auDA said in a statement that it was reviewing constraints on queries to its database of domain name holders.
The review encompasses theWHOIS Policy (2002-06), which is a utility that allows people to search for information about a particular domain name or IP address. The search reveals the name of the person who registered the domain, and contact details.
The review will focus specifically on how much data should be disclosed on WHOIS, whether the current query limit of 20 queries per hour is appropriate and whether bulk access to WHOIS data should be permitted in certain circumstances.
"The current policy is that bulk access is prohibited," auDA CEO Chris Disspain told ZDNet Australia. "It's possible that there might be a case for allowing bulk access to academic institutions to part of the data for research." He said auDA had not been approached by an academic institution seeking such access, but gave an example of a researcher seeking a list of com.au names and the states they were registered in to compare business practices in different states.
As well, the auDA Code of Practice Committee is calling for public comments to its review of the .au Domain Name Suppliers' Code of Practice v.1.2003, which regulates the behaviour of domain name registrars and resellers.
First mooted in 2001, the Code claimed its first victims shortly after the deregulation of the domain name registration system, when Melbourne IT terminated 20 resellers. Despite the provisions in the Code to terminate companies rights to sell domain names if they break the Code, there is a fairly steady stream of companies falling foul of the regulations.
Comments are due before Monday June 30, and should be sent to Jo Lim.
