Whois May Be Scrapped to Break Deadlock

WHOIS MAY BE SCRAPPED TO BREAK DEADLOCK
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Anick Jesdanun]
Like a "411" for the Internet, Whois contains information such as names and phone numbers on the owners of millions of ".com" and other Internet addresses. Law-enforcement officials, trademark lawyers and journalists, as well as spammers, use it regularly. Some privacy advocates are proposing scrapping the system entirely because they can't agree with the people who use the system on how to give domain name owners more options when they register -- such as designating third-party agents. Privacy advocates say individuals shouldn't have to reveal personal information simply to have a Web site. The so-called "sunset" proposal is expected to come up Wednesday before a committee of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, a key Internet oversight agency.
http://www.statesman.com/business/content/shared-gen/ap/High_Tech/Intern...