By Margie Milam, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives
In October ICANN’s President & CEO, Fadi Chehadé, announced an ambitious plan for tackling one of ICANN’s most controversial issues—WHOIS. Undeterred by the decade’s long debate, and encouraged by the WHOIS Review Team’s Report, he challenged the notion that WHOIS couldn’t be fixed, and instead suggested a fresh approach. In line with this vision, the ICANN Board approved a two-pronged strategy to adopt the WHOIS Review Team (RT)’s recommendations to fully enforce the existing WHOIS policy and to follow the SSAC’s recommendations to redefine the purpose and scope of data directory services. When complete, ICANN hopes to transform the current antiquated WHOIS system into one that is better suited for the needs of tomorrow’s Internet.
I’d like to share with you some information on ICANN’s progress on these WHOIS-related activities.
Execution of the WHOIS RT Recommendations. The Board’s November WHOIS resolution prioritized and kicked-off a series of activities throughout ICANN—involving the Board, Staff, registrars, registries, the GNSO, At-Large and other interested community members— to implement the WHOIS RT Recommendations. Highlights include:
- Reshaping online services. Chris Gift, ICANN’s newly appointed Vice President of Online Community Services, has been tapped by Fadi to, among other duties, create an "information portal" that will be a one-stop shop for WHOIS related inquiries targeted at helping consumers understand and use WHOIS. The portal is to include WHOIS look-ups for both thin and thick registries, and links to educational materials and a compilation of WHOIS policy and provisions. This department also will build tools to statistically sample and report on WHOIS accuracy as part of a new effort to increase data accuracy and create accuracy metrics, as recommended by the WHOIS-RT. Research and planning are under way for both of these key initiatives.
- Enhanced Contractual Framework supporting WHOIS. The WHOIS RT noted areas where existing contracts could be enhanced to better support enforcement of current WHOIS obligations, improve accuracy, and issues related to privacy services. In response to these recommendations, ICANN has proposed amendments to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) that include:
- WHOIS Accuracy Specification requiring validation and verification of certain WHOIS data fields.
- Specification on Privacy/Proxy Services that sets minimum requirements (escrow, relay requirements, abuse point of contact, and disclosure of service terms) for services offered by Registrar or its resellers.
- WHOIS Specification describing a minimum Service Level Agreement for WHOIS Port 43 requirements and a commitment to adopt the IETF’s WEIRDS protocol after publication by IETF, which is expected to accommodate IDN WHOIS records.
- Registrant Rights and Responsibilities Specification, that is to be accompanied by significant media outreach, to educate & informs registrants of their obligations to maintain the accuracy of their WHOIS records.
- 2013 RAA to be a Requirement for New GTLDs, in furtherance of ICANN’s commitment to make WHOIS a strategic priority.
- ICANN Compliance efforts to enforce WHOIS obligations. The WHOIS RT offered recommendations to improve ICANN Compliance Team’s structure, communications, and enforcement of WHOIS obligations. Substantial progress has been made. Highlights include:
- Reinforcing WHOIS Compliance as a priority by moving Compliance directly under the CEO.
- A New Consolidated Complaint Management System that improves both the user experience and the compliance operations; phase one was launched this week with WHOIS inaccuracy as a priority.
- Completed rollout of Compliance Process to WHOIS complaints processing; this improved processing quality and efforts, including shortening complaint resolution time.
- Launched an Audit Program that includes review of inaccuracy responses and WHOIS data elements "population," among other elements.
- Increased compliance updates and published the Annual Report
A more complete description of the implementation activities is contained in the table below and detailed program reporting will be regularly issued to enable the community to track the progress of these activities.
Under Development: Next Generation Data Directory Services
In December, ICANN launched a new effort to replace the current WHOIS system with a call for volunteers to serve on an Expert Working Group. After an exhaustive search, the members of the Expert Working Group were announced, and each of them brings extraordinary expertise, leadership and consensus building skills. Led by Jean Francois Baril, the Expert Working Group will start from scratch, and take a fresh look at what the ideal data directory services might be. This effort is expected to produce a model for a replacement system—referred to as the "Next Generation Data Directory Services"—that is to take into account data accuracy and access issues, while at the same time including appropriate safeguards for privacy. The outcome of the Expert Working Group is to serve as a foundation for the GNSO’s creation of new consensus policy (and requisite contract changes, as appropriate), as requested by the ICANN Board.
The Expert Working Group met for two days in Los Angeles, and met again for another two days in London, prior to convening once again in Beijing. For more information on the group’s activities, including meeting reports, please visit the Expert Working Group’s Wiki: or attend the session in Beijing on Monday April for the latest developments regarding this key project.
We will continue to keep you updated on implementation of the WHOIS Review Team recommendations and the Expert Working Group’s progress, and look forward to receiving your input in Beijing, online and in future webinars.
