Page History
Welcome to the Next-Generation gTLD Registration Directory Services to Replace WHOIS workspace.
This Policy Development Process (PDP) was initiated by the ICANN Board on 8 November 2012 when it launched an Expert Working Group on gTLD Registration Directory Services (EWG) to (1) help redefine the purpose of gTLD registration data and consider how to safeguard the data, and (2) propose a model for gTLD registration directory services to address accuracy, privacy, and access issues.
Upon publication of the EWG’s Final Report in 2014, an informal group of GNSO Councilors and ICANN Board members collaborated to propose a Process Framework for structuring this PDP. On 26 May 2015, the ICANN Board adopted that Process Framework and reaffirmed its request for a Board-initiated PDP, using the recommendations in the EWG’s Final Report as an input to, and, if appropriate, as the foundation for a new gTLD policy. Both Preliminary and Final Issue Reports for this PDP were published for public comment in 2015.
On 19 November 2015, the GNSO Council approved a Charter for the Next-Generation gTLD Registration Directory Service (RDS) to replace WHOIS (Next-Gen RDS) Policy Development Process (PDP) Working Group.
A call for volunteers to join this PDP WG was initiated on 4 January 2016:
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-01-04-en
If you are interested in joining the WG as an individual participant or mailing list observer, please fill in the sign up form or send the Word document [DOCX, 72 KB] filled in to the GNSO Secretariat. When this WG convenes, all members and observers will be listed on the WG Members page.
A first meeting of this WG will be scheduled for Tuesday 26 January at 16.00 UTC. Call details and an agenda will be circulated the WG's mailing list.
At this juncture, it is anticipated that the PDP WG may convene online in late January 2016. This workspace will continue to be updated to reflect the WG's plans and progress.