[Infowarrior] - Whois data a key weapon in fraud fight, FTC says

[Richard Forno]

Whois data a key weapon in fraud fight, FTC says

By Erica Ogg
http://news.com.com/Whois+data+a+key+weapon+in+fraud+fight%2C+FTC+says/2100-
7348_3-6088651.html

Story last modified Tue Jun 27 15:01:12 PDT 2006

The Federal Trade Commission has made a pitch for open access to Whois,
saying the databases are a key weapon in its fight against spyware and other
Internet fraud.

The agency on Tuesday called access to the Whois databases, which contain
contact information for Web site operators, "critical to the agency's
consumer protection laws." It was responding to a recommendation from a
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers committee to restrict
use of the data to strictly "technical purposes."

The official statement comes after an address by FTC Commissioner John
Leibowitz to a meeting of ICANN this week in Morocco, where he gave examples
of how Whois data has aided the agency's attorneys and investigators in
identifying perpetrators of Internet scams, spam and other illegal online
activity.

"Whois databases often are one of the first tools FTC investigators use to
identify wrongdoers," he said.

In one instance, the agency was able to stop seven companies sending
sexually graphic e-mails without the legally required warning labels.
Leibowitz said he was "uncertain" the agency would have been able to do so
without unhindered access to Whois data.

"If ICANN restricts the use of Whois data to technical purposes only, it
will greatly impair the FTC's ability to identify Internet malefactors
quickly--and ultimately stop perpetrators of fraud, spam and spyware from
infecting consumers' computers," Leibowitz said.

He did note the importance of an accurate Whois database, saying, "the
Commission has advocated that stakeholders work to improve the accuracy of
such information, because inaccurate data has posed significant obstacles in
FTC investigations."

However, he added that even imperfect information has proved helpful. He
cited cases in which the agency tracked down suspects using a range of phony
registration names by matching contact information.


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