Why should USG or its quango ICANN demand a Briton's private details?

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here in the United Kingdom, with .uk domains, we can choose to withhold our 
contact details from public disclosure if we wish. If we use our registered 
domain names abusively, Nominet (the Registry) has our contact details and 
appropriate legal measures can be taken to obtain these details if necessary. 

There is no reason why any personal contact details should be obligatory for 
the WHOIS. Providing the Registry or Registrar hold these details securely, and 
the details can therefore be obtained if legally justified, it should be 
entirely up to the registrant to decide how much or how little of their private 
details actually goes public.

What compelling reason can anyone at ICANN offer for insisting that a 
registrant's home address, phone number etc should be made available to the 
rest of the world?

Here in the UK we can CHOOSE if we want our phone numbers and address listed in 
the public directory. (The phone company itself still has our details.)

Why shouldn't the same apply if we Brits want to register a domain name?

Why should the US Government or its quango ICANN have *ANY* say over that?

Yrs,

Richard Henderson