Bob Sullivan of MSNBC has written another compelling story on his Red Tape Chronicles blog about efforts to muzzle one of our favorite tools for sniffing out suspicious sites, Whois.

Since the Internet's inception, all Web site owners have been required to provide contact information when registering a new Internet domain, information which is then made available via "Whois."

"It's one of the first things we teach consumers to do, look up the Whois information," WebWatch director Beau Brendler told Bob when interviewed for the story. "Brendler, a recent appointee to an ICANN advisory board studying the issue, is a vocal opponent of shutting down Whois access. 'There needs to be a way for consumers to get at this information.'"

But as others--including Beau's ICANN colleague Wendy Seltzer--disagree, and view Whois as nothing less than an invasion of privacy. Here's what she had to say:

"I feel quite strongly that privacy should be respected here for free speech and First Amendment principles," Seltzer, now a staff member at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said. "Individuals should be able to speak anonymously online. They should be able to register sites without ever giving their real name."

What do you think?