<s>
WHOIS	B-Protocol
(	O
pronounced	O
as	O
the	O
phrase	O
"	O
who	O
is	O
"	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
query	O
and	O
response	O
protocol	O
that	O
is	O
widely	O
used	O
for	O
querying	O
databases	O
that	O
store	O
the	O
registered	O
users	O
or	O
assignees	O
of	O
an	O
Internet	O
resource	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
domain	O
name	O
,	O
an	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
block	O
or	O
an	O
autonomous	B-Architecture
system	I-Architecture
,	O
but	O
is	O
also	O
used	O
for	O
a	O
wider	O
range	O
of	O
other	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
current	O
iteration	O
of	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
protocol	O
was	O
drafted	O
by	O
the	O
Internet	O
Society	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
documented	O
in	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whois	B-Protocol
is	O
also	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
the	O
command-line	B-Application
utility	O
on	O
most	O
UNIX	B-Application
systems	I-Application
used	O
to	O
make	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
protocol	O
queries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
has	O
a	O
sister	O
protocol	O
called	O
Referral	O
Whois	B-Protocol
(	O
RWhois	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Elizabeth	O
Feinler	O
and	O
her	O
team	O
(	O
who	O
had	O
created	O
the	O
Resource	O
Directory	O
for	O
ARPANET	O
)	O
were	O
responsible	O
for	O
creating	O
the	O
first	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
directory	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1970s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Feinler	O
set	O
up	O
a	O
server	O
in	O
Stanford	O
's	O
Network	B-Protocol
Information	I-Protocol
Center	I-Protocol
(	O
NIC	O
)	O
which	O
acted	O
as	O
a	O
directory	O
that	O
could	O
retrieve	O
relevant	O
information	O
about	O
people	O
or	O
entities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
and	O
the	O
team	O
created	O
domains	B-Protocol
,	O
with	O
Feinler	O
's	O
suggestion	O
that	O
domains	B-Protocol
be	O
divided	O
into	O
categories	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
physical	O
address	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WHOIS	B-Protocol
was	O
standardized	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1980s	O
to	O
look	O
up	O
domains	B-Protocol
,	O
people	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
resources	O
related	O
to	O
domain	O
and	O
number	O
registrations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
all	O
registration	O
was	O
done	O
by	O
one	O
organization	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
,	O
one	O
centralized	O
server	O
was	O
used	O
for	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
queries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
UUNET	O
began	O
offering	O
domain	O
registration	O
service	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
they	O
simply	O
handled	O
the	O
paperwork	O
which	O
they	O
forwarded	O
to	O
the	O
DARPA	O
Network	B-Protocol
Information	I-Protocol
Center	I-Protocol
(	O
NIC	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
20th	O
century	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
servers	O
were	O
highly	O
permissive	O
and	O
would	O
allow	O
wild-card	O
searches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
query	O
of	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
last	O
name	O
would	O
yield	O
all	O
individuals	O
with	O
that	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
query	O
with	O
a	O
given	O
keyword	O
returned	O
all	O
registered	O
domains	B-Protocol
containing	O
that	O
keyword	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
query	O
for	O
a	O
given	O
administrative	O
contact	O
returned	O
all	O
domains	B-Protocol
the	O
administrator	O
was	O
associated	O
with	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
advent	O
of	O
the	O
commercialized	O
Internet	O
,	O
multiple	B-Application
registrars	I-Application
and	O
unethical	O
spammers	O
,	O
such	O
permissive	O
searching	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
1	O
,	O
1999	O
,	O
management	O
of	O
the	O
top-level	O
domains	B-Protocol
(	O
TLDs	O
)	O
,	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
assigned	O
to	O
ICANN	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
these	O
TLDs	O
were	O
converted	O
to	O
a	O
thin	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Existing	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
clients	O
stopped	O
working	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
