superclown2 - 7:35 pm on Jan 31, 2012 (gmt 0)

So what precautions will be taken to ensure that all this data is kept confidential? How long will it be before there are DVDs circulating of hundreds of millions of names addresses and telephone numbers of domain name owners? Every day I get a mountain of junk mail that goes straight into a sack by the door, as well as a dozen or so junk telephone calls from people whose server tells them my computer is infected with a virus. How many more will I get when the ICANN database gets hacked?

I have no problem with letting a 100% secure entity have information it is entitled to. No entity is anything like so secure nowadays though. And why should I, as an Englishman, be happy to trust an American entity to safeguard my data when even our governments leak it like colanders?

And; have they really thought through the implications of demanding that hundreds of millions of people prove their IDs? People who may not speak English, even as a 2nd or 3rd language? What will they do when the lawsuits cascade down after domain names have been cancelled because ICANN are asking people to provide proof of ID which they may not wish to give? How many people in the world would be happy to provide an American company, directly or indirectly, with a copy of their passport, driving licence, whatever?

This whole thing is a can of worms. Opening it could cause some dreadful smells.