Re: NameSecure whois?

[john@reynolds.chicago.il.us (John B. Reynolds)]

Here's the reply I received from Network Solutions to my question
about whether NameSecure was running a whois server using standard
protocols:

>John,
>
>NameSecure confirms that they currently wish to provide a web-based whois query
>service at http://www.qwho.com.  We'll be changing the whois server name for
>NameSecure to reflect this change in the information they've given us.
>
>Feel free to contact NameSecure directly if you have questions about their
>service.
>
>Scott Hollenbeck (mailto:shollenb@netsol.com)
>Network Solutions, Inc.
>

NameSecure promotes QWho as "The One Whois" through which information
on all .com/.net/.org domains can be found regardless of registrar.
By making information on NameSecure-registered domains available only
through QWho, NameSecure ensures that competing services, like those
from GeekTools and Domainia.org, can not offer equivalent access.  If
other registrars were to follow NameSecure's lead, it would
effectively kill whois for gTLDs and force those seeking contact
information on domains to go to the Web page of their registrars.

Unfortunately, ICANN's registrar agreement is worded in such a way
that QWho appears to satisfy its public access requirements.  Failure
to explicitly require the use of standard whois protocol is a glaring
oversight on ICANN's part.  ICANN should either move to correct this
mistake in the new registrar agreement or establish a central whois
service independent of its registrars.