Domain Transparency

[stephen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

You write, "The findings from the study provide empirical data needed by 
the ICANN community to assess community concerns about misused Whois 
contact information, identify the most common forms of misuse, and 
highlight the effectiveness of anti-harvesting measures in reducing 
misuse."

Small problems. However, we the world public would be MOST concerned if the 
contact information for gTLD domain names were made in any way difficult to 
ascertain. This is a basic public right for many reasons, including website 
defamation etc etc. Thus, the whois contact information must be readily 
available. Sure, provide some misuse protection, but who doesn't receive 
lots of spam? So what? Sure, maybe secrecy would make domains easier to 
market, but who does that advantage, to the disadvantage of 99% of 
humankind.

The internet, without ultimately a responsible contact, would indeed soon 
become a horrific and vile place.

A *transparency* of administration should be the default position for 
contact information of all gTLD domain names. Every form of responsible 
'government' (even and especially for the digital environment) should aim 
for absolute transparency as being the highest form of all good governance. 

Anything less is reprehensible and unacceptable.

Regards,
Stephen
Australia



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