Privacy, Broadband, & the Database

> On Wed, Nov 22, 2000 at 03:21:50PM +0000, Sam Bradford wrote:
> > I'm writing for your opinions, suggestions, and comments regarding
updating
> > the RIPE database with assignments made for broadband (xDSL) customers.
As
> > you may or may not be aware, ADSL is now being offered in the UK, which
> > has very strict data protection laws. We offer ADSL services as a NATted
>
> IP addresses and data related to them is international resource.
> I don't think you should apply any law in UK when we talk about
> RIPE(.int) resources.

I am afraif I would have to disagree with this. There are several examples
that national law (in my case Norwegian Law) applies to my activites on the
internet
as long as I am a citizen of a country conducting business in that country.
(even tough my serveres or my data may be somewere else.)

My understanding of  norwegian privacy laws I would be required to ask for
explicit permission from the individuals to publish this data on the
internet, and I am not allowed to publish such information if the individual
refuses. (I assume that this is slightly different for information related
to companies, but this is strictly speaking nothing I have checked with any
lawyers.)

So if I were to offer home networks with routable addresses to the consumer
market I would not be able to runmy business unless I am alowed not to
register private persons as contacts persons in the RIPE database.

My common sensebased approach to this is that an ISP should be able to
registere theese addesses with admin-c tech-c just as they register dialup
modem addresses. Thet we have changed the service from offering a dial on
demand for one Ip address to a permanent connection with a couple addresses
should not _change_ this policy. (Thats what I personaly did when we
launched CATV Internet services in 96/97)

If anyone feels that is impossible under the current policy, I propose we
change that policy to allow ISPs to respect their customers right to
privacy.

I do not think we should force ISPs to offer NAT based products trough
policy.

-hph