month	O
later	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
self-detecting	O
Common	B-Language
Gateway	I-Language
Interface	I-Language
support	O
so	O
that	O
the	O
same	O
program	O
could	O
operate	O
a	O
web-based	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
lookup	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
an	O
external	O
TLD	O
table	O
to	O
support	O
multiple	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
servers	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
TLD	O
of	O
the	O
request	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
eventually	O
became	O
the	O
model	O
of	O
the	O
modern	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
client	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2005	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
many	O
more	O
generic	O
top-level	O
domains	B-Protocol
than	O
there	O
had	O
been	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
many	O
more	O
country-code	O
top-level	O
domains	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
has	O
led	O
to	O
a	O
complex	O
network	O
of	O
domain	B-Application
name	I-Application
registrars	I-Application
and	O
registrar	O
associations	O
,	O
especially	O
as	O
the	O
management	O
of	O
Internet	O
infrastructure	O
has	O
become	O
more	O
internationalized	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
such	O
,	O
performing	O
a	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
query	O
on	O
a	O
domain	O
requires	O
knowing	O
the	O
correct	O
,	O
authoritative	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
to	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tools	O
to	O
do	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
domain	O
searches	O
have	O
become	O
common	O
and	O
are	O
offered	O
by	O
providers	O
such	O
as	O
IONOS	O
and	O
Namecheap	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
IETF	O
acknowledged	O
that	O
IRIS	O
had	O
not	O
been	O
a	O
successful	O
replacement	O
for	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meanwhile	O
,	O
ARIN	O
and	O
RIPE	O
NCC	O
managed	O
to	O
serve	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
data	O
via	O
RESTful	O
web	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
charter	O
(	O
drafted	O
in	O
February	O
2012	O
)	O
provided	O
for	O
separate	O
specifications	O
,	O
for	O
number	O
registries	B-Protocol
first	O
and	O
for	O
name	O
registries	B-Protocol
to	O
follow	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
protocol	O
had	O
its	O
origin	O
in	O
the	O
ARPANET	O
NICNAME	B-Protocol
protocol	O
and	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
NAME/FINGER	O
Protocol	O
,	O
described	O
in	O
(	O
1977	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
NICNAME/WHOIS	O
protocol	O
was	O
first	O
described	O
in	O
in	O
1982	O
by	O
Ken	O
Harrenstien	O
and	O
Vic	O
White	O
of	O
the	O
Network	B-Protocol
Information	I-Protocol
Center	I-Protocol
at	O
SRI	O
International	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WHOIS	B-Protocol
was	O
originally	O
implemented	O
on	O
the	O
Network	B-Protocol
Control	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
(	O
NCP	O
)	O
but	O
found	O
its	O
major	O
use	O
when	O
the	O
TCP/IP	B-Protocol
suite	I-Protocol
was	O
standardized	O
across	O
the	O
ARPANET	O
and	O
later	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Send	O
a	O
single	O
"	O
command	B-Application
line	I-Application
"	O
,	O
ending	O
with	O
<CRLF>	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Receive	O
information	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
command	B-Application
line	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
command	B-Application
line	I-Application
server	O
query	O
is	O
normally	O
a	O
single	O
name	O
specification	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
to	O
return	O
a	O
description	O
of	O
acceptable	O
command	B-Application
line	I-Application
formats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
modern	O
Internet	O
,	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
services	O
are	O
typically	O
communicated	O
using	O
the	O
Transmission	B-Protocol
Control	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
(	O
TCP	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Servers	O
listen	O
to	O
requests	O
on	O
the	O
well-known	O
port	B-Protocol
number	I-Protocol
43	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
simplicity	O
of	O
the	O
protocol	O
also	O
permits	O
an	O
application	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
command	B-Application
line	I-Application
interface	I-Application
