(Last updated June 25, 2015)
The ICANN Whois Accuracy Program (WAP) applies to all ICANN registrars accredited under the 2013 RAA (Registrar Accreditation Agreement).
zonedit' accreditation auto-renews on June 23, 2015 at which point zonedit will be subject to enforcing the Whois Accuracy Program.
We originally posted about this on our blog: Unfortunately, we have renewed our ICANN accreditation.
This document will address many of the questions our members have about the WAP and is presented in a min-FAQ format.
What Top Level Domains does this affect? / Does this affect .CA domains?
The WAP applies to "generic Top Level Domains" (gTLDs) only.
This includes "legacy" gTLDs such as: .COM .NET .ORG .BIZ .INFO
It includes new gTLDs such as: .SUPPORT .EMAIL .SYSTEMS .FINANCIAL .GURU .XYZ .WTF et al
It does not apply to country code TLDs (ccTLDs) such as: .CA .DE .CC .TV .FR .US et al
*WAP does NOT apply to .CA domains.*
Please note: some ccTLDs have their own Whois verification requirements. .CA is already subject to Canadian Presence Requirements (CPR) and .UK recently enacted a policy similar to, and in some ways more stringent than, the WAP.
What triggers the WAP process? / Do all applicable domains have to be verified?
The WAP is triggered by specific events in the domain lifecycle. It is very possible that many, perhaps all, of your domains will never have to be verified if you never change your information.
Any new registration, transfer in, contact updates to registrant [First Name, Last Name or e-mail address], WDRP or mandatory renewal reminders bounce back will trigger the validation process.
This only affects the registrant contact [the domain owner] and not the Administrative, Billing or Technical contact.
Things that trigger a WAP are:
| Domain transfer |
A registrar transfer triggers the WAP process after the transfer completes. This is distinct from merely changing a domain's nameserver delegation, which does not trigger the WAP |
| Domain registration |
A new domain registration triggers the WAP when it uses an unverified contact set for the registrant. First name, last name and e-mail address is a contact set. This means that once you've verified a contact, and use that contact again to register another domain, it does not trigger a new WAP process. |
| WDRP notice bounces | If in the course of e-mailing a Whois Data Reminder Policy (WDRP) that e-mail bounces or fails with a permanent error, the WAP process is triggered. |
What is the lifecycle of the verification process?
What does 'suspend' mean?
If you have not taken any action to verify the domain, then the domain will be suspended after the 15 day period. This means that the domain's DNS service will no longer resolve. The domain will be placed on ClientHold until the registrant contact does complete the WAP process.
What is Whois?
The Whois is the registration record for a domain name. This includes the registrant, the administrative contact, the technical contact and the billing contact. Other information provided is the registration and expiry dates, the delegated nameservers and the current registrar.
What is the Whois Data Reminder Program (WDRP)?
All registrars (whether accredited under the 2013 or the 2009 RAA) are required to send all domain registrants an e-mail that lists the current Whois record for their domains at least once a year.
Under the 2013 RAA, if these notices bounce, the WAP process is triggered.
Can I pre-verify my domains? / Can you send me the link now?
The WAP is triggered by specific events in the domain lifecycle (See above). Absent these trigger events you cannot "pre-verify" your domains.
How can I get the verification e-mail resent?
You will need to contact support to have the e-mail resent - please send an e-mail to support@zonedit.com or contact us via our toll-free telephone support during our business hours.
What e-mail address will the WAP notices come from?
WAP notices will originate from whois@easydns.com
How can I verify the notice is really from zonedit?
easyDNS publishes SPF data for easydns.com
Because we use Tucows openHRS registry stack, we are somewhat constrained on what else we can do to provide authentication. We are currently evaluating developing our own WAP implementation to provide for additional validation methods.
What if I use Whois Privacy?
If you use MyPrivacy.net Whois Privacy, the contact sets that need to be verified, and the WAP notices sent, will be sent to the underlying contact data on file for the domain, not the masked data set.
What if I use MyPrivacy.ca?
If your whois record is not masked with Whois Privacy but does use a @myprivacy.ca address to reduce spam and data mining, the myprivacy system is configured to whitelist the WAP notices.
If my domain is suspended can it be taken by somebody else?
No. A suspended domain will not resolve on the internet (or resolve to a landing page explaining the suspension), but still remains registered to you and the normal renewal, expiry cycle applies.
What steps will zonedit take if my domain is about to be suspended?
We will be creating a process to track all domains within the WAP cycle. We will personally email and if necessary telephone any member whose domain looks to be in danger of being suspended.
Please keep your account contact information up to date!
What if zonedit is not my domain registrar?
If we are not your registrar, you will not receive WAP notices from us. Your current registrar may or may not already be operating under the 2013 RAA, you will need to check with them if they are and how they are implementing it. Many registrars are already operating under the 2013 RAA such as Tucows (Hover), Webnames, Godaddy and eNom.
