[Infowarrior] - Claims that anonymous domain registration aid terrorists are overblown

[Richard Forno]

Claims that anonymous domain registration aid terrorists are overblown

By Jacqui Cheng | Published: August 20, 2007 - 02:01PM CT

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070820-claims-that-anonymous-domain-r
egistration-aid-terrorists-are-overblown.html

Domain registrars are providing services that aid terrorism, claims Canadian
newspaper The Globe and Mail. A lengthy article published over the weekend,
"Terror goes digital. With Canadian help," delves into the many different
facets of the Internet that have been used by Islamic terrorist groups to
communicate their messages to each other and to the rest of the world. But
the "Canadian help" part of the equation comes by way of domain registrars
Register.com and Tucows, which both operate out of Canada. The newspaper's
assertions that these companies somehow aid terrorists with their services,
however, are somewhat misguided.

The linchpin of The Globe and Mail's argument is that registrars are aiding
terrorists by helping to keep them anonymous. As many of our readers know,
people who register new domains now often have the option to do so without
having their personal information displayed to the public through a WHOIS
query. This service usually only costs a few extra dollars per year and has
been applauded by privacy advocates as a way to keep a citizen's personal
info private‹no one needs to know who has registered those domains, they
argue. But according to The Globe and Mail, the service has made it easier
for terrorists to put their message out online without exposing their
location or contact information.

But it's not as if the registrars themselves don't store the information.
Both Register.com and Tucows require people who are registering domains to
enter all of their personal information, regardless of whether they make use
of the public anonymizing services or not. Register.com told us that the
company provides private registration services so that its customers can
avoid getting unwanted spam, mail, and telephone calls, but that there are a
number of terms that users must agree to in order to use them. The company
says that it takes reports of illegal activity on its servers seriously.

"Our policy clearly states that any site that does not comply with
applicable laws, government rules or requirements, court orders or requests
from law enforcement, is subject to immediate termination," Register.com's
Wendy Kennedy told Ars. "In the event that Register.com is notified that a
user of our Private Domain Registration is violating our policy, we follow a
very specific process to respond. This process includes investigating the
report and if applicable, disabling the domain and notifying the customer of
the reason for this action. Register.com has, and will continue, to work
with law enforcement to protect our domains for being used for any such
activities."

As the "war on terror" moves onto the Internet, however, domain registrars
will continue feeling pressure from both sides over the privacy services
offered to their customers. And although Register.com appears to be making a
reasonable effort to strike a balance thus far, shutting down web sites that
are hosted on this side of the pond only represents small victories against
those determined to spread word of their activities around the world.