The Danger of No Privacy

Although I’m somewhat late to this party, it’s never late to raise your voice when privacy is being trampled upon in the daze of an absurd hunt for omnipresent enemies. I was shocked to learn that private .us domain name registrations will be eliminated. To get the skinny on this read Federal Agency Exposes You and Your Family to Predators.

A recent and arbitrary decision by a federal agency eliminated private domain name registrations for the .US domain name. This means current holders of .US private domain registrations will face either making their personal information public for everyone to see (including the many thousands of predators who stalk the WHOIS directory daily searching for easy prey), or giving up their .US domain name. It also means that new purchasers of .US domain name registrations will not be able to purchase private registrations.

Allow me to explain my position. I find it preposterous that anyone, anywhere in the world can go to a WHOIS service and look up your name, address, email and phone number! This is why I use Domains by Proxy—an excellent service—to shield what is rightfully my PRIVATE information. The internet is wild wild west, and exposing my family to wackos is out of question. Taking this away is a crime in itself.

I haven’t been able to find an explanation to this sneaky legislation move, but it’s a typical sign of times. This is a slap in the face. Bummer. Bummer. Bummer.

If you own a .us domain, you’re going to have to make a choice by January 26, 2006. In other words, you will have to decide between having your personal information made public, or canceling your domain(s) (via Bob Parsons).