ICANN Defers Action on WHOIS Database

A controversial proposal to limit access to information about domain name owners was tabled by a committee of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The committee voted on October 30, 2007 to defer implementing policy changes that could eliminate or otherwise limit access to some or all of the data on domain name owners that is currently available to the public on the WHOIS database. The committee voted instead to continue studying the proposed changes.

Privacy advocates are concerned that the WHOIS database does not adequately protect the privacy of individual registrants, while businesses and other owners of intellectual property argue that limiting the availability of WHOIS data will impair their ability to manage, police and protect their intellectual property rights. Click here for an AP article providing more details on the issues under debate.