I have to try ...

["L.D. Best" <l.d.best@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm all for rights, including the right to privacy.  But in certain 
venues it should be understood that privacy does not come with the package.

I own a half-dozen domain names, and manage (pay for) one of my son's, 
and I know the info is there for everyone to see.  This is as it should 
be!

In fact, my main complaint about whois-type domain info is that the 
agencies registering the domains do not verify the data given by the 
purchaser!  So what if it costs time and money ... any legit purchaser 
of a domain name should be more than willing to pay a $5 fee for 
verification upon original purchase, or upon any change in contact/owner 
data.  With enough $5 payments, software could be developed or someone 
could be paid to actually call telephone numbers or send out snail mail.

I cannot think of any legit reason for people to need privacy for their 
domain data.  And I don't want to hear any muttering about "what about 
kids?"  Any person/entity purchasing domain registration should be 
required to prove the right to negotiate contracts -- for a sale *is* a 
contract -- and anyone who purchases domain registration (including 
parents who would somehow want to give a kid a domain to play with) 
should be made clearly aware that ALL data given in the application will 
be public, and that owner/contact information will be verified before 
the registration becomes final.

The use of proxies is totally unacceptable.  The use of coded or hidden 
data is totally unacceptable.  This approach would protect only the 
guilty, hide only what should be in plain sight, and make tracing domain 
owner -- because they are linked to bad stuff OR because someone wants 
to contact them about the site (face it ... webmaster@ is a joke in most 
cases), or because someone wishes to make a legitimate offer for the 
name, or many other legit uses -- impossible.

Freedom comes at a price.  Anyone who wishes to participate as a domain 
holder on the internet should be made aware of, and realize, that the 
freedom to use a false name (that's what domain names are) comes with 
the price of losing a degree of privacy.  Period.

For those who worry about spam to registration contact addresses, I have 
some simple advice:  Get the software to stop spam in its tracks, take 
the time and effort to protect yourself.  Anyone who doesn't have the 
security sense to do that might well lack the common sense to run a 
domain in the first place.

/s/ l.d.
L.D. Best
Domain registration holder since 2000