On this space you will find information on the WHOIS implementation initiatives and activities.

11 May 2012 - The WHOIS Review Team (WHOIS) delivered 16 recommendations to the ICANN Board of Directors. Read the WHOIS Review Team's recommendations and report here (translations available).

8 November 2012 The Board directed the CEO to continue to fully enforce existing consensus policy and contractual conditions relating to the collection, access and accuracy of gTLD registration data (referred to as gTLD WHOIS data), and increase efforts to communicate, conduct outreach on, and ensure compliance with existing policy and conditions relating to WHOIS (as detailed in the Action Plan) (read more here). 

The implementation of recommendations from the WHOIS Review Team (WHOIS) began as soon as ICANN’s Board of Directors accepted the Final Report.  The Action Plan adopted by the Board provides specific information on how each of these recommendations were to be addressed.

For information on the implementation of the 16 recommendations, read the most recent implementation status report (December 2016): HERE.

Prior Status Reports:

Executive Summaries


Archives Executive Summaries

Annual Reports on WHOIS Improvements

What is WHOIS Review Team?

Under the Affirmation of Commitments, ICANN is committed to:

"enforcing its existing policy relating to WHOIS, subject to applicable laws.  Such existing policy requires that ICANN implement measures to maintain timely, unrestricted and public access to accurate and complete WHOIS information, including registrant, technical, billing, and administrative contact information."

ICANN organizes community reviews of the WHOIS policy and its implementation to assess the extent to which WHOIS policy is effective and its implementation meets the legitimate needs of law enforcement and promotes consumer trust" no less frequently than every three years, consistent with section 9.3 of the Affirmation of Commitments.

The WHOIS reviews are performed by volunteer Community members and include the following (or their designated nominees):

  • Volunteer community members representing the relevant Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees of ICANN;
  • Ex‐officio members;
  • Independent experts.

The first review completed under the AoC in 2012 contained 16 recommendations.

For more information on the WHOIS Policy, please visit ICANN’s WHOIS microsite.


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