user	O
,	O
to	O
query	O
a	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
using	O
the	O
Telnet	B-Protocol
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
registrar	O
deletes	O
the	O
domain	O
name	O
during	O
this	O
period	O
,	O
the	O
registry	O
may	O
provide	O
credit	O
to	O
the	O
registrar	O
for	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
the	O
registration.autoRenewPeriodThis	O
grace	O
period	O
is	O
provided	O
after	O
a	O
domain	B-Protocol
name	I-Protocol
registration	I-Protocol
period	O
expires	O
and	O
is	O
extended	O
(	O
renewed	O
)	O
automatically	O
by	O
the	O
registry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
domain	O
is	O
not	O
activated	O
in	O
the	O
DNS	B-Application
and	O
will	O
not	O
resolve.okThis	O
is	O
the	O
standard	O
status	O
for	O
a	O
domain	O
,	O
meaning	O
it	O
has	O
no	O
pending	O
operations	O
or	O
prohibitions.pendingCreateThis	O
status	O
code	O
indicates	O
that	O
a	O
request	O
to	O
create	O
the	O
domain	O
has	O
been	O
received	O
and	O
is	O
being	O
processed.pendingDeleteThis	O
status	O
code	O
may	O
be	O
mixed	O
with	O
redemptionPeriod	O
or	O
pendingRestore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
your	O
registrar	O
fails	O
to	O
provide	O
documentation	O
to	O
the	O
registry	B-Protocol
operator	I-Protocol
within	O
a	O
set	O
time	O
period	O
to	O
confirm	O
the	O
restoration	O
request	O
,	O
the	O
domain	O
will	O
revert	O
to	O
redemptionPeriod	O
status.pendingTransferThis	O
status	O
code	O
indicates	O
that	O
a	O
request	O
to	O
transfer	O
the	O
domain	O
to	O
a	O
new	O
registrar	O
has	O
been	O
received	O
and	O
is	O
being	O
processed.pendingUpdateThis	O
status	O
code	O
indicates	O
that	O
a	O
request	O
to	O
update	O
the	O
domain	O
has	O
been	O
received	O
and	O
is	O
being	O
processed.redemptionPeriodThis	O
status	O
code	O
indicates	O
that	O
your	O
registrar	O
has	O
asked	O
the	O
registry	O
to	O
delete	O
the	O
domain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
five	O
calendar	O
days	O
following	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
redemptionPeriod	O
,	O
the	O
domain	O
is	O
purged	O
from	O
the	O
registry	O
database	O
and	O
becomes	O
available	O
for	O
registration.renewPeriodThis	O
grace	O
period	O
is	O
provided	O
after	O
a	O
domain	B-Protocol
name	I-Protocol
registration	I-Protocol
period	O
is	O
explicitly	O
extended	O
(	O
renewed	O
)	O
by	O
the	O
registrar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
an	O
uncommon	O
status	O
that	O
is	O
usually	O
enacted	O
during	O
legal	O
disputes	O
,	O
at	O
your	O
request	O
,	O
or	O
when	O
a	O
redemptionPeriod	O
status	O
is	O
in	O
place.serverHoldThis	O
status	O
code	O
is	O
set	O
by	O
the	O
domain	O
's	O
Registry	B-Protocol
Operator	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
domain	O
is	O
not	O
activated	O
in	O
the	O
DNS.serverRenewProhibitedThis	O
status	O
code	O
indicates	O
the	O
domain	O
's	O
Registry	B-Protocol
Operator	I-Protocol
will	O
not	O
allow	O
your	O
registrar	O
to	O
renew	O
the	O
domain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WHOIS	B-Protocol
lookups	I-Protocol
were	O
traditionally	O
performed	O
with	O
a	O
command	B-Application
line	I-Application
interface	I-Application
application	O
,	O
but	O
now	O
many	O
alternative	O
web-based	O
tools	O
exist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
database	I-Protocol
consists	O
of	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
text	O
records	O
for	O
each	O
resource	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
data	O
models	O
exist	O
for	O
storing	O
resource	O
information	O
in	O
a	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
database	I-Protocol
,	O
the	O
thick	O
and	O
the	O
thin	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WHOIS	B-Protocol
information	O
can	O
be	O
stored	O
and	O
looked	O
up	O
according	O
to	O
either	O
a	O
thick	O
or	O
a	O
thin	O
data	O
model	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Thick	O
A	O
Thick	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
stores	O
the	O
complete	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
information	O
from	O
all	O
the	O
registrars	B-Application
for	O
the	O
particular	O
set	O
of	O
data	O
(	O
so	O
that	O
one	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
can	O
respond	O
with	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
information	O
on	O
all	O
.org	O
domains	B-Protocol
,	O
for	O
example	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thin	O
A	O
Thin	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
stores	O
only	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
