[comments-whois] First Amendment Rights

[DannyYounger@cs.com]

As a US citizen that enjoys the right of free speech, I am protected by laws 
that guarantee my right to anonymity.  The Supreme Court has recognized a 
First Amendment right to anonymous speech.  If I choose to distribute 
handbills in the exercise of free speech, I am not required to abide by those 
ordinances that would seek to impose upon me "registration" requirements.  By 
the same token, if I maintain a website that serves as a soapbox for such 
free speech, my anonymity as a publisher is also protected by the First 
Amendment.  You cannot, under current US law, deny me my right to 
constitutionally protected anonymity and force me to abide by your demands 
for "accuracy".  The failure of this Task Force to even consider US or 
European laws on anonymity and privacy is all the more reason to reject these 
ill-considered recommendations.