Privacy Matters

[Aaron Papp <aaron.j.papp@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear ICANN,

        Over the last several years there has been a concerted effort to
undermine the privacy and security of the Internet, both by governments
and commercial entities.  The proposed change in ICANN's guidelines is
another salvo in this war on personal privacy.
        Private companies who seek to remove the protections available for
protecting the personal information of domain name holders, those who
make the internet itself what it is, are not judicial entities.  They do
not, and should not, have the power to unilaterally bypass a countries
justice systems. There are already legitimate means for aggrieved
parties to request information about a domain name holder, such as
through a judicial subpoena, that give domain holders a legal means of
defending themselves from malicious parties who seek their personal
information for the purposes of intimidation, fraud, phishing, and other
threats.
        Domain whois is an open system, easily parsable by malicious third
parties who already use it to aid in attacking websites for profit or
political motive.  Making associated personal information easily
available only makes these attacks easier and more convincing, to the
detriment of legitimate Internet users.

Everyone deserves their privacy, thank you.