3 September 2002
Via FedEx, Fax, and E-mail
Bruce Beckwith
Network Solutions, Inc. Registrar
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 20170
Tel: 1-703-742-4817
Re: Notice of Breach of ICANN Registrar Accreditation Agreement
Dear Bruce:
This letter is a formal notice of seventeen instances of breaches of
sections 3.3 and 3.7.8 of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA)
that Network Solutions, Inc. Registrar (VeriSign Registrar) signed in
May 2001. Under section 5.3.4 of the RAA, VeriSign Registrar has fifteen
working days to cure the breaches described in this letter. If the breaches
are not cured in that period, then ICANN may give notice of termination
of the RAA, after which VeriSign Registrar may initiate arbitration to
determine the appropriateness of termination.
Under section 3.3 of the RAA, each ICANN-accredited registrar has agreed
to provide free public Whois service giving information about the registrations
it sponsors in the registry. Among other elements, the information must
include:
- The name and postal address of the Registered Name Holder;
- The name, postal address, e-mail address, voice telephone number,
and (where available) fax number of the technical contact for the Registered
Name; and
- The name, postal address, e-mail address, voice telephone number,
and (where available) fax number of the administrative contact for the
Registered Name.
Section 3.7.8 of the RAA sets forth the obligations of ICANN-Accredited
Registrars regarding the accuracy of Whois data. It provides as follows:
3.7.8 Registrar shall abide by any specifications or policies established
according to Section 4 requiring reasonable and commercially practicable
(a) verification, at the time of registration, of contact information
associated with a Registered Name sponsored by Registrar or (b) periodic
re-verification of such information. Registrar shall, upon notification
by any person of an inaccuracy in the contact information associated
with a Registered Name sponsored by Registrar, take reasonable steps
to investigate that claimed inaccuracy. In the event Registrar learns
of inaccurate contact information associated with a Registered Name
it sponsors, it shall take reasonable steps to correct that inaccuracy.
This notice of breach concerns VeriSign Registrar's obligations
under section 3.3, under which VeriSign agreed to provide specified Whois
information for each sponsored domain name. It also concerns the second
and third sentences of section 3.7.8 quoted above. In summary, in those
sentences VeriSign Registrar agreed to take reasonable steps to investigate
and correct its Whois data in response to any reported inaccuracy. Despite
these promises, VeriSign Registrar appears frequently to publish incomplete
Whois data, and to routinely ignore reports of inaccurate and incomplete
contact data in its Whois database. The following are seventeen examples
of VeriSign's failure to comply with its contractual obligations:
1. yorkstreethardware.com: On 21 February 2001, ICANN's
Chief Registrar Liaison, Dan Halloran, sent you an e-mail pointing out
that the contact details for yorkstreethardware.com were inaccurate.
According to VeriSign's Whois data, the domain was registered
to "Toto", residing at "the yellow brick road"
in "Oz, KS 06750". (We also noted that you might want to
consider whether the registrant's provision of that obviously
false data constituted "willful provision of inaccurate or unreliable
information," which is a breach of VeriSign's service agreement
and a basis for cancellation of the registration.) On 21 May 2001, we
sent you a follow-up note regarding the still-inaccurate data for this
domain. Included was a link to a story in that day's NY Times
in which the registrant admitted that she had registered the name with
false data as a test "to see how easy it is." We asked you,
some three months after the initial report, if you had indeed been able
to confirm that the domain had been registered to "Toto",
and if not if you could please "re-initiate the process of investigating
and correcting the inaccuracy." It is now more than eighteen months
after we notified you of the inaccuracy, and the domain is still registered
to Toto at the yellow brick road, Oz, KS 06750. We have not even received
any explanation of what specific steps VeriSign Registrar has taken
to investigate and correct this situation.
2. kokorouta.net: On 15 June 2001, we forwarded a report to
you indicating that VeriSign Registrar's Whois shows an apparently
invalid e-mail address for the administrative contact for kokorouta.net:
"no.valid.email@worldnic.com". It has been more than fifteen
months since we sent the report, but the invalid e-mail address is still
included in your Whois data today. And once again, we have no indication
of the specific steps VeriSign Registrar took to resolve the inaccurate
information.
