Domain Privacy: Difference between revisions

The public [[WHOIS]] database was created in the early 1980s, before [[ARPANET]] had become the internet we know today. It was originally intended to be used as a directory service for resolving technical issues with ARPANET.<ref>David Lindsay, International Domain Name Law: ICANN and the UDRP, Hart Publishing, 2007</ref> While the primary use of WHOIS has shifted to become commercial in nature, the protocols have remained relatively unchanged.<ref>[http://whois.icann.org/en/history-whois WHOIS History]</ref>

When the internet gained popularity, WHOIS became a service used by law enforcement, companies seeking to protect intellectual property and individuals trying to contact registrants with interest in purchasing their domains. While these uses may seem reasonable, the database also attracts data miners, that use the listed information for unethical, or even criminal and illegal purposes.<ref>[http://www.actnowdomains.com/the-privacy-conundrum-in-domain-registration.htm The Privacy Conundrum in Domain Registration]</ref>  

While these uses range between ethical and unethical purposes, they reflect the changed internet landscape that led to a demand for privacy/proxy services. Registering a domain by proxy prevents registrants' information from being easily accessible to the public.

The directory service is today a commercial package offered to the public by domain registering companies as a service. Where a client desires to limit the exposure of their private data to the public, they would be required to purchase privacy. While it is great that there are options to secure personal data, debates going on in internet governance forums are that should it come at a cost and doesn't this impact negatively on the openness of the internet.