<s>
A	O
NIC	B-Protocol
handle	I-Protocol
(	O
Network	B-Protocol
Information	I-Protocol
Centre	I-Protocol
handle	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
unique	O
alphanumeric	O
character	O
sequence	O
that	O
represents	O
an	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
databases	O
maintained	O
by	O
Network	B-Protocol
Information	I-Protocol
Centres	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
new	O
domain	O
name	O
is	O
registered	O
with	O
a	O
domain	B-Application
name	I-Application
registrar	I-Application
,	O
a	O
NIC	B-Protocol
handle	I-Protocol
is	O
assigned	O
by	O
the	O
registrar	O
to	O
the	O
particular	O
set	O
of	O
information	O
associated	O
with	O
that	O
domain	O
name	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
who	O
registered	O
it	O
and	O
a	O
contact	O
e-mail	O
address	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
a	O
domain	O
name	O
has	O
been	O
registered	O
,	O
its	O
NIC	B-Protocol
handle	I-Protocol
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
search	O
for	O
that	O
record	O
in	O
the	O
database	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
NIC	B-Protocol
handle	I-Protocol
was	O
developed	O
in	O
1982	O
by	O
Ken	O
Harrenstien	O
and	O
Vic	O
White	O
working	O
at	O
the	O
early	O
Network	B-Protocol
Information	I-Protocol
Center	I-Protocol
at	O
SRI	O
International	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
NIC	B-Protocol
Handle	I-Protocol
system	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
commonly	O
used	O
by	O
domain	B-Protocol
name	I-Protocol
registries	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
previously	O
possible	O
to	O
query	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
by	O
NIC	B-Protocol
handle	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
see	O
all	O
the	O
domains	O
registered	O
by	O
that	O
NIC	B-Protocol
handle	I-Protocol
,	O
but	O
this	O
service	O
was	O
discontinued	O
(	O
presumably	O
due	O
to	O
spam	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NIC	B-Protocol
Handles	I-Protocol
are	O
still	O
used	O
extensively	O
in	O
the	O
to	O
identify	O
people	O
and	O
business	O
roles	O
.	O
</s>
