ICANN - Respect Our Privacy

[Skanger Land <skangerland@xxxxxxxxx>]

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.
- 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.

I do not wish to have my home address (with which I have had to register
web addresses) available to everyone and anyone who conducts a WHOIS
search. Given the extent to which innocent internet users have been
harassed and even threatened, making such personal data freely available is
reckless. Gamergate and the threats of home invasion, murder and rape that
are a sorry part of it offer just one example. Similar threats were made
against those who called for women to feature on UK Sterling banknotes, for
instance. The situation in more politically repressive parts of the world
will be even worse.

Private information should be kept private. Thank you.

John O'Neill