Registration Directory Service Review (RDS)
Under the Bylaws (Section 4.6(e)), ICANN is committed to a periodic review of the effectiveness of the generic top-level domain (gTLD) registry directory service (RDS) and whether its implementation meets the legitimate needs of law enforcement, promotes consumer trust, and safeguards registrant data.
The ICANN organization (org) has conducted two iterations of the Registration Directory Service (RDS, formerly known as WHOIS) Review and is in the process of implementing RDS-WHOIS2 recommendations the Board approved in February 2020. For more information on RDS-WHOIS2 Review work, see here.
The Board took action on 22 September 2022 to defer the Third Review of the Registration Directory Service (RDS3). See the Board resolution here.
Click here to learn more about ICANN Reviews.
Implementation of RDS-WHOIS2 Recommendations
On 25 February 2020, the Board took action on each of the 22 recommendations. As noted in its resolution and the associated Scorecard, the Board resolved to:
- Approve 15 recommendations (R1.1, R1.2, R1.3, R3.1, R3.2, R10.2, R11.2, R12.1, R15.1, LE.1, LE.2, CC.1, CC.2, CC.3), in whole or in part, subject to prioritization;
- Reject two recommendations (R11.1, BY1);
- Place four recommendations (R4.1, R4.2, R5.1, R10.1) into pending further Board action status;
- Pass through two recommendations to the GNSO, in whole (CC.4) or in part (CC.1).
- Prioritization of Board approved recommendations considered eligible for prioritization was completed in May 2022.
The table below provides information relating to the implementation of Board approved recommendations. Implementation status of recommendations should be understood as follows:
- Complete: a recommendation implemented in full and for which implementation documentation is available.
- In progress: a recommendation for which work has started to address deliverables identified during the implementation design. Implementation design is the preparatory phase for implementation during which a cross-functional project team develops guidelines that include deliverables for implementation, costing out resources, risk assessment, as well as an inventory of existing work etc.
- Not started: Work has not started because of a dependency on another recommendation and/or process.
Where available, the priority level assigned by the community (where P1 corresponds to the highest priority and P4 to the lowest) is inserted in the table below. For more information on prioritization, see here.
|
Rec # |
Implementation Status |
Priority Level Assigned by the Community |
Description |
Notes |
|
R1.1 |
Complete |
n/a |
To ensure that RDS (WHOIS) is treated as a strategic priority, the ICANN Board should put into place a forward-looking mechanism to monitor possible impacts on the RDS (WHOIS) from legislative and policy developments around the world. |
|
|
R1.2 |
Complete |
n/a |
To support this mechanism, the ICANN Board should instruct the ICANN org to assign responsibility for monitoring legislative and policy developments around the world and to provide regular updates to the ICANN Board. |
|
|
R1.3 |
Complete |
P4 |
The ICANN Board, in drafting the charter of a Board working group on RDS, should ensure the necessary transparency of the group's work, such as providing records of meetings and meeting minutes, to enable future review of its activities. |
|
|
R3.1 |
In progress |
P4 |
The ICANN Board should direct ICANN org to update all of the information related to RDS (WHOIS) and by implication other information related to the registration of second-level gTLDs. The content should be revised to make the information readily accessible and understandable, and it should provide details of when and how to interact with ICANN org or contracted parties. [...] |
N/A |
|
R3.2 |
Not started |
Not eligible for prioritization |
With community input, the ICANN Board should instruct ICANN org to identify groups outside of those that routinely engage with ICANN org, and these should be targeted through RDS (WHOIS) outreach. An RDS (WHOIS) outreach plan should then be developed, executed, and documented. [...] |
As the GNSO's Expedited Policy Development Process on Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data (EPDP) and the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) phased implementation could impact the information or the messaging to be delivered by ICANN to new target groups, work will begin as soon as the dependency on outcomes of the EPDP has been resolved. |
|
R10.2 |
Not started |
Not eligible for prioritization |
Reviewing the effectiveness of the implementation of WHOIS1 Recommendation 10 should be deferred. The ICANN Board should recommend that review be carried out by the next RDS (WHOIS) Review Team after the Privacy and Proxy Services Accreditation Issues (PPSAI) policy is implemented. |
The Board approved the ATRT3 recommendation to suspend any further RDS Reviews pending the outcome of the next ATRT, subject to prioritization and community agreement to the related Bylaw changes. |
|
R11.2 |
Complete |
P4 |
The ICANN Board should direct ICANN org to ensure that the common interface displays all applicable output for each gTLD domain name registration as available from contracted parties, including multiple versions when the outputs from registry and registrar differ. The common interface should be updated to address any policy or contractual changes to maintain full functionality. |
|
|
R12.1 |
Not started |
Not eligible for prioritization |
Reviewing the effectiveness of the implementation of Recs #12-14 should be deferred. The ICANN Board should recommend that review to be carried out by the next RDS Review Team after RDAP is implemented, and the translation and transliteration of the registration data launches. |
The Board approved the ATRT3 recommendation to suspend any further RDS Reviews pending the outcome of the next ATRT, subject to prioritization and community agreement to the related Bylaw changes. |
|
R15.1 |
Complete |
P4 |
The ICANN Board should ensure that implementation of RDS-WHOIS2 Review Team recommendations is based on best practice project management methodology, ensuring that plans and implementation reports clearly address progress, and applicable metrics and tracking tools are used for effectiveness and impact evaluation. |
|
|
LE.1 |
Complete |
P4 |
