Re: [ga] OECD vs ICANN, re: WHOIS accuracy

[Jeff Williams <jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com>]

Kent and all assembly members,

Kent Crispin wrote:

> On Sat, Jul 06, 2002 at 03:59:34PM -0700, Karl Auerbach wrote:
> > On the other hand, the accuracy of the "whois" for IP address allocations
> > is important when tracking down problems and attacks.
>
> In practice one uses both kinds of whois data, as well as whatever other
> information one can find (email headers, addresses and phone numbers in
> web pages, etc), in tracking down problems.  Whois for DNS is frequently
> much more specific than whois info for ip address allocations, and can
> be quite useful.  It is also frequently less useful than it could be, of
> course.
>
> > All the brouhaha about "whois" is focused on the former kind of whois and
> > not on the latter.
> >
> > If you are concerned about tracking down spammers and those who run
> > accused services, such as web sites accused of engaging in bad behaviour,
> > you are much more likely to reach a responsible person via the IP address
> > whois data than the DNS data.
>
> This is circular reasoning.  The main reason for lack of effectiveness of
> DNS whois in finding problems is *precisely* that DNS whois is not
> maintained very well, and is very easy to fake.  This is exactly the
> question at issue.  *If* DNS whois were accurate, then it would be a
> highly effective way to reach the problem source.

  This is of course a nice blanket statement.  However it lacks
specific substance.  Hence the question remains in this context:
How can WHOIS become and effective way to reach the
problem source without violating the privacy of the registrant?

  Other questions of a more indirect context are:
Should WHOIS be a tool to be used as a method
of harassing or otherwise interrupting the time of
Registrants by the IP legal community?

  Should protections in the data fields in a WHOIS
Record for a specific Domain Name be opt-in
and/or Opt-out at the time of registration by the Registrant
much as it is for Credit and Credit card information
regarding the Card holder/user?  Would not such
a protection be in keeping with the DOC/NTIA's
policy of "Do no harm"?

  Is not admin. E-Mail address, Admin Mailing address
phone and fax (If applicable), phone numbers adequate information
or accurate to which effective to reach a problem source?

>
>
> Kent
> --
>

Regards,
--
Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman for INEGroup - (Over 124k members/stakeholders strong!)
CEO/DIR. Internet Network Eng/SR. Java/CORBA Development Eng.
Information Network Eng. Group. INEG. INC.
E-Mail jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com
Contact Number:  972-244-3801 or 214-244-4827
Address: 5 East Kirkwood Blvd. Grapevine Texas 75208


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