Evan, Privacy is a fundamental human right recognized in the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights and in many other international and regional treaties. If you require some basic information on privacy rights as they exist in your jurisdiction, please feel free to contact: The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada 112 Kent Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 1H3 www.privcom.gc.ca 1-800-282-1376 best regards, Danny --- Evan Leibovitch <evan@telly.org> wrote:
Danny Younger wrote:
As you may be aware, privacy is not an ICANN "Core Value". The word "privacy" does not appear within the bylaws. I am of the view that ICANN would be well served by articulating that it respects privacy.
Privacy of who? From What?
Until the term is specified in those contexts, I will be more than happy to argue AGAINST its inclusion as a core value. And I most certainly oppose the absolute, without limit, protection of privacy.
I do not consider protecting the privacy of registrants -- empowering them to hide from those they attack or defraud -- to be a core value.
I do not consider protecting privacy, as a shield behind which to slander and defame, to be a core value.
And I most certainly do not consider the invokation of privacy to impede transparency within ICANN's own processes to be a core value.
As far as I'm concerned, the right of aggrieved Internet users to confront their attackers is at least equal to the right of those attackers to hide after playing hit-and-run.
If we ultimately seek to arrive at a consensus on the fundamental issue of protection of personal privacy, we need to have a starting point to stimulate ICANN-wide discussion. Accordingly, I am asking you to drive home this point by petitioning the ICANN Board to amend its core values section in the bylaws so that privacy may come to be acknowledged as a value to be respected.
I oppose any such initiative until we have a more focused idea of what it it we are asking to be respected. Blanket worship of an undefined term "privacy", without bound, offers the potential for as much abuse as it supposes to prevent.
- Evan