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WHOIS blackout period likely starting in May

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Re: WHOIS blackout period likely starting in May

#71

Post by connorgreenwell »

jedberg wrote: post #34
kbar13 wrote: post #2

domain registration data is in a weird place for the modern internet. I can see the value of having a real registry when it was first developed, but now it seems like a pretty easy way for people to shoot themselves in the foot with regards to privacy. Also, some registrars charge a premium for WHOIS privacy. It should not cost extra to have your legal name and address to be hidden from the entirety of the internet.

When you buy a house, your name and the purchase price are public information. Any one at any time can look up who owns a house, how much they paid for it, and how much they pay in property tax every year. I get a ton of spam because of this. However, I'd rather have this system than one in which all the owners are secret. I've had to look up owner information before to contact owners of various properties, and havin…

If this is true in Europe, I'm curious what the implications are w.r.t. GDPR.

Re: WHOIS blackout period likely starting in May

#72

Post by tomyws »

7ewis wrote: post #36

Noticed this the other day, my own domain is already blacked out. I used to put fake info there anyway, I don't want my domain linked to my home address, or provide an easy way for spammers to get my email.

And you haven't been called out for Incorrect Whois Information? Complaints seem automatic, even with obscure domains I seem to register

Re: WHOIS blackout period likely starting in May

#73

Post by ryan-c »

clay_the_ripper wrote: post #69

I really wish WHOIS would go away forever. There is absolutely no point to it. If you don’t pay to get your name private, you get SPAMMED to such an incredible degree, it’s absolutely awful. Literally 10+ calls a day, emails voicemails. So you have to buy the “privacy protection” thing, which defeats the whole purpose anyway. All WHOIS does is create an industry of people selling privacy to WHOIS. This whole narrativ…

I've actually found that rotating the email address I have listed in whois quarterly addresses the spam problem pretty well. Phone number goes to my Google Voice account which is set up to send everything directly to voicemail.

Re: WHOIS blackout period likely starting in May

#74

Post by asaph »

BlueGh0st wrote: post #11
mort96 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do any registrars not charge a premium for Whois privacy? I know Hover doesn't have a separate Whois privacy entry price, but the base price at Hover seems to be about the price of a domain + Whois privacy at other registrars.

Google domains offers it for free and as standard.

I wouldn't say free. I would say it's included in the $12/year price of .com registration. I suspect that price is competitive with registrars that have a base price that doesn't include WHOIS privacy and sell privacy as an add-on, though I haven't shopped around in a while. All my domains are registered with Google Domains.

Re: WHOIS blackout period likely starting in May

#75

Post by vollmond »

ratsmack wrote: post #66
woolvalley wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a US or at least California thing. In many countries this is not reality.

It is the same in Washington state, and I suspect most other states also make this information available. I believe it is required because the taxing authority data is considered public information.

PA, checking in. My county has a website where you search the address, and get back the owners, acreage, square footage, assessed value (land and building(s)), and last sale price and date.

Re: WHOIS blackout period likely starting in May

#76

Post by leetcrew »

tyrust wrote: post #54
jedberg wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you buy a house, your name and the purchase price are public information. Any one at any time can look up who owns a house, how much they paid for it, and how much they pay in property tax every year. I get a ton of spam because of this. However, I'd rather have this system than one in which all the owners are secret. I've had to look up owner information before to contact owners of various properties, and havin…

>I think it is a good thing that every domain has valid contact info. Does your "valid" include domain registrars that provide WHOIS protection that includes forwarding messages to the protected owner? And, honest question, why do you think that domains should have contact info?

off the top of my head, valid DMCA takedowns?

Re: WHOIS blackout period likely starting in May

#77

Post by gred »

forapurpose wrote: post #45
robalfonso wrote: post #4

In the short term WHOIS is going to be limited to just the registrant organization, state, country and a masked email address (Admin and Technical fields will be removed save email). This is short term to come into compliance with GDPR. Long term ICANN intends to create a privileged group (other registrars, law enforcement, etc) Who will be able to get to the full whois data. So a sort of tiered system. Expect this t…

> Long term ICANN intends to create a privileged group (other registrars, law enforcement, etc) Who will be able to get to the full whois data. To a substantial degree it's privacy for the powerful and transparency for the weak. It should be the reverse: The powerful and government institutions should be transparent, and citizens should have their privacy.

> The powerful and government institutions should be transparent, and citizens should have their privacy.

Hear, hear! The most frustrating part of the Clinton email fiasco to me was the contrast between the rule bending going on at the highest levels in the name of privacy, and the pervasive monitoring that the rest of us are subjected to.

Re: WHOIS blackout period likely starting in May

#78

Post by x0x »

clay_the_ripper wrote: post #69

I really wish WHOIS would go away forever. There is absolutely no point to it. If you don’t pay to get your name private, you get SPAMMED to such an incredible degree, it’s absolutely awful. Literally 10+ calls a day, emails voicemails. So you have to buy the “privacy protection” thing, which defeats the whole purpose anyway. All WHOIS does is create an industry of people selling privacy to WHOIS. This whole narrativ…

I agree WHOIS is completely useless! Anyone can fake this info anyway and anyone using there real info can be SWATTED (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatting)

Re: WHOIS blackout period likely starting in May

#79

Post by slrz »

clay_the_ripper wrote: post #69

I really wish WHOIS would go away forever. There is absolutely no point to it. If you don’t pay to get your name private, you get SPAMMED to such an incredible degree, it’s absolutely awful. Literally 10+ calls a day, emails voicemails. So you have to buy the “privacy protection” thing, which defeats the whole purpose anyway. All WHOIS does is create an industry of people selling privacy to WHOIS. This whole narrativ…

Choose a registrar that doesn't charge you extra? Your name stays in, of course, but your (electronic and snail) mail addresses and phone number can be replaced by registrar-managed ones where they forward you incoming stuff and (mostly) keep the spam.

It's a pretty common thing with European providers, I think.

Re: WHOIS blackout period likely starting in May

#80

Post by guelo »

clay_the_ripper wrote: post #69

I really wish WHOIS would go away forever. There is absolutely no point to it. If you don’t pay to get your name private, you get SPAMMED to such an incredible degree, it’s absolutely awful. Literally 10+ calls a day, emails voicemails. So you have to buy the “privacy protection” thing, which defeats the whole purpose anyway. All WHOIS does is create an industry of people selling privacy to WHOIS. This whole narrativ…

The reason whois has been preserved is the intellectual property lawyers that want to threaten website owners, so yeah, fuck them.
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