[address-policy-wg] 2012-05 New Draft Document and Impact Analysis Published (Transparency in Address Block Transfers)

On Tue, Sep 04, 2012 at 02:32:34PM +0000, Milton L Mueller wrote:

>movement (transfer) of a block from one holder to another. Do you
>believe the Whois data should all be private? As long as there is a

Yes, actually, or at least *more private*. IP space is not just
allocated/assigned to corporations but also to private individuals.
In my opinion, access to ripedb data is far too easy. Since I registered
my first RIPE handle, there has not been a day when spam hasn't arrived
to an email address clearly harvested from the ripedb.
Yes indeed, I'd *love* to see much stricter access controls on this 
data.

>Whois database, it will be possible to know where the address blocks
>go. The proposal simply makes it easier to track and analyze. So,
>unless he is willing to advocate eliminating Whois altogether, Sascha
>Luck's idea to "anonymize all transfer data" doesn't make a lot of
>sense to me.

This is correct but you have to go actively looking for it rather than
having it presented in a nice pre-digested package.

>The reasons for making the address market easier to track are primarily
>policy-related, rather than "operational". The reasons for knowing the
>buyers and sellers in successful transfers are clearly explained in the
>initial proposal. We need to be able to assess how the market is
>working and its economic consequences. The market itself will work
>better and more efficiently with more transparency.

The RIRs have that data anyway and I've no major issue with that as long
as it is not sold to every Tom, Dick & Harry without at least stripping
out individually identifying information. 
Who might that "we" be who need to assess how the market is working? 
It seems to me that this sort of data (nicely aggregated lists of address
space transfers and refusals) would mostly be useful to marketroids. 
Especially those who have various "get IP quick" scams on offer. 

>keep it hidden - actually not hidden, but just harder to access. What
>is the point of that? Why should RIPE region be an exception to the
>rest of the world?

For one thing, personal data in the EU remains the property of the 
individual.  This is not the case, eg. if it somehow gets to the US
where it is the property of the holder and the individual to whom it
refers has no rights over it whatsoever. 

rgds,
Sascha Luck