ICANN has updated information about the use of the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS). It is ICANN's proposed replacement for the Whois service, which was signed with the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by the European Union. Its provisions make it illegal to post personal data of domain name registrants in Whois. The RDRS is designed to resolve the contradiction that has arisen and facilitate contact with registrars and obtaining information about registrants for individuals and organizations that have the legal right to do so - primarily for law enforcement agencies and copyright holders.
The RDRS is currently undergoing pilot testing, which will last two years. Participation in it is voluntary, and registrar companies are free to decide whether they like to use it. According to Domain Incite, the latest update of member information has certainly pleased ICANN. Several large registrar companies have joined the project. First of all, it is worth noting Alibaba Cloud Computing, one of the companies within the Chinese technology giant Alibaba. Its addition may be considered particularly significant since Alibaba's other registrar, Alibaba.com Singapore E-Commerce, recently received a contract warning from ICANN. Alibaba Cloud Computing manages 2.6 million domain names.
Other noteworthy new RDRS members include Name.com (an Identity Digital company - formerly Donuts) with 2.2 million domain names under management and Register.com with 1.5 million names. In total, 86 registrar companies are currently participating in the RDRS project, collectively managing 57% of all domain names registered in the world.
