I can appreciate that Kim, but on the same token, since deceiving .au
registrants became a free for all sport with no rules surely there were some
steps auDA could have taken to protect the data from further abuse ?

For example: following the NetRegistry episode were any technical measures
introduced to stop that from happening again? Where is the aunic database
held now? Optus? Are they also technically able to take a full copy and use
it for their own commercial spamming/marketing purposes a la NetRegistry?
The data was not protected. My question is, was it simply moved sideways or
were technical measures put in place to protect it? (No doubt many in this
industry are following Larry Bloch's hypocritical comments relating to
ethical business practices with interest.)

"The whois database has existed many years prior to auDA's existence, and
for many years was freely downloadable as a file."  Fine and fair enough.

BUT, the whois database was then put in the hands of a commercial player
with no technical measures put in place by auDA to stop that commercial
entity (NetRegistry) from using it for their own commercial gain.

AND, ING and IRA probably obtain au registrant information in the way that
anyone can which just makes a farce of the entire .au administration.

Protecting .au registrant data and protecting Australian consumers from
deceptive business practices has clearly not been high on auDA's agenda.

ING's business practices are an issue for the ACCC although the fact remains
that if the contact details of Australian consumers was protected by auDA in
the first place (or from when it became their responsibility) it would've
been a little more difficult for ING and IRA to introduce what could be
considered their mass deceptive marketing programs. The data was put at risk
and remains at risk, an issue that affects Australian consumers greatly. And
to that end it's incredibly difficult to comprehend that not a damn thing
has been done to protect it.

Ginger

-----Original Message-----
From: Kim Davies [mailto:kim§cynosure.com.au]
Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 3:35 PM
To: dns§lists.auda.org.au
Subject: Re: [DNS] auDA media release


Quoting Ginger Fish on Friday April 19, 2002:
|
| Wouldn't it have simply been easier for auDA to protect .com.au registrant
| data in the first place ?

With a time machine? The whois database has existed many years prior to
auDA's existence, and for many years was freely downloadable as a file.

kim

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
List policy, unsubscribing and archives => http://www.auda.org.au/list/dns/
Please do not retransmit articles on this list without permission of the
author, further information at the above URL.  (307 subscribers.)