WHOIS: Protecting the Privacy of Domain Name Holders

CIRA is implementing changes to the dot-ca WHOIS search tool, effective June 10, 2008.

WHOIS is a common Internet search tool used to look up the contact information of domain name holders (Registrants). A search returns information such as name, address, phone and fax numbers, and email address. While WHOIS has been used since the inception of the Internet, recent concerns over privacy necessitated a re-evaluation of what information is publicly available in the dot-ca (.ca) WHOIS.

In January 2004, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) took effect in Canada. This Federal law provides guidelines for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information by private organizations. Under this act, the situations where an organization can disclose an individual’s personal information are strictly limited and require consent.

In response to the introduction of PIPEDA, CIRA conducted an exhaustive series of consultations with Registrars, Registrants, Lawyers and Law Enforcement Personnel to develop an approach that would protect the privacy of individual consumers while continuing to allow access to information pertaining to corporations, organizations, and institutions.

The resulting policy balances the need for PIPEDA compliance and individual domain name holder privacy while allowing WHOIS searches for commercial, legal, and law enforcement purposes to continue.

Find out how the new WHOIS policy affects you, please select a link below: