Comment in Favor of WHOIS Privacy
I suppose that it is not surprising that websites engaged in questionable activities use WHOIS privacy services more frequently than the rest of us. That being said, I believe that WHOIS privacy is a question of free speech and of privacy. Domain name owners should have the ability to hide their identity from the general public. Domain name owners should have the ability to speak out without their home address and full name being broadcast to anyone who cares. The Internet has become more and more a way for Internet users to assemble and to share ideas and information. For example, the Internet played a role in the Arab Spring; in the campaign against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and in every intellectual debate and political campaign today, the Internet plays a crucial role. There is a legitimate reason activists and others may not wish to share their full name and address with the world. Yes, there is abuse of the system. There are lawbreakers and those engaged in criminal or subversive activities who will use Privacy services as one rung in a series of methods to hide who they really are. But that doesn't mean that the rest of us should be forced to 'show our papers' in order to share our ideas online. If this report is a report on whether websites engaged in fraudulent activities are more likely to use privacy services, I'd like to see a similar report on whether legitimate political activists use privacy services more often than the general public. Sincerely, Mary |