Critics say Icann’s proposal to make sites used for ‘commercial services’ ineligible for proxy registrations puts users at risk of harassment and ID theft

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Privacy advocates have attacked a plan to end anonymity for website owners saying it will put users at risk of harassment and identity theft.

Currently, in order to register a web address a user must provide contact details, but many domain registration services offer the ability to keep this information private.

Domain registrars do this by providing their own contact details for Whois queries – the directory look-up for web addresses. Icann, the body which co-ordinates the internet’s infrastructure, has proposed an end to that system, making any site used for “commercial services”ineligible for proxy registrations.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which opposes the proposal, is arguing that the risks to website owners, which is says will suffer a “higher risk of harassment, intimidation and identity theft”, outweigh any benefits of the change.

“The ability to speak anonymously protects people with unpopular or marginalised opinions, allowing them to speak and be heard without fear of harm. It also protects whistleblowers who expose crime, waste, and corruption,” it says.

Icann’s proposal is backed by the US entertainment industry, which has long been critical of anonymity online. In testimony before Congress, Steven Metalitz of the Coalition for Online Accountability said in May that: “Tens of millions of [domain] registrations … lurk in the shadows of the public Whois, through a completely unregulated proxy registration system that is the antithesis of transparency.”

Metalitz added: “These registrations need to be brought into the sunlight. While there is a legitimate role for proxy registrations in limited circumstances, the current system is manipulated to make it impossible to identify or contact those responsible for abusive domain name registrations.”



The Coalition for Online Accountability is formed of six copyright industry bodies, representing the music, gaming, software and film industries, as well as Time Warner and Disney.

Domain registrar Namecheap has begun to encourage supporters to email Icann and object to the proposal. It’s put together RespectOurPrivacy.com, and is offering to call people to walk them through the process.

“We think your privacy should be protected, regardless of whether your website is personal or commercial, and your confidential info should not be revealed without due process. If you agree, it’s time to tell Icann,” the site explains.