The ICANN Board should resolve that ICANN org conduct regular data gathering through surveys and studies to inform a future assessment of the effectiveness of RDS (WHOIS) in meeting the needs of law enforcement. This will also aid future policy development (including the current Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data Expedited Policy Development Process and related efforts). |
|
|
LE.2 |
Complete |
P4 |
The ICANN Board should consider conducting comparable surveys and/or studies (as described in LE.1) with other RDS (WHOIS) users working with law enforcement on a regular basis. |
|
|
SG.1 |
Not started |
P2 |
The ICANN Board should require that the ICANN org, in consultation with data security and privacy expert(s), ensure that all contracts with contracted parties (to include Privacy/Proxy services when such contracts exist) include uniform and strong requirements for the protection of registrant data and for ICANN to be notified in the event of any data breach. The data security expert(s) should also consider and advise on what level or magnitude of breach warrants such notification. [...] |
This will be included in the next round of contractual negotiations with the contracted parties, insofar as it relates to ICANN receiving notification of data breaches in circumstances that threaten to undermine the stability, security, and resiliency of the Internet's DNS. |
|
CC.1 |
Not started |
P4 |
The ICANN Board should initiate action intended to ensure that gTLD domain names suspended due to RDS (WHOIS) contact data which the registrar knows to be incorrect, and that remains incorrect until the registration is due for deletion, should be treated as follows: (1) The RDS (WHOIS) record should include a notation that the domain name is suspended due to incorrect data; and (2) Domain names with this notation should not be unsuspended without correcting the data. |
This recommendation was approved in part and is to be included in the next round of contractual negotiations with the contracted parties. The Board passed through this recommendation to the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council to consider as a future policy development process. In its 3 July 2020 response, GNSO Council indicated that: "it will ensure Recommendation CC.1 is included for consideration in due course, if this item has not been addressed in the next round of contractual negotiations between ICANN org and the Contracted Parties (as directed by the Board)". |
|
CC.2 |
In progress |
Not eligible for prioritization |
The ICANN Board should initiate action intended to ensure that all gTLD domain name registration directory entries contain at least one full set of either registrant or admin contact details comparable to those required for new registrations under the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) (or any subsequent version thereof) or applicable policies. |
This work will be included in the implementation of EPDP Phase 1 – Registration Data Policy for gTLDs, which addresses the collection, transfer, and publication of gTLD registration data. The Public Comment on the implementation plan for the Registration Data Policy will close in Q4 2022 – with an estimated implementation time frame beginning in Q2 2023. ICANN org anticipates Recommendation CC.2 to complete once the registration data policy is published in Q2 2023. |
|
CC.3 |
Complete |
n/a |
The ICANN Board should take steps to ensure that ICANN Contractual Compliance is adequately resourced factoring in any increase in work due to additional work required due to compliance with GDPR or other legislation/regulation. |
*This updated table reflects current and reclassified implementation status categories of "Complete", "In Progress", and "Not started". Previously, it showed implementation design status. Because of this update, the status of some recommendations may have changed from prior reporting to now represent their implementation status.
Quarterly Update on Specific Reviews
ICANN Specific Reviews Q4 2022 Quarterly Report (31 December 2022)
Review Progress and Milestones
The graphic below illustrates phases and status of each review - a 
indicates that all activities within a given phase have been completed. The chart that follows the graphic provides further details of key activities and milestones within each phase – you can view these details by clicking on each of the phases in the graphic. The table also contains links to relevant documents.
| Phase | Activity | Description | Start Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct Review | Call for Volunteers | Public announcement inviting volunteers to submit application | 28 Oct 2016 | |
| Call for Volunteers Extension | Application extended for the Registration Directory Service Review Team | 6 Dec 2016 | ||
| Call for Volunteers Deadline | Deadline extension for the Registration Directory Service Review Team | 11 Jan 2017 | ||
| Call for Volunteers Deadline | Deadline extension for the Registration Directory Service Review Team | 22 Feb 2017 | ||
| Appointment of Board Designee | Board appoints a member to the RDS Review Team | 3 Feb 2017 | ||
| Review Team Announced | Selection of the Registration Directory Service (RDS/WHOIS2-RT) Review Team Members Announced | 2 Jun 2017 | ||
| Terms of Reference | Terms of Reference and Work Plan submitted to ICANN Board. | 9 Feb 2018 | ||
| Draft Report | Registration Directory Service (RDS) - WHOIS2 Review Draft report | 4 Sep 2018 | ||
| Public Comment Extended | Public Comment period extended for the Draft Report of Recommendations | 6 Nov 2018 | ||
| Final Report | Registration Directory Service (RDS)-WHOIS2 Review Final Report | 3 Sep 2019 | ||
| RDS Final Report Executive Summary | Executive summary of the RDS Final Report | 3 Sep 2019 | ||
| Draft Report & Recommendations Public Comment | Public Comment period for the Review Team's draft report of recommendations | 4 Sep 2018 | ||
| Board Action* | Public Comment on Final Report | Final report and recommendations posted for Public Comment | 8 Oct 2019 | |
| Board Action on Recommendations | Board takes action on 22 recommendations | 25 Feb 2020 | ||
| Deferral of Third RDS Review | Deferral of the Third Review of the Registration Directory Service (RDS3) | 22 Sep 2022 |
*Some recommendations are pending Board consideration and/or prioritization. See above for more information.
For information on the first WHOIS Review, click here: RDS1. For more information on Registration Data, please visit our Registration Data at ICANN page.