Keep WHOIS data private - Martin English

[Martin English <martin.english@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear ICANN –

Regarding the proposed rules governing companies that provide WHOIS privacy
services (as set forth in the Privacy and Policy Services Accreditation
Issues
Policy document):

I urge you to respect internet users' rights to privacy and due process.
- Everyone deserves the right to privacy.
- Personal information, once released, cannot be easily retracted. No one’s
personal information should be revealed without a court order, regardless
of whether the request comes from a private individual or law enforcement
agency.
- The availability of residential and other personal information will
result in a further increase in online harassment, be it personal
vendettas, organised vendettas (such as "gamergate") or politically
motivated vendettas.
- Irregardless of the above, requiring weak, insufficient standards for
disclosure of personal information will easily lead to users being harmed,
and may potentially cause life-changing, irreversible damage to them.

In short, this policy would make it impossible for any one who has every
been stalked (a large percentage of my female friends) to have a business
with an online presence.

Private information should be kept private. Thank you.

Martin English

http://www.basissap.com/about