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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT size=5><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt"><FONT
face=Arial><SPAN class=331132618-30092004><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></FONT><A name=top><FONT size=5><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt"><FONT face=Arial>New Services Are Making It Easier<SPAN
class=889134517-30092004><FONT color=#0000ff size=2> </FONT></SPAN><BR>To
Hide Who Is Behind Web Sites<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">By
CARL BIALIK <BR></SPAN></FONT></B><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">THE
<st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(res://ietag.dll/#34/#1001); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"
tabIndex=0 w:st="on">WALL STREET</st1:address></st1:Street> JOURNAL
ONLINE</SPAN></FONT></B><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><BR></SPAN></FONT></B><SPAN
class=atime1><B><I><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">September 30, 2004; Page A1</SPAN></FONT></I></B></SPAN><B><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The number
of anonymous sites on the World Wide Web is surging, influencing political
contests, raising concerns about criminal activity and spurring debate about
privacy on the largely unregulated Internet.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Of the 42.2
million Web sites whose addresses end in common suffixes -- com, biz, net, org,
info and us -- only about 1% of them protect the identity of
operators.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">But of new
registrants, nearly 5% are seeking to shield their names and contact information
-- known to users as "whois info" -- according to Name Intelligence Inc., a
<st1:place
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(res://ietag.dll/#34/#1001); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"
tabIndex=0 w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Bellevue</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Wash.</st1:State></st1:place>, company that tracks the industry. There
have been 6.3 million new registrations overall so far this
year.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A host of
new services has sprung up in recent years offering to shield whois info for a
small fee, making it easier for hundreds of thousands of Web-site owners to hide
their identities. Typically, Web-site owners can buy privacy guards for an extra
$9 or so per year, from the same companies that sell domain
names.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Customers
must provide their real contact information to these companies, known as
registrars. But some registrars offer add-on services, such as Domains by Proxy
and ID Protect, which hide the name of a Web-site owner and instead show generic
contact information. The registrars also screen phone calls and filter e-mails
for these customers.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Legal
issues surrounding the services remain unsettled, since they are new and largely
untested. But people who feel wronged by anonymous sites do have some recourse.
Registrars say they share contact info with law enforcement, and sometimes will
remove privacy shields when they receive complaints or subpoenas. Some companies
have successfully sued to get registrars to turn over contact information of
their customers. But people without the means or inclination to sue generally
can't find out who's behind the Web sites.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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v:shapes="_x0000_s1026"><![endif]><FONT face=Arial size=3>To critics, including
some lawmakers, the privacy services are making the Internet harder to regulate
-- and create opportunities for mischief. "They're like a pawn shop that doesn't
keep good records," says Vernon Schryver, a software consultant and antispam
activist in <st1:City w:st="on">Boulder</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Colo.</st1:State> Adds Dennis Soper, a systems administrator at the
<st1:place
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(res://ietag.dll/#34/#1001); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"
tabIndex=0 w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Oregon</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>, "The Internet is
supposed to be open. Too many people have been hiding."<o:p></o:p></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">But privacy
advocates argue that Web-site owners, particularly those who don't operate
businesses, shouldn't be required to publish their addresses and telephone
numbers in public databases. They point out that whois info is a ripe target for
spammers and identity thieves, and that some Web-site owners want to hide their
contact information for legitimate reasons.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">"People
should have the option to hide their personal data from a casual observer,
particularly when it comes to issues of free speech," says Annalee Newitz,
policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil-rights
organization in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(res://ietag.dll/#34/#1001); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"
tabIndex=0 w:st="on">San
Francisco</st1:place></st1:City>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">With their
growth this year, anonymous, and often little-known, Web sites have figured into
several election-year controversies. Little Green Footballs, an unaffiliated
political Web log that uses privacy shields, was an early and influential critic
of the disputed CBS News report on President Bush's National Guard service,
which the network later was forced to admit relied in part on forged documents.
Another site, </SPAN></FONT><A
href="http://www.RNCDelegates.com">RNCDelegates.com</A>, published the names of
delegates to the Republican convention and the addresses of their <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(res://ietag.dll/#34/#1001); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"
tabIndex=0 w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:State> hotels, as an aid to
protesters.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Often such
sites can quickly attract readers by following -- or sometimes creating -- big
news stories, thanks to links from other Web logs, which can produce prominent
rankings when using search engines such as those of Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc.
