RE: [registrars] Some observations
My two cents - In the context of what's being suggested, I would say no. The Thai law enforcement agency should work through a law enforcement agency in the country in which the registrar is based. If the registrar has an office in Thailand, then I would imagine local laws would prevail. But I think this is all a moot issue. Bulk Whois is mostly worthless. Why would anyone want it unless they thought they were getting some kind of comprehensive database for research purposes? And of course we know that's not what they'll get. They'll get maybe half of the data they want at best, and a lot of that will be outdated, proxied, etc. If they have a specific investigation going on there are more appropriate ways to get the data they need. Law enforcement approaching a registrar with a court order for specific data is one thing, approaching us for our bulk whois so they have a convenient way to perform any number of unspecified investigations and research is another. We should not be expected to hand that over on a weekly basis for an annual fee of $10,000. It should be based on the number records provided. And if we are expected to hand it over to a revenue generating business, that fee should be even higher. But again, I question the real value of bulk whois to any of these parties, unless all they want is a convenient 50% solution that gives them some warm fuzzies. Tim
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