ICANN Releases Upgraded Invalid Whois Reporting System
 

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), today announced that it has updated its Whois Data Problem Report System (WDPRS), which anyone can use to submit reports of inaccurate whois information on a domain name.

According to ICANN, the new system offers many improvements:

• More detailed information is captured from complainants to assist registrars in investigating Whois inaccuracies
• Duplicate reports regarding the same domain name are not accepted by the system
• Reports concerning domains already on hold are removed
• Greater capacity has been introduced to allow for bulk submissions of reports
• Processes have been put in place to assess registrar compliance with RAA Whois inaccuracy investigation requirements

The company states that the system is available on the Internic web site. Some registrars, including GoDaddy, offer their own system for submitting invalid whois complaints on domains registered with them. When you do a whois lookup on GoDaddy it includes a link to Report Invalid Whois. Most registrars will suspend domain names with invalid whois information if the owner doesn't update the information in a timely manner.

ICANN has sent breach notices to registrars that don't follow up to invalid whois reports. It avers that it's important to only submit invalid whois complaints when you have verifiable information that the record is inaccurate. It further adds that a domain owner not responding to an e-mail you send does not mean the whois is invalid - you must receive a bounce notice.