FYI: Begin forwarded message: > From: "[log in to unmask]" > <[log in to unmask]> > Date: December 24, 2007 12:40:42 PM PST > To: "council >> 'Council GNSO'" <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: [council] Update: ICANN Projects Underway to Improve Whois > Accuracy > > > [To: council[at]gnso.icann.org; liaison6c[at]gnso.icann.org] > [To: ga[at]gnso.icann.org; announce[at]gnso.icann.org] > [To: regional-liaisons[at]icann.org] > > http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-21dec07.htm > Update: ICANN Projects Underway to Improve Whois Accuracy > > 21 December 2007 > > The following compliance projects, intended to improve Whois data > accuracy and Whois service accessibility, are underway by ICANN. > > I. ICANN Commences Whois Data Accuracy Study > http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-21dec07.htm#I > > II. Registrar Whois Data Reminder Policy Audit > http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-21dec07.htm#II > > III. Registrar Investigation of Whois Inaccuracy Claims Audit > http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-21dec07.htm#III > > IV. Whois Accessibility Study > http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-21dec07.htm#IV > > I. ICANN Commences Whois Data Accuracy Study > > Over the years ICANN constituencies and others have observed > apparent inaccuracies in Whois contact information provided by > registrants when registering and maintaining their domain names. In > an attempt to contribute to community discussion regarding Whois > policy, ICANN has undertaken a study of domain name Whois contact > information accuracy. > > With a great deal of Internet community interest behind it, ICANN > commenced this study in November 2007 by developing a sampling plan > to draw a representative sample of domain names from the gTLD name > population. In consultation with a statistician, ICANN developed > an algorithm to determine the appropriate sample population size – > one that provides acceptable accuracy and certainty levels. In the > first phase of this study, ICANN will select a sample from what is > (for statistical purposes) an infinitely large data base that will > provide a measure of accuracy to +/- 5% with a certainty of 95%. > Staff will then randomly select domain names in accordance with > statistical sampling practices. > > ICANN is currently defining the steps staff will take to determine > the accuracy of Whois contact information associated with each > registered domain name and address within the representative > sample. It is ICANN’s goal to ensure that staff uses practical and > reasonably reliable means to assess accuracy of each data set. > > After finalizing the methodology to determine the Whois data > accuracy of each data set, staff will execute the steps for each > registered domain name within the representative sample. Staff > anticipates several steps will be necessary to determine Whois data > accuracy. Therefore, staff will conduct this study in phases. > ICANN will publish status reports as staff completes work in > connection with each phase of the study. The first report > regarding this study will be published by February 2008. > > II. Registrar Whois Data Reminder Policy Audit > > ICANN adopted the Whois Data Reminder Policy (WDRP), through the > consensus policy process, on 27 March 2003. Partially aided by > staff audit and compliance efforts, there is a very high level of > compliance by registrars with this policy implementation. This is > illustrated by the fact that most registrar activities in > compliance with this requirement are timed to occur coincidentally > with the annual ICANN compliance audit. > > The WDRP requires all Registrars to: > > * present current Whois information to each registrant on an > annual basis. > * request each registrant review the information and if > necessary, make any corrections. > * remind each registrant that the provision of false Whois > information can be grounds for cancellation of their domain name. > > All ICANN-accredited registrars must comply with the WDRP for > registrations they sponsor in all top-level domains for which they > are accredited. > > The WDRP audit requests that all registrars respond to a survey > designed to obtain information regarding registrar compliance with > the WDRP. Additionally, ICANN request registrars to provide a > sample copy of the WDRP notice transmitted to their registrants for > assessment by ICANN staff. Staff determines whether the notice is > compliant with WDRP requirements. > > ICANN transmitted the WDRP survey to ICANN-accredited registrars in > October 2007. Registrars were given until 16 November 2007 to > respond to the WDRP survey and provide a copy of their WDRP > notices. ICANN will publish its 2007 WDRP Report in February 2008. > As has become tradition, ICANN has witnessed registrar compliance > with this contractual requirement, sending the notices to > registrants, within the past few weeks. > > III. Registrar Investigation of Whois Inaccuracy Claims Audit > > ICANN commenced an audit in November 2007 to assess registrar > compliance with Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) > requirements concerning the investigation of Whois inaccuracy > claims filed through ICANN’s Whois Data Problem Report System (WDPRS). > > ICANN’s WDPRS receives and tracks complaints regarding incomplete > or inaccurate Whois data entries. ICANN assesses and reports > annually the WDPRS activity and apparent level of success this tool > has in improving Whois accuracy. As a result, ICANN can make a > preliminary determination as to whether complaints of inaccuracy > are routinely investigated by registrars. This investigation is a > contractual requirement. > > ICANN recently transmitted Notices of Concern to registrars that > appeared to take inadequate action in response to WDPRS complaints. > Prior to sending the notices, staff analyzed complaints and > complainant follow-up correspondence. As an example, the Notices of > Concern included a sample of domain names complainants filed as of > 7 July 2007 that remained unchanged on 7 December 2007. > > Staff requested registrars provide ICANN with details regarding the > steps taken to investigate the claimed inaccuracies as required by > Section 3.7.8 of the RAA. If after analyzing registrar responses > ICANN determines that registrars breached section 3.7.8 of the RAA, > ICANN will issue breach notices to those registrars not in > compliance with this requirement and who have not filed a plan to > cure this failure. ICANN will publish a report regarding the > purpose, methodology and findings concerning the Registrar > Investigation of Whois Inaccuracy Claims Audit by February 2008. > > IV. Registrar Whois Accessibility Audit > > Pursuant to Section 3.3.1 of the RAA, a registrar is required to > provide free port 43 Whois service, allowing the public query-based > access to up-to-date data concerning all active registered gTLD > names under the registrar’s sponsorship. > > To monitor and enforce registrar compliance with port 43 Whois > service requirements, ICANN developed an application to regularly, > and on an ongoing basis, determine if registrars maintain port 43 > Whois service for public use. ICANN’s new application is being used > to conduct a Registrar Whois Accessibility Audit. > > After obtaining gTLD names from VeriSign, ICANN selected up to five > (5) domain names from each unique registrar in the VeriSign Whois > database. [1] ICANN used the domain names selected to query the > Whois servers of 850 registrars to determine if the registrars were > providing free port 43 Whois service as required by the RAA. > Responses to ICANN’s queries were divided into five (5) categories. > [2] The first query revealed that 745 registrars returned “good” > responses indicating that the Whois service for those 745 > registrars was available to the public at the time of the query. > ICANN is examining the responses that were not returned “good” and > where appropriate, informing registrars of port 43 Whois service > violations. To monitor whether registrars’ port 43 Whois services > are functioning in conformance with RAA requirements, ICANN will > commence regular, weekly queries and inform registrars when port 43 > Whois service violations are observed. A report regarding the > Registrar Whois Accessibility Audit will be published in February > 2008. > -- > Glen de Saint Géry > GNSO Secretariat - ICANN > gnso.secretariat[at]gnso.icann.org > http://gnso.icann.org IP JUSTICE Robin Gross, Executive Director 1192 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 USA p: +1-415-553-6261 f: +1-415-462-6451 w: http://www.ipjustice.org e: [log in to unmask]