Whois—written closed up but pronounced like the two separate words who is from which it comes—is a resource that ties domain names to an owner. It allows you to check for the accuracy of the data on the sites you hold, as well as to check on the current owner of sites that you may be negotiating to purchase. Here are some more details to help you understand this important resource.
Where Did Whois Come From?
When the Internet was young, a single organization handled all registrations and a centralized system easily provided information on domains, the people associated with them, and other information. When commercial third-parties began handling domain name registration, and InterNIC. the Internet Network Information Center was formed to take on the role of responsibility for the allocation of domain names and IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, and the information during this period was available through internic.net, which was administered by Network Solutions, Inc. and AT&T. General Atomics had a brief part as well, but there contract was cancelled early.
This role with regard to generic top-level domains (gTLDS) then passed to ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, in 1999 and WHOIS came into being, able to handle a variety of TLDs. With the multiplication of country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), WHOIS servers multiplied as well and it became an issue to choose the appropriate WHOIS server for the particular query one wished to make, although the process for gTLDs remains somewhat more straightforward. A prospective global system is being looked into by a committee formed by the Internet Engineering Task Force, which since 2004 has been laying out a new industry standard called CRISP (Cross Registry Information Service Protocol).
What Can You Usually Learn from a Whois Listing?
As part of domain name registration, the registrant is required to provide personal contact information, for example, his or her name, mailing address, and e-mail address. In addition, an administrative phone number and technical contact information, as well as the name server(s) if applicable, are included. Usually, this information is a matter of public record and is available in a WHOIS search to anyone who wants it. This means that you can use this system to ascertain whether a particular domain name is available are already in use.
Keep in mind, however, that the information may not be correct for several reasons. First, it may have changed, with the registrant forgetting or neglecting to update it. Second, the registrant may have chosen to make a private listing (see below). And third, the information may have been purposely deceptive.
Private Listings
In the interests of registrant privacy, but making the public record more obscure, private registrations are now available. With a private registration, the information for the registrar, rather than the registrant, is shown in WHOIS searches. Some people do not realize that when this is done, by ICANN rules, the registration company who is listed—usually the registrar—rather than the registrant, is the official holder of the domain.
Private listings not only protect registrants from having their information made public, but are also used by devious domaineers to conceal their activities. In such cases, WHOIS does not reveal the information that you may be seeking.