of	O
the	O
registrar	O
of	O
a	O
domain	O
,	O
which	O
in	O
turn	O
has	O
the	O
full	O
details	O
on	O
the	O
data	O
being	O
looked	O
up	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
.com	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
servers	O
,	O
which	O
refer	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
query	O
to	O
the	O
registrar	O
where	O
the	O
domain	O
was	O
registered	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
thick	O
model	O
usually	O
ensures	O
consistent	O
data	O
and	O
slightly	O
faster	O
queries	O
,	O
since	O
only	O
one	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
needs	O
to	O
be	O
contacted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
a	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
client	O
did	O
not	O
understand	O
how	O
to	O
deal	O
with	O
this	O
situation	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
display	O
the	O
full	O
information	O
from	O
the	O
registrar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unfortunately	O
,	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
protocol	O
has	O
no	O
standard	O
for	O
determining	O
how	O
to	O
distinguish	O
the	O
thin	O
model	O
from	O
the	O
thick	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Specific	O
details	O
of	O
which	O
records	O
are	O
stored	O
vary	O
among	O
domain	B-Protocol
name	I-Protocol
registries	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
top-level	O
domains	B-Protocol
,	O
including	O
and	O
,	O
operate	O
a	O
thin	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
,	O
requiring	O
domain	B-Application
registrars	I-Application
to	O
maintain	O
their	O
own	O
customers	O
 '	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
other	O
global	O
top-level	O
registries	B-Protocol
,	O
including	O
,	O
operate	O
a	O
thick	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
applications	O
written	O
for	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
information	O
system	O
were	O
command-line	B-Application
interface	I-Application
tools	O
for	O
Unix	B-Application
and	O
Unix-like	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
Solaris	B-Application
,	O
Linux	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WHOIS	B-Protocol
client	O
and	O
server	O
software	O
is	O
distributed	O
as	O
free	O
open-source	B-Application
software	I-Application
and	O
binary	O
distributions	O
are	O
included	O
with	O
all	O
Unix-like	B-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
commercial	O
Unix	B-Application
implementations	O
may	O
use	O
a	O
proprietary	O
implementation	O
(	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
Solaris	B-Application
7	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
command	B-Application
line	I-Application
client	O
passes	O
a	O
phrase	O
given	O
as	O
an	O
argument	O
directly	O
to	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
free	O
open	O
source	O
examples	O
can	O
still	O
be	O
found	O
on	O
sites	O
such	O
as	O
sourceforge.net	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
most	O
modern	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
tools	O
implement	O
command	B-Application
line	I-Application
flags	O
or	O
options	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
-h	O
option	O
to	O
access	O
a	O
specific	O
server	O
host	O
,	O
but	O
default	O
servers	O
are	O
preconfigured	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
options	O
may	O
allow	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
port	B-Protocol
number	I-Protocol
to	O
connect	O
on	O
,	O
displaying	O
additional	O
debugging	O
data	O
,	O
or	O
changing	O
recursion/referral	O
behavior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
most	O
TCP/IP	B-Protocol
client	B-Operating_System
–	I-Operating_System
server	I-Operating_System
applications	O
,	O
a	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
client	O
takes	O
the	O
user	O
input	O
and	O
then	O
opens	O
an	O
Internet	B-Protocol
socket	I-Protocol
to	O
its	O
destination	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
protocol	O
manages	O
the	O
transmission	O
of	O
the	O
query	O
and	O
reception	O
of	O
results	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
advent	O
of	O
the	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
and	O
especially	O
the	O
loosening	O
up	O
of	O
the	O
Network	O
Solutions	O
monopoly	O
,	O
looking	O
up	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
information	O
via	O
the	O
web	O
has	O
become	O
quite	O
common	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
present	O
,	O
popular	O
web-based	O
WHOIS-queries	O
may	O
be	O
conducted	O
