SOCA welcomes ICANN report on domain name registration
18 February 2010
SOCA has welcomed the publication of the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) 'Draft Report for the Study of the Accuracy of WHOIS* Registrant Contact Information'
ICANN has an overall coordination function for the unique identifiers required for the Internet to work effectively, including domain name assignment. The report highlights failures of the top level domain registration process in 77% of domain registrations, with 27.7% demonstrating substantial failures to effectively make their registrants untraceable. These findings accord with SOCA experience of investigating domain abuse and the incidences of non compliance may even increase outside the large gTLDs (generic Top Level Domains).
SOCA’s e-Crime unit, with the support of the FBI and wider law enforcement community, has engaged with ICANN over the past 18 months. We have identified the deficiencies in domain registration processes which are exploited by organised crime to mount major attacks on industry and individuals.
Suggested amendments to ICANN’s Registrar Accreditation Agreement, submitted by SOCA and the FBI in order to resolve many of these issues, are supported by Interpol and the G8 cyber working group. These amendments were submitted at the ICANN conference in Seoul in October 2009 to the Government Advisory Committee, ICANN board and the ICANN Community for formal consideration.
Global law enforcement’s view is that due diligence and Know Your Customer procedures should be mandatory requirements for all those involved in the sale of domain names and IP allocations. SOCA will continue to work with ICANN, the Regional Internet Registrars and others to promote law enforcement engagement with the Internet community, and we maintain an expectation that changes to policy and operating procedures which will significantly impact on organised crime’s ability to operate freely are considered and implemented.
Additionally, SOCA will watch, with interest, what action will be taken by the gTLDs concerned against the domains identified by this report as being in breach of registration protocols.
The ICANN Report can be viewed at: http://www.icann.org/en/compliance/reports/whois-accuracy-study-17jan10-en.pdf
* WHOIS is a query/response tool that is widely used to determine the registrant of domain names or IP addresses