<A href="http://www.WinterSoldier.com">WinterSoldier.com</A>, a site that
gathers information questioning Sen. John Kerry's war record, ranks in the top
10 of searches for "soldier Kerry" on both Google and
Yahoo.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Scott
Swett, who says he is WinterSoldier.com's owner and registrant, says he uses a
privacy service to avoid angry phone calls about the site. "I've received a
tremendous amount of hate mail and a few threats" at the e-mail addresses
published on the site, Mr. Swett says. "I figured there was no particular reason
to have my personal information on my site."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Whois info
played a prominent role in another recent political controversy in <st1:place
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(res://ietag.dll/#34/#1001); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"
tabIndex=0 w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Eugene</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Ore.</st1:State></st1:place> There, several Web sites were set up to
encourage voters to back departing Mayor Tim Torrey, who had decided not to run
for re-election, as a write-in candidate against primary winner Kitty Piercy
this November. She is the only candidate for the
office.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Supporters
of Ms. Piercy ran whois searches on the sites -- <A
href="http://www.RunJimRun.org">RunJimRun.org</A> and <A
href="http://www.TruthAboutKitty.org">TruthAboutKitty.org</A> -- and found that
their owners were using a service to mask their identities. But they also
learned that the sites had been registered within a minute of each other and
appeared to be hosted on the same computer network. To them that indicated the
sites were operating in concert as a political action committee and thus needed
to register with the state.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In an
e-mail, Mr. Torrey wrote that he "had nothing to do with either of these Web
sites." He didn't respond to a follow-up e-mail and phone
call.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">After the
controversy, Mr. Torrey decided not to run. RunJimRun eventually registered as a
PAC, but no one has come forward to claim ownership of the other site. Elections
officials are investigating.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">"It's new
ground," says Jennifer Hertel, a compliance specialist on the campaign-finance
team at <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(res://ietag.dll/#34/#1001); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"
tabIndex=0 w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>'s election division. "It
makes it extremely difficult. If we can't ascertain who's behind a particular
Web site, how can we proceed with any of our regulatory
procedures?"<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Other
officials are concerned that privacy shields provide a new opportunity for
criminal activity on the Web, already a growing law-enforcement concern. Joseph
Borg, director of the Alabama Securities Commission, worries that more
securities fraudsters will use the services to stay anonymous, though so far he
says it's been just a blip for regulators. He urges registrars to confirm
contact information before providing the privacy services. "I would hope
responsible companies who provide the service for legitimate use provide some
screening in line with their social responsibility," Mr. Borg
says.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Christine
Jones, general counsel for Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Go Daddy Software Inc., the
fast-growing registrar that pioneered the idea of privacy shields two years ago
through its subsidiary Domains by Proxy, dismisses concerns about criminal
activity. "The vast, vast majority of people who use this service use it for
privacy reasons," she says. She adds that Go Daddy, a closely held company,
turns over whois info when it receives what it considers legitimate complaints
and cooperates with law-enforcement agencies.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Go Daddy
also will forcibly remove identity guards from sites, sometimes without warning,
that violate its terms and conditions, she says. The company did just that last
year with a site called <A href="http://www.SchoolScum.com">SchoolScum.com</A>
on which high-school students were anonymously insulting each
other.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Whois info
has never been sacrosanct. Because of loose regulations, many Web-site owners
invent fictional identities, like Mickey Mouse, and bogus phone numbers like
555-5555. But registrars field complaints about false information and are
supposed to fix it or boot the offending Web site from their system. With the
privacy guards, by contrast, the general public has no way to find out who is
behind a site.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In some
cases, computer-systems administrators have complained that Web sites with
privacy guards have unintentionally launched attacks after being hijacked by
spammers or identity thieves. But, they say, when they have tried to contact
such sites through their proxy services, it can take much longer to get a
response.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Registrars
say they generally pass important queries on to their customers within a few
hours or days, and that it's possible Web sites that choose to cloak their
identity are less likely to respond.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=times><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Rep. Howard
Berman has led efforts in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(res://ietag.dll/#34/#1001); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"
tabIndex=0 w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State> to improve whois data
accuracy, but with little success. Earlier this year, the California Democrat
co-sponsored a bill that would have placed some liability on registrars to
ensure the quality of their whois info. But vigorous opposition led to a bill
merely raising the penalty for certain felonies if fraudulent whois data are
involved. It remains legal to lie in Web-site
registrations.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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