March 31, 2005 ? (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Bob Parsons, president and founder of Web hosting provider and domain registrar Go Daddy (godaddy.com), said in his blog and a recent letter to its customers that a decision by the National Telecommunications and Information Association preventing registrants of .US domains from keeping their contact information private is unconstitutional.
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A February decision by the US Department of Commerce requires new registrants of .US domains to submit their phone numbers and addresses for listing in publicly searchable databases. Current holders of .US domains are required to turn over their information no later than January 26, 2006, or face loss of their registered domains.
The unilateral decision effectively prevents third party registrars such as Go Daddy from protecting their customer?s information though private registration features. Consumer groups and free speech advocates oppose the decision and insist that it infringes on the privacy rights of US citizens. Parsons personally expressed outrage.
"I personally find it ironic that our right to .US privacy was stripped away, without due process, by a federal government agency ? an agency that should be looking out for our individual rights,? Parsons wrote this week in his blog. ?For the NTIA to choose the .US extension is the ultimate slap in your face. .US is the only domain name that is specifically intended for Americans (and also those who have a physical presence in our great country). So think about this for a moment. These bureaucrats stripped away the privacy that you're entitled to as an American, on the only domain name that says that you are an American. I am outraged by this ? you should be also."
Parsons argues that it is actually criminals who seek anonymity, not law-abiding citizens. The decision, he says, will encourage those who want privacy to submit false information.
