I have received several letters from a company claiming to be a
"Provisionally Accredited .com.au Registrar". Normally, such mail would go
straight to the bin, however I recently attended a seminar at Melbourne
University which highlighted the unethical nature of companies like
"Internet Name Group", so I decided to read it. I found the contents to be
deliberately misleading and deceitful, and it is of great concern to me that
such a company could become an "Accredited .com.au Registrar"

1.   The Renewal Notice highlighted the fact that Internet Name Group are a
"Provisionally Accredited .com.au Registrar"
2.   It states that if I do not renew my domain name it may be deleted
3.   It included an "Authorisation to Re-issue Registry Key for com.au
Domain Name" Form
4.   It also included step by step instructions on how to complete the
abovementioned re-issue of registry key form.

The Renewal Notice provided the following explanation as to why completion
of the re-issue of registry key form was required:

    "Due to the recent changes in .com.au renewal procedure, and for the
security of your domain name,  you are now required to provide your registry
key to renew your domain name and update your contact details.

Is this correct? Do I need to supply my registry key to affect renewal of my
domain name? I have not had any previous dealings with Internet Name Group.
I am a sole proprietor so it is impossible that any member of my staff could
have requested a renewal from Internet Name Group as I do not have any
staff. This seems like business solicitation in it's purest form.

At uni we are taught that IS professionals should not misuse the skills they
have learnt for underhandedly obtaining information, and that people's
privacy should be respected. An example was made of companies that send
renewal notices for domain names that look like invoices,but I didn't
realise that one of the companies involved was (or claims to be) an
Accredited .com.au Registrar.

Are there current stats on how many consumers are affected by this practice?
Where did this company get my details from? Are they really an accredited
registrar? Why would an accredited registrar send me a deceptive unsolicited
renewal advice?

All comments appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Max Sylvester
(University Student and part time IT support)