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