from	O
ARIN	O
,	O
RIPE	O
and	O
APNIC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
early	O
web-based	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
clients	O
were	O
merely	O
front-ends	O
to	O
a	O
command-line	B-Application
client	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
resulting	O
output	O
just	O
gets	O
displayed	O
on	O
a	O
web	O
page	O
with	O
little	O
,	O
if	O
any	O
,	O
clean-up	O
or	O
formatting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Currently	O
,	O
web	O
based	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
clients	O
usually	O
perform	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
queries	O
directly	O
and	O
then	O
format	O
the	O
results	O
for	O
display	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
such	O
clients	O
are	O
proprietary	O
,	O
authored	O
by	O
domain	B-Application
name	I-Application
registrars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
need	O
for	O
web-based	O
clients	O
came	O
from	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
command-line	B-Application
WHOIS	B-Protocol
clients	O
largely	O
existed	O
only	O
in	O
the	O
Unix	B-Application
and	O
large	O
computing	O
worlds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
Macintosh	O
computers	O
had	O
no	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
clients	O
installed	O
by	O
default	O
,	O
so	O
registrars	B-Application
had	O
to	O
find	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
provide	O
access	O
to	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
data	O
for	O
potential	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
end-users	O
still	O
rely	O
on	O
such	O
clients	O
,	O
even	O
though	O
command	B-Application
line	I-Application
and	O
graphical	O
clients	O
exist	O
now	O
for	O
most	O
home	O
PC	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
provides	O
the	O
that	O
includes	O
a	O
whois	B-Protocol
client	O
at	O
no	O
cost	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CPAN	B-Language
has	O
several	O
Perl	B-Language
modules	O
available	O
that	O
work	O
with	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
them	O
are	O
not	O
current	O
and	O
do	O
not	O
fully	O
function	O
with	O
the	O
current	O
(	O
2005	O
)	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
infrastructure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
still	O
much	O
useful	O
functionality	O
to	O
derive	O
including	O
looking	O
up	O
AS	B-Architecture
numbers	I-Architecture
and	O
registrant	O
contacts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WHOIS	B-Protocol
services	O
are	O
mainly	O
run	O
by	O
registrars	B-Application
and	O
registries	B-Protocol
;	O
for	O
example	O
the	O
Public	O
Interest	O
Registry	O
(	O
PIR	O
)	O
maintains	O
the	O
.ORG	O
registry	O
and	O
associated	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WHOIS	B-Protocol
servers	O
operated	O
by	O
regional	O
Internet	O
registries	B-Protocol
(	O
RIR	O
)	O
can	O
be	O
queried	O
directly	O
to	O
determine	O
the	O
Internet	O
service	O
provider	O
responsible	O
for	O
a	O
particular	O
resource	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
records	O
of	O
each	O
of	O
these	O
registries	B-Protocol
are	O
cross-referenced	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
a	O
query	O
to	O
ARIN	O
for	O
a	O
record	O
which	O
belongs	O
to	O
RIPE	O
will	O
return	O
a	O
placeholder	O
pointing	O
to	O
the	O
RIPE	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
lets	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
user	O
making	O
the	O
query	O
know	O
that	O
the	O
detailed	O
information	O
resides	O
on	O
the	O
RIPE	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
currently	O
no	O
widely	O
extended	O
way	O
for	O
determining	O
the	O
responsible	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
for	O
a	O
DNS	B-Application
domain	O
,	O
though	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
methods	O
are	O
in	O
common	O
use	O
for	O
top-level	O
domains	B-Protocol
(	O
TLDs	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
registries	B-Protocol
use	O
DNS	B-Protocol
SRV	I-Protocol
records	I-Protocol
(	O
defined	O
in	O
RFC	O
2782	O
)	O
to	O
allow	O
clients	O
to	O
discover	O
the	O
address	O
of	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
lookups	I-Protocol
require	O
searching	O
the	O
procuring	O
domain	B-Application
registrar	I-Application
to	O
display	O
domain	O
owner	O
details	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
some	O
registrars	B-Application
offer	O
private	B-Application
registration	I-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
