2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info

compuXP · 12-19-2005, 09:02 PM

Source: www.domaining.ws

Phone numbers such as “(123)-123-1234″ and zip codes like “abcde” are running rampant. A recent report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) also stated that another 1.6 million had incomplete information.
The report said that people do this to prevent being contacted or spammed, both illegally. Domain contact information is called WHOIS info. Using WHOIS info to contact the owner about a matter not relating to the domain or site is illegal. Sending email, phone, or post mail spam is also an illegal act. The registrants have good reason to provide false or incomplete information, even though that is illegal too.
Owners with false WHOIS info can have their domain repocessed by ICANN authorities without refund, if caught and if they have the manpower to get to yours.
Detailed examination shows that out of 900 domain lookups, 45 had errors. These were reported to ICANN and 33 of them have yet to be deleted.
ICANN and the GAO are working to stop false contact info by providing better WHOIS security and privacy to registrar customers for their comfort and ease of submitting sensitive information via the web for “almost” anybody to look at and use.

Z_T · 12-19-2005, 09:16 PM

Sounds like a good idea *thumbs up*

Zack · 12-19-2005, 10:42 PM

hehe. I just filled mine out because of you.
HTMLGuy

dre · 12-19-2005, 10:46 PM

I always put the real details, especially emails and phone numbers, Waiting for the offers!

Zack · 12-19-2005, 10:51 PM

What offers?
HTMLGuy

Blotch · 12-20-2005, 12:03 AM

I just register all my domains at Namecheap and use their WHOIS guard. That way I still provide accurate contact info but I'm protected from anyone who would want to abuse the contact info.

hosting2nv · 12-20-2005, 08:38 AM

I defiently believe that, we have at least one person a day signup with fake info. There are 2 main reasons usually... 1 they don't trust the internet.. 2 they don't want people to find them (they are planning on doing something dodgy)... Number 1 is becoming less of a problem with hosts offering whois guard as the above poster mentioned.. but something defiently needs to be done to verify domain info and also ensure those who put their real info in are safe.

I once had a person use my whois info to try and pretend to be me on the phone to a various financial institution to access my accounts, so things like this can happen. I've countered the problem by using my office address not published everywhere for financial info, and my house address for things like whois.

AidenJ · 12-20-2005, 02:49 PM

I have a big problem with the current state of Whois. Yes lots of people do not have accurate information. However, I do not see why it is necessary for me to publicly display information about my website so any yokel coming along can harass me. The registrars all have accurate billing records for domains. That information should be used if law enforcement, for example, needs to get a hold of someone.

There is no good reason for whois information to be publicly available in an accurate form. If someone is breaking the law it should be dealt with in an appropriate manner.

Perhaps we need to increase the cost of domain registrations and put a bigger burden on registrars to act as a middle-man in other kinds of disputes as well.

I just do not like the situation now. As it is you can legally use privacy services and get around the whole thing. So requiring accurate information is silly, as you can get around it for a price.

Blotch · 12-21-2005, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AidenJ

I have a big problem with the current state of Whois. Yes lots of people do not have accurate information. However, I do not see why it is necessary for me to publicly display information about my website so any yokel coming along can harass me. The registrars all have accurate billing records for domains. That information should be used if law enforcement, for example, needs to get a hold of someone.

There is no good reason for whois information to be publicly available in an accurate form. If someone is breaking the law it should be dealt with in an appropriate manner.

Perhaps we need to increase the cost of domain registrations and put a bigger burden on registrars to act as a middle-man in other kinds of disputes as well.

I just do not like the situation now. As it is you can legally use privacy services and get around the whole thing. So requiring accurate information is silly, as you can get around it for a price.

It disagree - I think that accurate information is very important.

Let's just say that you were accidentally using a registered trademark on your site. Normally, the company who the trademark belongs to would use WHOIS info to contact you and request that you fix the problem right away. If you failed to fix the problem, they would probably take legal action. If you had inaccurate WHOIS info, they would not be able to contact you and would resort right to legal action. If you had only provided accurate contact info, you would have escaped a lawsuit.

If you don't like having your personal info available, get a WHOIS guard so that the public doesn't have direct access to your info but people can still contact you through your registrar. Lying about your identity is no way to solve the problem.

a1whs.com · 12-25-2005, 07:10 AM

Well one of my customer actually asked me how to change his whois info and make it fake as he was getting abusive phone calls daily and emails and what not , so i asked him to contact the domain provider and ask for price for whois protection , but instead decided to just provide fake info on his domain , so i think its reasonable to provide fake info to avoid unwanted breach of ur privacy.

Ritterz · 12-25-2005, 02:19 PM

Sounds like a good idea. I allways put correct information on my domains

joeventura · 02-14-2006, 03:50 PM

I have dozens of websites that don't do anything dodgy, I made the mistake of putting accurate contact data on one of my domains, starting getting spam, phone calls etc.

You also should not have to pay to keep your contact info private (like the service GoDaddy has)

vip-ip · 02-14-2006, 10:48 PM

I put real info in my domains.

munt · 02-15-2006, 11:08 PM

i have THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! phone calls from small PPC and shitty traffic sites asking me if i wanted to advertise with them since i am with other bigger companies these calls were 3-5am (couple of hours after i go to bed..)

i use namecheap and get free whois privacy now on some domains

loopy62 · 02-17-2006, 03:20 PM

I think 1and1 still keep whois protection included with their registration.

I am not in any way connected to 1and1. Just thought ppl would like to know.

