I agree 100% that Go Daddy does push the limits of ethical behavior to the point that they cannot be considered ethical any longer. The fact that I still use them speaks only to my desire for a lesser-of-all-evils while still using a large, well known host. I may be sadly mistaken for leaving my domains with them, but I’ve learned how to carefully navigate their maze-like websites and avoid too much junk from them. My clients on the other hand have a harder time of it.

I work hard to save my clients money, so I offer to guide them through the process of getting their own domain name registered, etc. It’s an easy enough process once one learns how to side-step all the marketing junk in the Go Daddy checkout abortion, but it’s what happens afterwords that makes my blood boil. They get emails and phone calls telling them that they “need” privacy registration or “business registration” or “certified” this or that. It’s all useless junk that nobody needs, and private registrations are actually bad for legitimate normal business sites.

Don’t even get me started on how bad Go Daddy technical support is. I could create an entire blog just based on “Go Daddy Support Nightmares”, and I’ve seriously considered it. Let’s just say that if you have a genuine problem with the Go Daddy system (very rare, thankfully), you’d do much better by simply throwing your own poop at the screen rather than have them doing it for you.

Lately, it’s gotten so bad that I’m beginning to feel guilty for subjecting my clientele to such unsavory sales tactics and general malaise. With my domain-name/web-dev addiction, I hate to think of changing registrars/hosts, but it may nonetheless be in my future.

Swiftek

I think you’re making too much of a big deal out of this. BTW, you can get a private domain listing if you want to stay anonymous.

@domainer:  Thanks for your valuable input (sarcasm). I have enough clues already, but thanks for the supportive recommendation.

It’s not a “law” by the way, but a regulation imposed by a process governing body. It is also an abuse of process, which, since you may not know this, requires public commentary/feedback to be addressed. If we (the people) did not push back on regulations crafted by entities that profit from our inclusion in their processes, well, we’d live in a corporate tyranny.

Whois is a system that enables select entities to profit from our inclusion (which, I note, includes domainers like yourself) at the expense of disinterested parties (us… who don’t get any of that profit, and do suffer consequences).

Here’s a clue for you:  put a name behind your posts so we can at least assume you have some integrity, or stick to expressing your opinions and try to behave in a civil manner. The whois issue is important and deserves discussion.

Feel free to try again, but stick to the issues and identify yourself.