Inaccurate Whois Reporting Process

This article outlines the process for reporting inaccurate Whois information for a domain name. It clarifies that while domain owners must keep their records updated, and registrars must investigate inaccuracies, services like Whois privacy protection are permitted. The process involves submitting a complaint to the registrar (Trustname) or directly to ICANN Compliance.

Key Takeaways

• Reporting Responsibility - Domain owners must maintain accurate Whois details, while we are required to investigate all valid claims of inaccuracy submitted through our Abuse Report Form.
• How to File a Complaint - Users should include specific evidence like email bounces, disconnected phone lines, or returned mail to demonstrate that Whois data is invalid.
• Privacy and Proxy Services - We cannot act on reports involving Whois privacy or proxy services, as ICANN permits their legitimate use under approved terms.
• Investigation Process - Once a report is received, we issue a case number, review the data, and request the domain registrant to correct or confirm their contact details.
• Our Compliance and Role - Our actions are governed by ICANN and Estonian law; we ensure data accuracy within our authority but cannot intervene in unrelated domain or content issues.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Key Takeaways
• Definition
• Your Action Plan
• What Will Happen
• Please Keep In Mind
• Remember

Definition

Domain owners are required to keep their Whois records up to date; registrars are tasked with ensuring that their customers do so and investigating all claims of inaccuracy. When there is a mistake in a Whois record, you can report that to the registrar.

Your Action Plan

Please submit your complaint Abuse Report Form - Inaccurate Whois, making sure to include the specific information that is incorrect. Because the registrant is not required to respond to an email, phone, or postal request, we will need clear evidence that the email is invalid (such as a bounce), the phone is invalid (such as a disconnect), or the mail was returned as undeliverable.

You may also submit your complaint directly to ICAAN Compliance.

Whois privacy protection and proxy services such as Harakiri are allowed according to their TOS and agreement with a user (actual domain registrant). The reports related to this kind of inaccurate Whois data will be ignored as ICANN allows the use of such services.

What Will Happen

 Upon receipt of such a request via our Abuse Report Form, Trustname will :

1. Respond with a case number.
2. Investigate your complaint, asking the current registrant to update or confirm their current Whois information.
3. Add the site and the category, date, and resolution of your complaint to our internal database. Your personal information will not be recorded there.

Please Keep In Mind

• We cannot guarantee any particular outcome, but we will review your complaint and contact you only if necessary.
• Your complaint will be evaluated on its merits and addressed as appropriate.
• You will not receive any updates regarding the evaluation or outcome of the complaint. It is entirely at the discretion of the domain registrant whether or not to respond to you.
• We reserve the right to use your complaint to prove abuse to our customer, if necessary.
• Complaints are tracked by our team for the purpose of improving anti-abuse processes and mitigating threats.
• If you submit your report using the Abuse Report Form, you will not receive further notification of receipt for additional submissions from your email address within 24 hours.
• The support code to submit this type of abuse report is S7Q-WHOIS-Y9W.

Remember

• Limited Role – Domain name Registrars, such as Trustname, only maintain the system of domain names (example.org) that uniquely identify websites. They are not responsible for the content of the sites to which those domain names point. This means that if you dislike a site or its content, you should first contact the domain owner, then the service that hosts the site (web hosting service), and, if necessary, your local law enforcement authorities. As a domain Registrar, we can only act on court orders issued by or domesticated in the courts of Estonia, Germany, Canada, or the United States.
• ICANN Compliance – According to the ICANN Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) and Estonian law, as a Registrar, we are not authorized to take independent action against a domain based on third-party allegations. The responsibility for content and activities related to a domain lies with its administrator. However, in accordance with our role as an accredited Registrar, we will take action against a domain administrator if we receive a valid court order or a request from an ICANN-recognized authority.
• Our responsibilities – As a Registrar , include addressing issues such as Botnets, Malware, Pharming, Phishing, Spam, DNS security threats, and trademark infringement, as detailed by ICANN refer to. For more information and our recommended solutions to these issues, please take a look at the related articles on ICANN's website.