ICANN: Proposed Implementation of GNSO Thick RDDS (Whois) Transition Policy for .COM, .NET and .JOBS

26 Nov 2016 - 15 Dec 2016

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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is seeking public comment on the proposed implementation of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Thick Whois Policy Development Process (PDP) recommendation requiring the provision of thick Whois services for all registries of generic top level domains (gTLDs). As the registries for .com. .net, and .jobs are the only ones currently providing thin Whois services, the proposed implementation policy concerns them.

The difference between thin and thick registration data is described by ICANN as follows:

  • Thin (Registration): domain name for which the registry operator maintains and provides only technical information (e.g., name servers, statuses, creation date) and the sponsoring registrar associated with the domain name. Contact information for these domain names is maintained by the sponsoring registrar.
  • Thick (Registration): domain name for which the registry operator stores all the registration data elements that enable it to comply with WHOIS (available via port 43) and web-based directory services requirements.

The implementation proposal under public comment requires the registry operators to deploy an EPP mechanism and an alternative bulk transfer mechanism for registrars to migrate registration data for Existing Domain Names so that Registrars can migrate to the relevant registry operator all required fields of Existing Domain Names that are available in the registrar database that enable the registry operator to comply with WHOIS and web-based directory services requirements. Two implementation dates are also proposed:

  • New Registration: All new domain name registrations MUST be submitted as Thick starting as of 1 May 2018 at the latest.
  • Existing Registration: All registration data for Existing Domain Names must have been migrated from Thin to Thick by 1 February 2019 at the latest.

To contribute to this consultation, visit the dedicated webpage. 

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