Launching RDAP; sunsetting WHOIS (icann.org)

Article summary

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is replacing the WHOIS protocol with the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) as of January 28, 2025. RDAP offers several advantages over WHOIS, including support for internationalization, secure access to data, and authoritative service discovery. RDAP has been available since 2019, and users can utilize ICANN's RDAP-based Lookup service or other client implementations. The change aims to provide a more technologically advanced way to access domain registration information.

Main themes

• WHOIS replacement
• RDAP advantages
• Domain registration
• Data access
• Internet governance
• Privacy and security

What commenters say

• The replacement of WHOIS with RDAP is a positive change, as WHOIS has become less useful due to spam and privacy concerns.
• Some users still find value in WHOIS, particularly for identifying IP address ownership and contacting domain administrators.
• Requiring official ID and contact information for domain registration could help prevent abuse, but others argue it could also lead to privacy issues and censorship.
• Law enforcement already has access to sensitive data, and giving them more access through RDAP could lead to abuse of power.
• The value of a domain name is difficult to determine, and using factors like character count or price may not be effective in deciding which domains require official registration information.
• RDAP may prevent mass scraping of domain registration data, but it could also create new barriers for individuals and small businesses while allowing large corporations to access the data they need.
• The shift away from WHOIS reflects a broader change in how people interact with the internet, with more centralized content and less direct contact between users.
• Anonymizing WHOIS information is a smart idea to protect domain owners from harassment and other forms of abuse.