case	O
the	O
contact	O
information	O
of	O
the	O
registrar	O
is	O
shown	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
registry	B-Protocol
operators	I-Protocol
are	O
wholesalers	O
,	O
meaning	O
that	O
they	O
typically	O
provide	O
domain	B-Protocol
name	I-Protocol
services	I-Protocol
to	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
retail	O
registrars	B-Application
,	O
who	O
in	O
turn	O
offer	O
them	O
to	O
consumers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
private	B-Application
registration	I-Application
,	O
only	O
the	O
identity	O
of	O
the	O
wholesale	O
registrar	O
may	O
be	O
returned	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Below	O
is	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
data	O
returned	O
for	O
an	O
individual	O
resource	O
holder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
the	O
result	O
of	O
a	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
query	O
of	O
example.com	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Referral	O
Whois	B-Protocol
(	O
RWhois	O
)	O
is	O
an	O
extension	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Whois	B-Protocol
protocol	O
and	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RWhois	O
extends	O
the	O
concepts	O
of	O
Whois	B-Protocol
in	O
a	O
scalable	B-Architecture
,	O
hierarchical	O
fashion	O
,	O
potentially	O
creating	O
a	O
system	O
with	O
a	O
tree-like	O
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lookups	O
of	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
allocations	O
are	O
often	O
limited	O
to	O
the	O
larger	O
Classless	B-Protocol
Inter-Domain	I-Protocol
Routing	I-Protocol
(	O
CIDR	B-Protocol
)	O
blocks	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
/24	B-Protocol
,	O
/22	O
,	O
/16	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
because	O
usually	O
only	O
the	O
regional	O
Internet	O
registries	B-Protocol
(	O
RIRs	O
)	O
and	O
domain	B-Application
registrars	I-Application
run	O
RWhois	O
or	O
Whois	B-Protocol
servers	O
,	O
although	O
RWhois	O
is	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
run	O
by	O
even	O
smaller	O
local	O
Internet	O
registries	B-Protocol
,	O
to	O
provide	O
more	O
granular	O
information	O
about	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
assignment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RWhois	O
is	O
intended	O
to	O
replace	O
Whois	B-Protocol
,	O
providing	O
an	O
organized	O
hierarchy	O
of	O
referral	O
services	O
where	O
one	O
could	O
connect	O
to	O
any	O
RWhois	O
server	O
,	O
request	O
a	O
look-up	O
and	O
be	O
automatically	O
re-directed	O
to	O
the	O
correct	O
server(s )	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RWhois	O
services	O
are	O
typically	O
communicated	O
using	O
the	O
Transmission	B-Protocol
Control	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
(	O
TCP	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Servers	O
listen	O
to	O
requests	O
on	O
the	O
well-known	O
port	B-Protocol
number	I-Protocol
4321	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
referral	O
features	O
of	O
RWhois	O
are	O
different	O
than	O
the	O
feature	O
of	O
a	O
Whois	B-Protocol
server	O
to	O
refer	O
responses	O
to	O
another	O
server	O
,	O
which	O
RWhois	O
also	O
implements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
criticism	O
of	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
is	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
full	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
cite	O
the	O
competing	O
goal	O
of	O
domain	B-Application
privacy	I-Application
as	O
a	O
criticism	O
,	O
although	O
this	O
problem	O
is	O
strongly	O
mitigated	O
by	O
domain	B-Application
privacy	I-Application
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Currently	O
,	O
the	O
Internet	B-Application
Corporation	I-Application
for	I-Application
Assigned	I-Application
Names	I-Application
and	I-Application
Numbers	I-Application
(	O
ICANN	B-Application
)	O
broadly	O
requires	O
that	O
the	O
mailing	O
address	O
,	O
phone	O
number	O
and	O
e-mail	O
address	O
of	O
those	O
owning	O
or	O
administering	O
a	O
domain	O
name	O
to	O
be	O
made	O
publicly	O
available	O
through	O
the	O
"	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
"	O
directories	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
registrant	O
's	O
(	O
domain	O
owner	O
's	O
)	O
contact	O
details	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
address	O
and	O
telephone	O
number	O
,	O
are	O
easily	O
accessible	O
to	O
anyone	O
who	O
queries	O
a	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
ICANN	B-Application
has	O
been	O
