mailbox
    Done, and nothing to worry about.

    Thanked by 2daxterfellowes Shade
  • Well, Namecheap is being worried about getting $$ for Whois protection.

  • DewlanceVPSDewlanceVPS Member, Patron Provider

    Threat for Namecheap privacy service. lol



    ICANN domain email verification system sucks..

  • So things like forums won't be affected will they? even if they allow paid subscriptions?

  • TheKiller said: Well, Namecheap is being worried about getting $$ for Whois protection.

    Thats right :D

  • Shoaib_AShoaib_A Member
    edited June 2015

    @TheKiller said:
    Well, Namecheap is being worried about getting $$ for Whois protection.

    It is not just NameCheap but many registrars charge for WHOIS privacy like GoDaddy, eNom, Name.com etc so all of them would appose it.

  • @Lee said:

    Yep. DC address, for example. Or a forwarding address.

    If people want to hide, they'll find a way to hide. I really doubt this would change anything.

    Thanked by 1Maximum_VPS
  • jhjh Member

    Suddenly everyone will be based at 152-160 City Road, London

  • jbilohjbiloh Administrator, Veteran

    I tend to think that the suggested changes for commercial entities is good. Folks like name cheap are trying to protect the revenue stream they get from the private registration services.

    Thanked by 1Maximum_VPS
  • coolicecoolice Member
    edited June 2015

    Wasn't namecheap privacy free (i do not use them) Godaddy is charging ~$8

  • @coolice said:
    Wasn't namecheap privacy free (i do not use them) Godaddy is charging ~$8

    They provide it free with domain registration & transfers for the first year only, you have to pay for it from 2nd year onward. I think they charge 2.88$ per year for it.

  • rm_rm_ IPv6 Advocate, Veteran
    edited June 2015

    alexvolk said: sites associated to "commercial activity" will no longer be able to protect their private information with WHOIS protection services. "Commercial activity" casts a wide net, which means a vast number of domain holders will be affected.

    That's exactly the problem here, who determines what is "commercial"? This will get misused and applied arbitrarily. Collect donations on your personal website, bam, you're doing a "commercial activity". Put a list of old stuff from your garage that you're looking to sell, well that's for sure commercial. Offer to work as a babysitter in your small town from the same site, sure now everybody in the world absolutely needs to know everything about you.

    Move to ccTLDs without such bullshit policies and with built-in privacy protection. .ru comes to mind (also very cheap). I suppose ICANN despite being the "global boss" can only extend this only to gTLDs and maybe to these new funny TLDs, but not ccTLDs.

    Thanked by 2J1021 Wintereise
  • TrafficTraffic Member
    edited June 2015

    @jhadley said:
    Suddenly everyone will be based at 152-160 City Road, London

    The weather is awesome there. You should also move!

  • @jhadley said:
    Suddenly everyone will be based at 152-160 City Road, London

    why not - that's the business - no store, but a store-domain - that's it! or must i use the libya connection for business?

  • Whats going to stop all of the summer hosts using fake names and addresses?

  • @W3HostingServices said:
    Whats going to stop all of the summer hosts using fake names and addresses?

    They can't!!! It's against the rules!!!

  • @Traffic said:
    They can't!!! It's against the rules!!!

    I'm sure that will stop them lol

    Thanked by 2Traffic Makenai
  • If it were to be put in place... think of it as removing the noise rather than being about hard-to-enforce/not-necessary/whatnot rules and people who think/know they can get round them.

Sign In or Register to comment.