Whois

Reforming Whois

Now that we're into the New Year and deadline for public comment on the proposed new .CA whois policy nears and now that my term as a CIRA Director enters its home stretch, I wanted to take some time to elaborate further on my Unsanctioned Whois Concepts post from long ago and revise it somewhat. more

Are We Attending the Right ICANN Meeting?

I have no idea who wrote that wonderful piece, Time for Reformation of the Internet, posted by Susan Crawford. (It wasn't me - I never use the word "netizen".) Elliot Noss of Tucows wrote a partial rebuttal, I must be attending the wrong ICANN meetings. Elliot's company, Tucows, has been a leader in registrar innovation and competition. And Tucows has constantly been among the most imaginative, progressive, responsible, and socially engaged companies engaged in these debates. ...But the points made by Time for Reformation of the Internet go far beyond registries and registrars. more

CIRA Proposes New Standard for Domain Name Whois Privacy

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has announced its proposed policy to provide all dot-ca domain name holders with increased privacy safeguards, bringing it in line with recently-enacted Canadian privacy laws. more

DNS WHOIS: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

As the Internet has grown and matured, it has become obvious to everyone involved that the DNS Whois system, as it currently exists, is not a sustainable way to share contact information for resolving network problems. ICANN, in an attempt to save DNS Whois, has plunged head long into the process of developing new policies aimed at fixing it. While I respect all of the hard work that has gone into this process, the results thus far have only made it clearer that this system faces intractable problems. more

ICANN’s First Official Report on Whois Data Problems

ICANN has submitted the first report of what will be a series of annual reports summarizing its "expierince" with the Whois Data problems and inaccuracies. While emphasizing that "ICANN-accredited registrars are obligated by the terms of their accreditation agreements to investigate and correct any reported inaccuracies," the report provides the following conclusions: more

Why FOISA Should Never Become Law

In a recent issue of the Wall Street Journal, I noticed an underreported story about an embarrassing glitch that occurred involving the "washpost.com" domain name, which is used by the Washington Post Newspaper Company. Apparently, recently, the domain name stopped working -- no domain name services. This disrupted the flow and access of e-mail at the Washington Post as well as the operations of the washpost.com website.  more

President of Tucows in Response to SiteFinder

I have been thinking a lot about stewardship lately in my role as CEO of Tucows and how that relates to employees, a board of directors and investors. Where I've got to, which is not necessarily relevant for this post, is that stewardship needs to exist at EVERY level of a company and a life. With the recent dustup created by Verisign's new Sitefinder service it has crystallized for me what has always bothered me about the .com/.net registry and the way Verisign has approached it.
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A Voting System for Internet by Domain Name Owners - Part II

This is the second part of a 2-part series article describing a method for voting among owners of domain names. To read the first part of this article click here.

After a ballot closes, each registrar will send the summary results to at least two vote counting entities. These organizations will tally summary results obtained from each registrar. The totals of the summary results will be cross-checked against totals from the other vote counting entities. more

ICANN: A Concrete “Thin Contract” Proposal

It looks as if ICANN is going to require applicants for new TLDs to agree (in advance) not to negotiate a changed contract with ICANN. We agree that streamlining the process is in everyone's interest. Along those lines, we are proposing a substantially thinner contract that ICANN and new registries could use. Existing registries should also be allowed to sign up to this contract, if they wish. more

President of Name Intelligence Responds to WLS Issue

Part of the stated reason for the high price point stated by Verisign was to "deter domain speculators" with a price that was high. If the price was set at $1, they claim, speculators would buy all the WLS subscriptions before any other people. So if Verisign is trying to really deter domain speculators then why are they not releasing information on who owns a WLS? Or limiting the number of WLS that a person can have. Seems like a shallow argument if the only deterring thing is raising more money for the Verisign monopoly rather than setting limits... more

Privacy Matters: Is It Time To Abolish The WHOIS Database?

Recently, I entered my domain name in a "WHOIS" database query to test the results of the database by using WHOIS on a number of domain name registrar websites. WHOIS is a database service that allows Internet users to look up a number of matters associated with domain names, including the full name of the owner of a domain name, the name of the domain name hosting service, the Internet Protocol or I.P. number(s) corresponding to the domain name, as well as personally identifying information on those who have registered domain names. I was astonished to find... more

Beyond WHOIS: CircleID and Edgemoor Research Institute Second Event on ‘Filling the Gaps’

Experts at a CircleID and Edgemoor Research Institute webinar debated the challenges of domain registration data access in a post-GDPR world. Panelists explored the tension between privacy laws and legitimate data requests, the role of automation in disclosure decisions, and the need for a scalable, trust-based framework to balance compliance, cybersecurity, and enforcement interests. more

Beyond WHOIS: Filling the Gaps

Amid evolving privacy laws and rising cybersecurity threats, domain registration data disclosure remains a contentious issue. Beyond WHOIS: Filling the Gaps brings together experts to examine Project Jake's policy framework, aiming to balance privacy with legitimate access. Join industry leaders for insights on policy clarity, operational efficiency, and the future of domain name governance. more

Beyond WHOIS: CircleID and Edgemoor Research Institute Inaugural Event on Balancing Privacy and Legitimate Data Needs

The global debate over Internet privacy and security took center stage in a webinar hosted by CircleID in partnership with the Edgemoor Research Institute. The event marked the first in a series exploring the delicate balance between safeguarding personal data and ensuring legitimate access to domain name registration details. As governments, cybersecurity experts, law enforcement, and intellectual property holders grapple with the evolving regulatory landscape, Project Jake seeks to establish a framework that prioritizes policy clarity, efficiency, and adaptability. more

RDAP Replaces WHOIS: A New Era in Domain Name Data Management

Today marks a significant shift in how internet registries manage domain name data as the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) officially replaces the legacy WHOIS system. Designed to address privacy and data access challenges, RDAP modernizes how information about domain registrations is queried and provided. more