Final consultation for new dot-ca Privacy Policy

July 31, 2006; 01:16 AM

After a lengthy consultation period, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) approved a new Privacy Policy for the dot-ca domain name WHOIS registry. CIRA is currently preparing to implement this new policy and seeks final input on its proposed implementation procedures.

The new WHOIS policy keeps the personal information of individual registrants from being publicly displayed, while ensuring that registrations remain fully available to the public. Once implemented, this major policy change will make CIRA a world leader in protecting the rights of individual registrants.

"CIRA has always been dedicated to reducing identity theft and fraud by
protecting individual registrant information," says Bernard Turcotte,
President and CEO of CIRA. "As the Internet evolves, we must also work to
ensure that our registrants are able to maintain their personal privacy when
they register their Canadian online identity. This new policy will allow us to
be world leaders in both of these areas."

While personal information will be shielded from the general public, CIRA
will comply with all law-enforcement agencies and will divulge registrant
information to courts and other judicial bodies when legally obliged to do so.

CIRA has already received feedback on the WHOIS policy during a two-month public consultation that ended in early 2005. This final phase of the two-year consultation process, along with feedback on the procedure supporting the new WHOIS policy will be used to finalize the implementation strategy.

The public may participate in this final consultation until Friday, September 8, 2006, by clicking on the "WHOIS Consultation" link found on CIRA's home page, at www.cira.ca.

The WHOIS protocol was developed in the mid-1980s and has remained largely unchanged since then. The new policy represents the first major change to the way that registrant privacy concerns are addressed, and is one that has been welcomed in preliminary consultations.

Manon Langlois, CIRA Communications andMarketing Advisor, (613) 237-5335, (877) 860-1411, ext. 292, [email protected].