exploring	O
changing	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
to	O
enable	O
greater	O
privacy	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
consensus	O
among	O
major	O
stakeholders	O
as	O
to	O
what	O
type	O
of	O
change	O
should	O
be	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
domain	B-Application
registrars	I-Application
offer	O
private	B-Application
registrations	I-Application
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
domain	B-Application
privacy	I-Application
)	O
,	O
by	O
which	O
the	O
contact	O
information	O
of	O
the	O
registrar	O
is	O
shown	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
customer	O
's	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
offer	O
of	O
private	B-Application
registration	I-Application
from	O
many	O
registrars	B-Application
,	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
risk	O
has	O
been	O
mitigated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Studies	O
have	O
shown	O
that	O
spammers	O
can	O
and	O
do	O
harvest	O
plain-text	O
email	O
addresses	O
from	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
this	O
reason	O
,	O
some	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
servers	O
and	O
websites	O
offering	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
queries	O
have	O
implemented	O
rate-limiting	O
systems	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
web-based	O
CAPTCHA	O
and	O
limited	O
amounts	O
of	O
search	O
queries	O
per	O
user	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
requirements	O
conflict	O
with	O
the	O
General	O
Data	O
Protection	O
Regulation	O
(	O
GDPR	O
)	O
,	O
effective	O
in	O
the	O
European	O
Union	O
25	O
May	O
2018	O
,	O
which	O
places	O
strict	O
regulations	O
on	O
the	O
processing	O
and	O
publication	O
of	O
personally	O
identifiable	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICANN	B-Application
stated	O
in	O
November	O
2017	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
not	O
reprimand	O
"	O
noncompliance	O
with	O
contractual	O
obligations	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
handling	O
of	O
registration	O
data	O
"	O
if	O
registrars	B-Application
provide	O
alternative	O
solutions	O
for	O
compliance	O
with	O
its	O
rules	O
,	O
until	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
requirements	O
are	O
updated	O
to	O
take	O
GDPR	O
into	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
protocol	O
was	O
not	O
written	O
with	O
an	O
international	O
audience	O
in	O
mind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
server	O
and/or	O
client	O
cannot	O
determine	O
the	O
text	O
encoding	O
in	O
effect	O
for	O
the	O
query	O
or	O
the	O
database	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
servers	O
were	O
originally	O
using	O
US-ASCII	B-Protocol
and	O
Internationalization	O
concerns	O
were	O
not	O
taken	O
into	O
consideration	O
until	O
much	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
might	O
impact	O
the	O
usability	O
or	O
usefulness	O
of	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
protocol	O
in	O
countries	O
outside	O
the	O
USA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
internationalized	B-Language
domain	I-Language
names	I-Language
it	O
is	O
the	O
responsibility	O
of	O
the	O
client	O
application	O
to	O
perform	O
the	O
translation	O
of	O
the	O
domain	O
name	O
between	O
its	O
native	O
language	O
script	O
and	O
the	O
DNS	B-Protocol
name	I-Protocol
in	O
punycode	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
cases	O
where	O
the	O
registrant	O
's	O
(	O
Domain	O
Owner	O
)	O
identity	O
is	O
public	O
,	O
anyone	O
can	O
easily	O
confirm	O
the	O
status	O
of	O
a	O
domain	O
via	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
private	B-Application
registrations	I-Application
,	O
ascertaining	O
registration	O
information	O
may	O
be	O
more	O
difficult	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Perform	O
a	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
and	O
confirm	O
that	O
the	O
resource	O
is	O
at	O
least	O
registered	O
with	O
ICANN	B-Application
,	O
</s>
<s>
Registrants	O
using	O
"	O
private	B-Application
registration	I-Application
"	O
can	O
attempt	O
to	O
protect	O
themselves	O
by	O
using	O
a	O
registrar	O
that	O
places	O
customer	O
data	O
in	O
escrow	O
with	O
a	O
third	O
party	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICANN	B-Application
requires	O
that	O
every	O
registrant	O
of	O
a	O
domain	O
name	O
be	O
given	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
correct	O
any	O
inaccurate	O
contact	O
data	O
associated	O
with	O
their	O
