Verisign given 15 days to correct whois inaccuracies

**fizz** · 09-06-2002, 02:07 PM

By Scarlet Pruitt, IDG News Service

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) threatened to strip Verisign Inc of its ability to sell ".com" domain names Tuesday if the registrar does not clean up inaccuracies in the public database that records who owns which Web sites.

ICANN, the nonprofit group that oversees matters relating to the Internet addressing system, gave VeriSign 15 working days to correct inaccuracies in the "Whois" database, saying that the leading registrar has "exhibited a pattern of persistent violations."

Although the regulatory body said that nearly all of the 150 accredited registrars complied with requests to correct inaccurate information in their Whois records, VeriSign repeatedly ignored ICANN's requests, forcing it to take more stringent measures.

ICANN flagged 17 specific inaccuracies in the database, and said that it would give notice of the termination of VeriSign's domain accreditation agreement if the corrections weren't made within the deadline of 15 working days. VeriSign may then choose to initiate arbitration against the action, ICANN said.

VeriSign Spokesman Brian O'Shaughnessy said Wednesday that the company "absolutely" plans to comply with the order, but added that "holding 17 examples out of an active database of 10.3 million domain names is not a pattern and shouldn't be characterized as one."

The Whois database is used to record information on who owns which Web sites, providing the relevant contact details, as well as allowing the public to verify whether a domain name is available or not. Saying that the database is an important consumer tool, ICANN said that it would take the necessary measures to ensure its accuracy.

**Luc** · 09-06-2002, 02:49 PM

Hopefully they won't make the dead line and are banned from registering .coms.

Mmmm. I'm dreaming... but it would be nice

**Anthony Ng** · 09-06-2002, 04:16 PM

Please check out an earlier thread:

http://www.dnforum.com/f17/icann-threatens-verisign-thread-5259.html

**Whois-Search** · 09-06-2002, 06:47 PM

At Least ! cool

**Who-Wiz** · 09-06-2002, 11:58 PM

There are TONS of "no.valid.email@" in Verisign's records. One guy I've been talking to about getting web design work done has a domain with the same "no.valid.email@WORLDNIC.net" address.

I'd like to know how those happened. Gotta ask him sometime.

~ W|Z

**mole** · 09-07-2002, 12:06 AM

Originally posted by Who-Wiz
There are TONS of "no.valid.email@" in Verisign's records.

Names ripe for swiping?

**RON2** · 09-07-2002, 01:14 AM

15 days to clean up millions of database records! Haha! I hope Ican actually follows through on their threat!

**Luc** · 09-07-2002, 07:00 AM

I sure hope so. And it better not be a temporary ban, ban them forever!

09-07-2002, 07:46 AM

Originally posted by -RJ-
15 days to clean up millions of database records! Haha! I hope Ican actually follows through on their threat!

Remember they only have to address domains that have had formal complaints filed against them. I susect that number is very small at this time relative to the total number of problems they are facing.

-t

**DotComster** · 09-07-2002, 08:59 AM

LOL

Really - LOL!!!
NetSol "inacurate" LOL!!
they might change - LOL!!

Sorry - LOL!!

**Luc** · 09-07-2002, 09:02 AM

There is a report link on ICANNs site which you can use to
report inaccurate whois info.

I reported a bunch of names I found that were registered
with Verisign.

Maybe this will do something..

Luc L.

**deist** · 09-07-2002, 06:58 PM

some of the domains cited in ICANN's threat STILL have erroneous information as of my posting this...

is the 18th the fifteenth day? should we have a countdown party in the dnforum chatroom on the last hours of that day?

**Luc** · 09-07-2002, 07:00 PM

Countdown party sounds good!

**draqon** · 09-07-2002, 09:32 PM

it would be cool if someone hijacked one of those domains they were supposed to correct the information for, and then set up a little site making fun of NSI. it sure would make them look stupid.

**Luc** · 09-07-2002, 09:33 PM

make them look more stupid then they already are?

i dunno if that's possible

09-14-2002, 07:21 AM

Verisign responds. If they have to work this hard for all the domains they have on record with bad contact information, they will be very, very busy.

September 11, 2002

Mr. Louis Touton, Esq.
Vice President and General Counsel
lCANN
4676 Admiralty Way. Suite 330
Marina del Rey, CA 90292

Dear Mr. Touton:

We are in receipt of your letter of September 3, 2002, alerting the Network Solutionsâ€™ Registrar to 17 domain name registrations that have inaccuracies within their WhoIs records. We are in the process of addressing each of these registrations. To date, we have initiated customer breach letters to 13 registrants. We also have deleted 3 of the domain name registrations for not timely complying with our notice to them. Finally, several of the domain name registrations have already been updated, wrth the remainder to be resolved by COB on September 15, 2002.

Beginning on September 16, 2002. we will have 8 more streamlined process ro report inaccurate Whols Inforrnation. Please have your staff submit reports of inaccurate information to the email address <[omitted]>. The team that handles these issues will monitor the emails received and address these reports in an expeditious manner.

Once all of these 17 domain name registrations are resolved, we will inform you of the results in detail.

Yours truly,

W. G. Charnplon Mitchell
Executive Vice President and General Manager
Mass Markets Division

-t