[At-Large] FW: Withdraw the gun database

[Evan Leibovitch]

On 21 January 2013 17:03, Karl Auerbach <karl at cavebear.com> wrote:

> On 01/21/2013 11:31 AM, Evan Leibovitch wrote:
>
> > If your intent is to limit access to WHOIS to the investigation of
> > trade-name abuse, I can't go along with that narrow a definition.
>
> Yes, that is within the intent ... but read on.
>

Nope. Not enough. I guess I'm with John on this.

You're being FAR FAR too narrow, and the identification measures you want
are not just for trademark holders,

As a consumer, I demand a contact point of a website name (the IP# alone is
insufficient, especially v4) that sold me bad goods, yet has no "contact
us"page on their website. I am as entitled to the contact information as a
trademark holder. Without a brick-and-mortar location of the commerce site,
WHOIS (or its replacement) is the only way I'm going to have to track down
whoever sold me those bad goods.

If this is just to be a tool for IP lawyers, with the rest of us "curious"
peons tossed access to nothing more than deliberately obfuscated data, then
I'm not onboard and this is a waste. Trademarks are amongst the least
useful reasons for WHOIS accuracy.

I don't have a problem with demanding that people who request WHOIS data to
have their identities as public as those of the data they're requesting.
But you've carried that to an unacceptable extreme,

(I might note in passing that WHOIS data has already escaped its
> proper use.  I run several websites on behalf of non-profit
> historical preservation groups.  And the WHOIS information has apparently
> been merged into AT&T's directory assistance to the degree that if one
> is looking for the railroad station in San Jose, California [10
> largest city in the US] they get my home phone number - I received one of
> those calls at 5:30am today.)
>

That problem would not have been solved one shred by demanding that AT&T
prove that it was AT&T. And it sounds like your railroad problem is one of
accuracy and stupidity, not acceptable use. IMO.

- Evan