DotDucky thinks we have a great reason to celebrate this success – ICANN’s Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) is launched!
As you know on 27 February 2023, the ICANN Board of Directors published a resolution directing the ICANN organization to develop and implement the Registration Data Request Service – a new ticketing system to handle requests for access to nonpublic registration data related to generic top-level domains (gTLDs).
This step was a kind of “correction” of the decision, dated May 17th, 2018, when The ICANN Board of Directors approved “Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data.” This was a balancing act between the existing ICANN contractual requirements and community-developed WHOIS policies and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), released in 2018.
Later the System for Standardized Access/Disclosure (SSAD) became a proposed centralized system to meet requests for nonpublic registration data (Recommendations from Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO), developed by Expedited Policy Development Process team (EPDP)). But an Operational Design Phase (ODP) Assessment performed by ICANN org showed the risk of high-level costs, resource requirements, timelines etc.
And few days ago, in November 2023, the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) has officially launched!
What is the Registration Data Request Service? The Registration Data Request Service is a free and global proof of concept service that will handle requests for access to nonpublic registration data related to generic top-level domains (gTLD)s. It will connect requestors seeking disclosure of nonpublic registration data with the relevant ICANN-accredited registrars for gTLD domain names who are participating in the service. The service will streamline and standardize the process for submitting and receiving requests through a single platform.
Who may use this service? Participating ICANN-accredited registrars and requestors (individuals and entities) seeking nonpublic gTLD registration data (with a non-crime legitimacy interest for nonpublic gTLD registration data – law enforcement, government agencies, intellectual property attorneys, cybersecurity professionals, and others). Participation in the service by ICANN-accredited registrars will be voluntary. Well, maybe is this another “test” of trust to the registrar?
ICANN says that the Registration Data Request Service is not a guarantee to get an access to the registration data. All communication and data disclosure between the registrars and requestors will take place outside of the system.
To sum up: the service was launched on the promised date, it introduces a convenient, simple and uniform algorithm for requesting data disclosure, while protecting confidentiality.
Let’s go use it! And let’s see how many registrars will be ready to participate in the service.