October 27, 2007
Ponder These
Too much to do, and the A/C is busted.
- UK Independent, Guantanamo military lawyer breaks ranks to condemn ‘unconscionable’ detention
- BBC, Virtual worlds threaten ‘values’
- Wendy Seltzer, WHOIS redux: Demand privacy in domain name registration
- Michael Geist, Is ACTA the New WIPO?
Posted by Michael : October 27, 2007 06:34 PM | Linkorama | TechnoLinks
Slashdot
It!
Are the Michael that left the perspicacious comment at Wendy's blog? Because that Michael nailed the counterargument pretty well. I'd add an analogy to registration requirements pertaining to automobiles: when you do something illegal or injurious to another person, there needs to be a way to connect you and your car.
Posted by: Ann Bartow at October 28, 2007 12:47 AMNo, that wasn't me. His first point has merit -- domain names are not necessary, they are just convenient. But it's not good to have chokepoints on convenience.
His second point is totally wrong. The domain name scarcity is utterly artificial -- kept in place in deference to Big Trademark. There is no technical justification for keep the artificial shortage.
Posted by: michael at October 28, 2007 11:33 AMHuh, I thought that's what that Michael meant by "provably scarce" - artificially compressed. Maybe not, I'm not sure now.
EPIC is weighing in in favor of "WHOIS Privacy" and I disagree with this stance, and with Wendy on this. Too many astroturfers will benefit, for one thing.
Posted by: Ann Bartow at October 28, 2007 03:56 PM