12-19-2005, 09:02 PM	#1
compuXP Retired Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 139	2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info Source: www.domaining.ws Phone numbers such as “(123)-123-1234″ and zip codes like “abcde” are running rampant. A recent report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) also stated that another 1.6 million had incomplete information. The report said that people do this to prevent being contacted or spammed, both illegally. Domain contact information is called WHOIS info. Using WHOIS info to contact the owner about a matter not relating to the domain or site is illegal. Sending email, phone, or post mail spam is also an illegal act. The registrants have good reason to provide false or incomplete information, even though that is illegal too. Owners with false WHOIS info can have their domain repocessed by ICANN authorities without refund, if caught and if they have the manpower to get to yours. Detailed examination shows that out of 900 domain lookups, 45 had errors. These were reported to ICANN and 33 of them have yet to be deleted. ICANN and the GAO are working to stop false contact info by providing better WHOIS security and privacy to registrar customers for their comfort and ease of submitting sensitive information via the web for “almost” anybody to look at and use. __________________ Retired Moderator/Member/Friend/Helper - it was great working with all of you!

12-19-2005, 09:16 PM	#2
Z_T Regular Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York Posts: 137	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info Sounds like a good idea thumbs up

12-19-2005, 10:42 PM	#3
Zack Junior Guru Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 759	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info hehe. I just filled mine out because of you. HTMLGuy __________________ yaxal releases '07

12-19-2005, 10:46 PM	#4
dre wo0h0o Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Birmingham, UK Posts: 457	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info I always put the real details, especially emails and phone numbers, Waiting for the offers! __________________ Scrizzle.com - Dre's Blog Enjoy Yourself! SEOContest2008 Myspace Proxy

12-19-2005, 10:51 PM	#5
Zack Junior Guru Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 759	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info What offers? HTMLGuy __________________ yaxal releases '07

12-20-2005, 12:03 AM	#6
Blotch Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 25	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info I just register all my domains at Namecheap and use their WHOIS guard. That way I still provide accurate contact info but I'm protected from anyone who would want to abuse the contact info. __________________ █ PageRank Checker - CHECK YOUR GOOGLE PAGERANK

12-20-2005, 08:38 AM	#7
hosting2nv Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Adelaide, Australia Posts: 14	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info I defiently believe that, we have at least one person a day signup with fake info. There are 2 main reasons usually... 1 they don't trust the internet.. 2 they don't want people to find them (they are planning on doing something dodgy)... Number 1 is becoming less of a problem with hosts offering whois guard as the above poster mentioned.. but something defiently needs to be done to verify domain info and also ensure those who put their real info in are safe. I once had a person use my whois info to try and pretend to be me on the phone to a various financial institution to access my accounts, so things like this can happen. I've countered the problem by using my office address not published everywhere for financial info, and my house address for things like whois.

12-20-2005, 02:49 PM	#8
AidenJ Regular Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 103	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info I have a big problem with the current state of Whois. Yes lots of people do not have accurate information. However, I do not see why it is necessary for me to publicly display information about my website so any yokel coming along can harass me. The registrars all have accurate billing records for domains. That information should be used if law enforcement, for example, needs to get a hold of someone. There is no good reason for whois information to be publicly available in an accurate form. If someone is breaking the law it should be dealt with in an appropriate manner. Perhaps we need to increase the cost of domain registrations and put a bigger burden on registrars to act as a middle-man in other kinds of disputes as well. I just do not like the situation now. As it is you can legally use privacy services and get around the whole thing. So requiring accurate information is silly, as you can get around it for a price.

12-25-2005, 07:10 AM	#10
a1whs.com Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 166	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info Well one of my customer actually asked me how to change his whois info and make it fake as he was getting abusive phone calls daily and emails and what not , so i asked him to contact the domain provider and ask for price for whois protection , but instead decided to just provide fake info on his domain , so i think its reasonable to provide fake info to avoid unwanted breach of ur privacy. __________________ (\__/)Reseller/Shared Hosting Starting From 1.55$ per month. (='.'=)Cpanel/Fanstastico/100mbps Dual Xeon Server. \|\| Free Mysql Hosting. (")_(")A1 Web Hosting Solutions\|\|Killer Bunny OMG

12-25-2005, 02:19 PM	#11
Ritterz Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK Posts: 66	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info Sounds like a good idea. I allways put correct information on my domains

02-14-2006, 03:50 PM	#12
joeventura Newcomer Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 7	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info I have dozens of websites that don't do anything dodgy, I made the mistake of putting accurate contact data on one of my domains, starting getting spam, phone calls etc. You also should not have to pay to keep your contact info private (like the service GoDaddy has) __________________ http://www.zuhu.com FREE Videos, Games, Pictures - Win $250 a week!

02-14-2006, 10:48 PM	#13
vip-ip Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 78	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info I put real info in my domains. __________________ Play hundreds of free arcade games NOW - no registration required! IceAgeTwo.com >> FOR SALE << offers from $100, PR4 great site! LuxHomes.us >> FOR IMMEDIATE SALE << offers from $50, dropship-like! PM NOW for details about the sites I'm selling

02-15-2006, 11:08 PM	#14
munt Regular Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: .co.nz Posts: 247	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info i have THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! phone calls from small PPC and shitty traffic sites asking me if i wanted to advertise with them since i am with other bigger companies these calls were 3-5am (couple of hours after i go to bed..) i use namecheap and get free whois privacy now on some domains __________________ =============================== WebsPassage PR5 $9.95 per listing ===============================

02-17-2006, 03:20 PM	#15
loopy62 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: South Cali Posts: 19	Re: 2+ Million Domains Have False Contact Info I think 1and1 still keep whois protection included with their registration. I am not in any way connected to 1and1. Just thought ppl would like to know. __________________ What you waiting on? -- Submit yer site now!!

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