Privacy Protection for .ca Domains
OTTAWA, Ontario, June 11, 2008 – The Canadian
Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) announced today that it has
launched a new privacy policy and WHOIS search tool to protect the
privacy of dot-ca domain name registrants. The new policy limits public
access to personal information except under extraordinary circumstances
or through explicit consent of the registrant.
Under the new policy the personal information of individual domain
name registrants, including registrant name, home address, phone number
and e-mail address, will now be automatically protected as private.
Full registration information for corporate domain name holders will
continue to be accessible and individual registrants may choose to make
their information accessible.
Under specific, limited circumstances certain registrant contact
information may be disclosed in situations arising from child
endangerment offenses, intellectual property disputes (e.g.
cybersquatting), threats to the Internet, and identity theft.
Protection of privacy comes first
“The new
dot-ca WHOIS Policy puts Registrants first by restricting access to the
private information of individuals while providing timely mechanisms
for legitimate information requests,” says Byron Holland, President and
CEO, Canadian Internet Registration Authority.
The protection of the Internet privacy rights of Canadians is one of
the advantages of dot-ca registration. The new privacy policy and
dot-ca WHOIS were developed in response to online privacy concerns
regarding identity theft, unsolicited email (spam), and cyber stalking.
Canada’s new WHOIS Privacy Policy was arrived at following two
extensive national public consultations with a variety of stakeholders.
The opinions of dot-ca domain name Registrants, Registrars, the
Canadian public, legal and law enforcement groups, and subject matter
experts, such as privacy advocacy groups and intellectual property
specialists, were all considered with the goal of creating this
balanced policy.
About the dot-ca WHOIS
WHOIS is a generic term
used to describe an online directory service that allows people to look
up information about Internet domain names. CIRA maintains the WHOIS
search tool for dot-ca (.ca) domain names on its website. The dot-ca
WHOIS processes over one million queries per day allowing users to
quickly determine the availability of a dot-ca domain name or to view
registration information.
