“CIRA’s ‘whois’ policy a stunning setback for privacy,” June 30, 2008
Letter to the Editor published in the Toronto Star on July 3, 2008.
Privacy rights protected
“CIRA’s ‘whois’ policy a stunning setback for privacy,” June 30, 2008
The only things “stunning” about Canada’s new privacy policy and WHOIS look-up tool governing domain name registrations that took effect June 10 are just how thoughtful and effective it is. As of this writing, over 600,000 of the one million plus dot-ca domain names now enjoy the best privacy protection in the world for domain name registrants.
For the first time, the privacy of individual dot-ca registrants has been secured, providing an added measure of protection for Canadians against identity theft, hacking, phishing, and pharming. The new policy is a direct reflection of the input received during extensive, open, transparent public consultations with many stakeholder groups spanning more than two years.
The resulting policy puts the online privacy rights of Canadians ahead of any and all special interests by severely restricting access to individual registrant’s contact information. There are limited circumstances where registrant contact information may be disclosed to a third party reflecting the need for a system that maximizes privacy while permitting legitimate requests for information.
The conditions for disclosure are rigorous, tightly controlled, publicly available at www.cira.ca, and can only be requested if specific criteria are met – a far cry from allegations of ‘backdoor’ access to ‘special interests.’
Byron Holland
President and CEO
Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)
