In a new policy report, a Task Force of the Names Council (a
body which is part of ICANN's own Domain Name Supporting
Organisation, or DNSO), identifies problems with the WHOIS
database, the database that contains details of those who register
.com, .net and .org web sites.
The issues to be addressed mainly include privacy and protection
of data subjects, the costs of maintaining accurate data and the
conditions for access to the database. The WHOIS database has long
been seen as a popular source of e-mail addresses for those who
send spam.
Significantly, the report suggests that ICANN should take
measures to eliminate any access to WHOIS data for bulk marketing
purposes. It also includes a proposal that registrars should charge
an annual fee of up to $10,000 for legitimate bulk access to these
data.
The report also urges ICANN to require domain name registrants
to review and validate their contact details when renewing their
registrations with registrar organisations. According to the
report, ICANN should also ask registrars to identify, by a certain
date, a reliable contact point to receive and act upon reports of
false WHOIS data.
The proposals included in the report are open to public comment
until 8th December.
The DNSO Names Council's WHOIS Task Force report on Accuracy and
Bulk Access can be found at:
www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-01dec02.htm
