Question: One purpose of the registries is to provide contact information for resolving internetworking problems. The NSI registry in particular is full of records with incomplete or invalid contact information, and NSI refuses to take corrective action. How do you propose to ensure that registries provide complete and valid contact information?

Nominee Replies

Emerson Tiller, J.D., Ph.D. - posted on 2000-09-29 19:24:48 Registries should be held accountable. If they cannot meet their obligations, then their registration rights should be reconsidered. Greed is not a good excuse for granting domain names without appropriate contact information. Donald Langenberg - posted on 2000-09-24 12:59:54 This one is beyond my present knowledge and experience. However, I do have a very general suggestion. It seems to me that the time-honored principle of independent third-party assessment of performance with subsequent reporting to all relevant stakeholders is a good one that might be applied in this arena. This principle has always been a part of my own professional life and I believe in it. Examples include peer review of research publications and proposals, legislative oversight of the operations of my institutions ( e.g., NSF and public universities), and formal financial and management audits. Then there're Consumer Research and Consumer Reports, and the book review section of the New York Times. Lawrence Lessig - posted on 2000-09-20 08:41:05 ICANN should have standards that they hold registries to, and if there were stronger competition among registries, and a greater infrastructure of alternatives, then the ultimate threat of removal could be credible. But this issue raises another important problem -- privacy. There is an extraordinary amount of data demanded of users before they can register a site. For individuals, some protection for privacy is required.