WHEREAS, the lawful investigation of Internet communications is one of the most valuable tools available to law enforcement in identifying both the perpetrators and victims of crime; and

WHEREAS, the Internet is global in nature, and as such, poses challenges when conducting multi-agency international investigations, including delays imposed when obtaining international legal process; and

WHEREAS, electronic forensic evidence is fleeting in nature, and law enforcement officials must obtain timely access to this information to fulfill law enforcement duties; and

WHEREAS, criminals use the anonymity and international nature of the Internet, and the fleeting nature of electronic evidence, to thwart law enforcement investigations; and

WHEREAS, publicly available databases containing information involving the allocation of Internet resources, such as Internet Protocol address space and domain names, are a critical tool used by law enforcement, and because these databases are public in nature, allow law enforcement agencies to conduct investigations in the most timely manner possible; and

WHEREAS, individuals and entities involved in the administration of this information may seek to restrict or eliminate access due to business, privacy, or data-mining concerns; and

WHEREAS, the elimination or restriction of access to this information would severely cripple or eliminate the ability of law enforcement agencies to conduct investigation in a timely manner; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) strongly urges the Internet administration community, including governments, regional Internet registries, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, Internet Service Providers, domain-name registries, domain-name registrars, and Internet service providers to assist law enforcement by providing continued access to publicly available databases concerning the allocation of Internet resources, and in situations where the maintenance of these databases may conflict with privacy regulation, business concerns, or data-mining prevention efforts, consult with law enforcement to assist in the resolution of these potential conflicts before removing or restricting access to this information; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP membership coordinate the above efforts to achieve the goal of providing consistent, equal, and uniform access to the above-referenced resources for all of the international law enforcement community.