domain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
this	O
reason	O
,	O
registrars	B-Application
are	O
required	O
to	O
periodically	O
send	O
the	O
holder	O
the	O
contact	O
information	O
on	O
record	O
for	O
verification	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
provide	O
any	O
guarantee	O
about	O
the	O
accuracy	O
of	O
information	O
if	O
the	O
registrant	O
provided	O
inaccurate	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WHOIS	B-Protocol
has	O
generated	O
policy	O
issues	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
federal	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
noted	O
above	O
,	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
creates	O
a	O
privacy	O
issue	O
which	O
is	O
also	O
tied	O
to	O
free	O
speech	O
and	O
anonymity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
is	O
an	O
important	O
tool	O
for	O
law	O
enforcement	O
officers	O
investigating	O
violations	O
like	O
spam	O
and	O
phishing	O
to	O
track	O
down	O
the	O
holders	O
of	O
domain	O
names	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
law	O
enforcement	O
agencies	O
have	O
sought	O
to	O
make	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
records	O
both	O
open	O
and	O
verified	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Federal	O
Trade	O
Commission	O
has	O
testified	O
about	O
how	O
inaccurate	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
records	O
thwart	O
their	O
investigations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Congressional	O
hearings	O
have	O
been	O
conducted	O
about	O
the	O
importance	O
of	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
in	O
2001	O
,	O
2002	O
and	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
act	O
does	O
not	O
make	O
the	O
submission	O
of	O
false	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
data	O
illegal	O
in	O
itself	O
,	O
only	O
if	O
used	O
to	O
shield	O
oneself	O
from	O
prosecution	O
for	O
crimes	O
committed	O
using	O
that	O
domain	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Expert	O
Working	O
Group	O
(	O
EWG	O
)	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	B-Application
Corporation	I-Application
for	I-Application
Assigned	I-Application
Names	I-Application
and	I-Application
Numbers	I-Application
(	O
ICANN	B-Application
)	O
recommended	O
on	O
24	O
June	O
2013	O
that	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
should	O
be	O
scrapped	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
recommends	O
that	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
be	O
replaced	O
with	O
a	O
system	O
that	O
keeps	O
information	O
secret	O
from	O
most	O
Internet	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
only	O
discloses	O
information	O
for	O
"	O
permissible	O
purposes	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICANN	B-Application
's	O
list	O
of	O
permissible	O
purposes	O
includes	O
domain-name	O
research	O
,	O
domain-name	O
sale	O
and	O
purchase	O
,	O
regulatory	O
enforcement	O
,	O
personal	O
data	O
protection	O
,	O
legal	O
actions	O
,	O
and	O
abuse	O
mitigation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
has	O
been	O
a	O
key	O
tool	O
of	O
journalists	O
in	O
determining	O
who	O
was	O
disseminating	O
certain	O
information	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
by	O
the	O
free	O
press	O
is	O
not	O
included	O
in	O
ICANN	B-Application
's	O
proposed	O
list	O
of	O
permissible	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
ICANN	B-Application
is	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
process	O
of	O
re-inventing	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
,	O
"	O
working	O
on	O
"	O
ICANN	B-Application
WHOIS	B-Protocol
Beta.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
19th	O
2023	O
ICANN	B-Application
opened	O
voting	O
on	O
a	O
global	O
amendment	O
to	O
all	O
it	O
's	O
registry	O
and	O
registrar	O
agreements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
360	O
days	O
after	O
this	O
period	O
is	O
defined	O
as	O
the	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
Services	O
Sunset	O
Date	O
,	O
after	O
which	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
a	O
requirement	O
for	O
registries	B-Protocol
and	O
registrars	B-Application
to	O
offer	O
a	O
WHOIS	B-Protocol
service	O
and	O
instead	O
only	O
a	O
RDAP	O
service	O
is	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
voting	O
thresholds	O
were	O
met	O
within	O
the	O
60	O
day	O
voting	O
period	O
and	O
the	O
amendment	O
will	O
be	O
submitted	O
to	O
the	O
ICANN	B-Application
Board	O
for	O
approval	O
and	O
implementation	O
.	O
</s>