3. dundjerski.com: On 24 January 2002, I wrote to VeriSign (Miriam
Sapiro, Roger Cochetti, and Phil Sbarbaro) regarding the Whois data
for dundjerski.com. A story in that morning's Los Angeles Times
reported that the registrant of that domain had been told by a VeriSign
representative that she could not have her personal information removed
from the Whois database, but that she was given the following advice
by VeriSign: "But they did tell me to just make up an address
and put it in there. So that's what I did." My 24 January
message to VeriSign noted that VeriSign's Whois database indicated
that the mailing address for the administrative contact was "000
Blank St., No city, XX 00000" with a phone number of "123-123-1234".
In that message I "strongly urge[d] VeriSign to take prompt and
decisive actions to ensure that its Registrar business operates in a
more responsible manner than reflected in the article, and to publicly
reaffirm its commitment to accurate Whois data." You replied over
a month later, on 5 March 2002, stating that VeriSign takes the subject
of Whois accuracy "extremely seriously." You indicated that
VeriSign was sending the registrant a letter requesting verification,
and that "if no reply or update is received shortly, the domain
will be deleted, in accordance with our existing procedures and contractual
requirements." It has been almost six months since you wrote that,
but the administrative contact address is still "000 Blank St.,
No city, XX 00000", and the phone number is still "123-123-1234".
4. internic-backbone.org: On 6 March 2002, we sent you a report
concerning inaccurate contact data for internic-backbone.org. The data
for that registration had what appeared to be an incomplete mailing
address, and the telephone number for the contacts was listed only as
"Restricted." We sent you reminders concerning this reported
inaccuracy on 14 May 2002 and 18 June 2002. When the data still had
not been corrected on 22 August 2002, we sent you (and your attorneys)
a "final informal request" asking you to provide information
about the status of your investigation. We finally did receive a status
report on 27 August 2002, but it indicated (by copy of a letter to the
registrant) that VeriSign Registrar had not even begun to take action
to correct this data until 26 August 2002, nearly six months after you
received the initial report.
5. sunnyside.com: On 24 April 2002, we sent you a report concerning
the false telephone number for the administrative contact for sunnyside.com:
"650-555-1212". We sent you a follow-up inquiry about the
same problem on 14 May 2002. You wrote back on 16 May 2002 and told
us to "feel assured that it is being addressed in as an expeditious
manner as possible." It is now more than three months later, and
the data still has not been corrected.
6. jaxx.net: On 7 May 2002, we sent you an e-mail requesting
that you investigate and correct the whois data for jaxx.net. We pointed
out that the administrative contact's telephone number was listed
as "000-000-0000". It has been over three months since that
notification, yet the false telephone number listing has not been corrected
in VeriSign Registrar's Whois data, nor has VeriSign advised us
what specific steps have been taken to investigate and correct the inaccuracies.
7. visosite.com: On 15 May 2002, we forwarded to you a report
concerning inaccurate data for visosite.com. The report indicated that
the mailing address for the registrant and contacts was inaccurate (the
report included a link demonstrating that there is no "Walker
Way" in Orangeburg, NY) and that the telephone number for the
administrative contact was not functioning. Although over three months
have passed since VeriSign Registrar received this report, it has not
corrected the false data, nor has it advised us what steps have been
taken to investigate and correct the situation.
8. fufus.com: On 18 May 2002, we directed to you a report concerning
an invalid e-mail address in the Whois data for fufus.com: "no.valid.email@worldnic.com".
On 27 May 2002, we sent you another note on this issue, including a
copy of a message from a VeriSign Customer Service Representative who
declined to investigate the inaccuracy – stating that "It
is up to the current registrant to keep the domain information current."
We asked you to carefully review this. It has been over three months,
and the false data is still being published in VeriSign's Whois
service. VeriSign has not stated what steps it has taken, nor given
any explanation as to why its representative stated that it would not
fulfill the promise it made in its registrar accreditation agreement
to investigate and correct false data.
9. digeronimo.com: On 21 May 2002, we sent you a note concerning
an invalid e-mail address in the Whois data for digeronimo.com: "no.valid.email@WORLDNIC.NET".
Over three months have passed since that notification, yet VeriSign
has not corrected the false data. Nor has VeriSign advised us what specific
steps it has taken to investigate and correct the false data.
10. kasparatisco.com: On 23 May 2002, we forwarded to you a
report concerning inaccurate contact details for kasparatisco.com. The
report indicated that the information listed for the administrative
contact was invalid the law firm that answers at the telephone
number listed for the administrative contact has never heard of the
administrative contact, Sally Jocks. Although over three months have
passed, this invalid data still had not been corrected as of the time
of the sending of this letter. Nor have we been advised of the specific
steps (if any) taken by VeriSign to investigate and correct this false
data.
