Please do not take away effective domain privacy services at the behest of copyright extremists
Hi, Your plans to require privacy proxy services to register with ICANN and to require them to hand over personal data at the behest of anyone who can write a convincing looking letter (with no effective redress) are deeply misguided. For some people on the internet, anonymity and privacy is literally a life or death matter. Think, for example of: * dissident bloggers critical of totalitarian regimes, * websites run by and for survivors of domestic abuse, * QLGBT poeple writing about their experiences of oppression, * people of colour speaking out about their victimization by the police, * whistleblowers criticizing multinational corporations Demanding that privacy measures are ineffective and seeking to circumvent the normal legal process (for example by not requiring a court order before releasing information related to domain registrations) could endanger lives as well as being in fundamental conflict with principles of data protection, privacy and anonymous free speech that democratic societies hold to be esential. The right of copyright extremists to demand personal information with menaces does not trump these fundamental democratic rights. And even if it did, it is certainly not ICANNs role to decide who is allowed to exercise their right to privacy or anonymous free speech. That's why democratic societies have courts. The requirement that "domains used for commercial purposes" should be ineligible for privacy registrations is also misguided. What if I am a VPN provider in Asia, used by people in China to access information prohibited by the Chinese state? I might be charging for my services -- that sounds commercial. Your proposal will make me an easy target for the human rights abusing Chinese state. Instead of merely serving the panopticonist interests of the music and film industry, the working group should recommend the continued provision of strong privacy protections -- perhaps stronger than now. Privacy services should require due legal process before releasing private data and those whose data is being requested should be informed and given the right to defend their privacy in court. Privacy proxy services should remain independent, and not regulated, monitored or governed by ICANN -- already something of a monopoly and not suited to making unilateral decisions about internet privacy. ICANN should stick to its intended purpose and stop trying to extend its powers. Cheers, -- Charlie Harvey IT Director New Internationalist t: +44 (0)1865 403249 f: +44 (0)1865 403346 w: http://newint.org/ k: http://ox4.li/gpgkey/ New Internationalist is an independent not-for-profit communications cooperative. Our multi-award winning magazine, New Internationalist, brings to life the people, the ideas and the action in the fight for global justice. New Internationalist Publications Ltd. is incorporated in England under no.1005239. New Internationalist, Old Music Hall, 106-108 Cowley Rd., Oxford, OX4 1JE, UK Attachment:
signature.asc |