Implementation of WHOIS Review Team Recommendations
| Recommendation |
Summary |
Specific Details |
More Information |
|
| 1 |
WHOIS as a Strategic Priority |
Cross-functional Teams established to address all aspects of WHOIS RT Recommendations |
|
Vice President of Compliance (Maguy Serad) appointed to report directly to the CEO |
| CEO overseeing improvements to enforcement of contracts |
|
Draft RAA Public Comment 7-28 Mar 2013: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/proposed-raa-07mar13-en.htm |
||
| Expert Working Group launched by Board to Develop Next Generation Data Directory Services |
|
Preliminary Issue Report Public Comment Forum 15 March- 19 April 2013) http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/gtld-registration-data-15mar13-en.htm |
||
| 2 |
Single WHOIS Policy |
Single Webpage for ICANN WHOIS Policies and Provisions |
Webpage under development |
Work is in progress on the creation of this webpage, with planned completion by April 2013 |
| 3 |
Outreach -- ICANN should ensure that WHOIS policy issues are accompanied by cross-community outreach. |
Comprehensive educational outreach plans under development |
Draft 2013 RAA includes requirements to link to Registrant Rights & Responsibilities Document, written in simple language to educate registrants on obligations related to WHOIS |
|
| 4 |
Compliance – ICANN should ensure that its compliance function is managed in accordance with best practice principles. |
Improvements to operations and the enforcement of the current obligations on gTLD Whois, and Increased Communications |
Improved Operations and communications in accordance with best practice principles: focus on processes, tools, fact-based decision making and communication |
Mid September 2012
Year-One Audit Program, includes review of:
Improving user experience and Tools
|
| Data Accuracy |
||||
| 5 |
ICANN should ensure that the requirements for accurate WHOIS data are widely and pro-actively communicated. |
Comprehensive educational outreach plan under development; Updates to new gTLD Registry Agreement and Draft 2013 RAA requested to improve WHOIS Accuracy |
Draft 2013 RAA includes requirements to link to Registrant Rights & Responsibilities Specification, written in simple language to educate registrants on obligations related to WHOIS |
Draft 2013 RAA proposes new specifications on WHOIS Accuracy, Privacy/Proxy Services, WHOIS Specification address accuracy related improvements, including verification and validation of certain WHOIS fields. |
| 6 |
ICANN should take appropriate measures to reduce the number of WHOIS registrations that fall into the accuracy groups "Substantial Failure and Full Failure" |
Improvements to the Enforcement of the current obligations on gTLD Whois and Increased Communications to assist in reduction of inaccuracies |
Online data accuracy portal under evaluation for resources & scheduling |
Evaluation of online tools to generate dynamic reports on the completeness and accuracy of Whois (not individual records). |
| 7 |
ICANN to produce and publish an accuracy report focused on measured reduction in WHOIS registrations on an annual basis. |
Online Data Accuracy Tools being scoped to allow for reporting of metrics |
|
|
| 8 |
ICANN should ensure that there is a clear, unambiguous and enforceable chain of contractual agreements. |
New gTLD Agreement and Draft 2013 RAA Posted for Public Comment |
Include enhanced accuracy requirements and commitments to enforce applicable registrant/reseller agreements |
See Draft 2013 RAA Posted for Public Comment http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/proposed-raa-07mar13-en.htm |
| 9 |
Compliance Metrics. Board should ensure that the Compliance Team develop metrics to track the impact of the annual WHOIS Data Reminder Policy (WDRP) notices to registrants. |
Compiling Compliance metrics for reporting and proactive compliance improvements. |
|
|
| 10 |
Data Access – Privacy and Proxy Services – ICANN should initiate processes to regulate and oversee privacy and proxy service providers |
Draft 2013 RAA includes specific commitments for privacy/proxy providers |
Minimal Requirements included in Draft 2013 RAA, to be supplemented by additional requirements from any GNSO PDP |
Draft 2013 RAA proposes new specifications with enforceable contractual commitments on Privacy/Proxy Services. See: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/proposed-raa-07mar13-en.htm |
| 11 |
Data Access – Common Interface. Overhaul of the Internic to provide enhanced usability for consumers, including the display of full registrant data for all gTLD domain names; operational improvements to include enhanced user awareness. |
Informational Portal to revamp the Internic Service proposed, and Communications Plan to be coordinated with launch of Portal |
Informational Portal being scoped, with resources and schedule under evaluation |
Initial plan is due for review by April 7th. Communications plan includes:
|
| Internationalized Domain Names |
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| 12 |
ICANN should task a working group to determine appropriate internationalized domain name registration data requirements and evaluate available solutions |
ICANN will form a community working group to determine appropriate internationalized domain name registration data requirements based on requirements set forth in GNSO internationalized registration data working Group final Report. |
New gTLD Registry Agreement and Draft 2013 RAA include commitments to adopt new internationalized registration data guidelines |
See GNSO Internationalized Registration Data Working Group Final Report |
| 13 |
The final data model, including (any) requirements for the translation or transliteration of the registration data, should be incorporated in relevant Registrar & Registry agreements. |
ICANN will form a community working group to produce a registration data model |
New gTLD Registry Agreement and Draft 2013 RAA include commitments to adopt new internationalized registration data guidelines |
See SAC 054: SSAC Report on the Domain Name Registration Data Model http://www.icann.org/en/groups/ssac/documents/sac-054-en.pdf |
| 14 |
Metrics should be developed to maintain and measure the accuracy of the internationalized registration data and corresponding data in ASCII, with clearly defined compliance methods and targets. |
IDN WHOIS Records to be proactively identified |
Online automated tools to proactively test for accuracy to include IDN WHOIS Records is being scoped and resources and schedule under evaluation |
Initial plan is due for review by April 7th |