11. nsi-direct.com: On 13 June 2002, we sent you an e-mail asking
VeriSign Registrar to correct inaccurate Whois data in the record for
nsi-direct.com. The administrative contact e-mail address for that registration
is still listed as "no.valid.email@WORLDNIC.NET". We sent a test message
to that address last week it bounced back with an indication
that the address was not valid. Over two months after the initial report,
the invalid data is still being reported in VeriSign's Whois service.
12. city-guide.com: On 18 June 2002, we forwarded to you an
e-mail we had received that indicated that the telephone number for
the contacts for city-guide.com ("813-562-5354") was disconnected.
More than two months later, the telephone number has still not been
updated VeriSign Registrar's Whois listings. Calling the listed
number results in a message that "your call cannot be completed
as dialed."
13. aboutsrichinmoy.com: On 10 July 2002, we sent you an e-mail
reporting an inaccuracy in the Whois data for aboutsrichinmoy.com. As
of today's date, over six weeks later, the registrant mailing
address for that name is still listed as "1 xxx, NY, NY, 11432".
We have not received any indication of the specific steps that VeriSign
Registrar has taken to investigate and correct this clearly false data.
14. stepup.net: On 17 July 2002, we sent you a message indicating
that VeriSign Registrar's Whois database was completely missing
any data for stepup.net. As of today, the registry still reports that
VeriSign Registrar sponsors this domain, but VeriSign Registrar's
Whois server still reports no match. Your server still returns only
the cryptic message "Domain not found locally, but Registry points
back to local DB. Local Whois DB must be out of date."
15 and 16. animerica.com and japanh.com: On 19 July 2002, we
sent you a report indicating that the contact details for animerica.com
and japanh.com were inaccurate. The administrative contact telephone
number for animerica.com was listed as all three's: "333-333-3333".
The administrative contact telephone number for japanh.com was listed
as all one's: "111-111-1111". The fax number was all two's: "222-222-2222".
Each of these numbers (and also the phone number for the technical contact
that they share) is inoperative. This data still had not been corrected
as of the time this letter was being prepared over one month
later.
17. namezero.com: On 29 July 2002, we notified you that VeriSign
Registrar's Whois data for namezero.com (a domain sponsored in the registry
by VeriSign Registrar) was inaccurate. The phone number is listed as
"111-111-1111".) We asked you to investigate and correct this inaccurate
information pursuant to RAA § 3.7.8. It has been over thirty
days and the data still has not been corrected.
As noted above, section 5.3.4 of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement
agreed in May 2001 between VeriSign and ICANN provides that notice of
termination of VeriSign Registrar's accreditation may be given if
these breaches are not cured within fifteen working days.
The pattern of neglect demonstrated by the above circumstances is troubling.
In its May 2001 accreditation agreement (as well as in that agreement's
predecessor), VeriSign agreed to publish complete Whois data, to undertake
reasonable efforts to investigate every notification of Whois data inaccuracy
it receives from any person, and to correct any inaccuracies found. The
above recitation demonstrates that VeriSign Registrar has repeatedly taken
what appears to be a cavalier attitude toward the promises it made.
As outlined in ICANN's recent "Registrar Advisory Concerning
Whois Data Accuracy" http://www.icann.org/announcements/advisory-10may02.htm,
registrars have a vital role in maintaining the accuracy of Whois data.
We believe that advisory gives valuable guidance to registrars how they
can act responsibly toward the public as well as complying with their
contractual obligations. VeriSign Registrar's conduct has fallen
far short of both its responsibilities to the public and its agreements.
We therefore provide this formal notice of breach of VeriSign Registrar's
accreditation agreement with ICANN.
ICANN's goal in this matter is to promote accuracy of Whois data,
which requires cooperative efforts by VeriSign Registrar in meeting its
obligations. We hope that VeriSign Registrar will act promptly to cure
the breaches outlined in this letter, and will become more responsive
and cooperative in dealing with data inaccuracies as they are discovered.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Best regards,
Louis Touton
Vice-President and General Counsel
ICANN
cc: W.G. Champion Mitchell, Executive Vice President and General Manager,
VeriSign Mass Markets Division (by e-mail)
Bobby Turnage, Esq., VeriSign, Inc. (by FedEx, fax, and e-mail)
Phil Sbarbaro, Esq., VeriSign, Inc. (by e-mail)
Stuart Lynn, President and CEO, ICANN (by e-mail)
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04-Sep-2002
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