ICANN's new registration data directory services takes effect 2017

ITRealms:

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has unveiled new Registration Data Directory Services (RDDS) effective by 1 February 2017, reports ITRealms.

This latest services, ITRealms gathered is specific for the generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) contracted parties; Registries and registrars are required to implement the new Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) gTLD Profile.

ICANN also said that registries must implement the data specifications defined in the Registry Registration Data Directory Services based on Consistent Labeling and Display Policy.

ITRealms equally reports that the RDAP gTLD Profile and the RDDS Consistent Labeling and Display Policy are the products of community efforts to improve the current system used to discover who controls a domain name, comprising data retrieval protocols – WHOIS and a web-based version of WHOIS – and databases controlled by registries and registrars that contain domain registration information.

Contracted parties, ITRealms further gathered, have been notified by ICANN that they are responsible for modifying their systems within six months, stressing that ICANN consulted these parties when defining the new requirements and implementation plans.

ITRealms recalls that the Registration Data Access Protocol was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force to eventually replace the WHOIS protocol. This new protocol is superior to WHOIS in terms of data access security, support for international characters, extensibility, and in the standardization of query, response and error messages. The RDAP gTLD Profile maps ICANN policy and contractual requirements onto technical requirements in order to standardize directory services across gTLD contracted parties.

The RDDS Consistent Labeling and Display Policy is a Consensus Policy developed and adopted in accordance with ICANN Bylaws. The policy is the result of recommendations adopted by the GNSO Council after the completion of the Thick WHOIS Policy Development Process. The ICANN board adopted these recommendations on 7 February 2014.

While the goal of the RDDS Consistent Labeling and Display Policy is to align the way registries and registrars label and display registration data outputs. The policy uses the output specifications found in the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement as the standard, thus only registries need to update their systems. Changes might include renaming or re-ordering fields and displaying additional data, such as registrar abuse contact information.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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