A new ICANN policy affecting WHOIS changes is causing problems when domain owners update their own information.
According to the new policy, a WHOIS change, e.g. to the registrant or the email address, is handled as a domain transfer would.
For example, an email is sent out to the old and new contacts to authorize such changes or decline them. Such changes would also trigger a 60 day lockdown period, during which no further changes can be made.
This extra detail is about to create chaos among domain investors that sell domains often and rely on domain transfers.
There is, however, a way to opt out from the 60 day lockdown period, and it differs from registrar to registrar.
We contacted several registrars on this matter, and here is what Name.com had to say about this:
“We do have an option in your account settings within your Name.com account where you can opt out of the 60 day lock if you have made a contact change. You will need to manually opt out, as it will not be the default.”
From the Name.com FAQ on this subject:
Can I opt out of the 60-day lock for a contact update?
Yes. You can opt out by making a preference change in your Account Settings. Additionally, a pop up will appear when you make a change to your contacts that will give you the option of opting out of the lock. If you opt out of the transfer lock, you will not have to wait 60 days to transfer it (but will still have to wait for any other transfer lock to lapse).
Does this affect Whois Privacy as well?
Yes. Since Whois Privacy is considered a material contact change, it falls under the new policy. You will be prompted to opt out of the 60-day transfer lock upon enabling/disabling Whois Privacy for a domain.
For the full details on how Name.com handles the opt-out process, click here.
Now we just need a way to opt-out at all the other registrars :p 😉
Eric – That’s where it all comes down to, because ICANN is creating more work for domain investors, without lessening the odds of domain theft.