Ballot 36 – Public WHOIS Information

Ballot overview

• Ballot 36, Public WHOIS Information, is marked as passed unanimously.
• The motion changes EV certificate domain verification requirements in section 10.6.

What changes

• Deletes the requirement that the domain be registered with an ICANN-approved registrar or an IANA-listed registry and that WHOIS registration information be public and show the organization name, physical address, and administrative contact information.
• Inserts a new requirement that the CA verify the domain is registered with an ICANN-approved registrar or an IANA-listed registry.
• Adds a requirement that, for each domain, the CA compare any publicly available WHOIS registration information with the verified Subject organization information and confirm it is neither misleading nor inconsistent.

Timing

• The ballot review period comes into effect at 2100 UTC on 12 Mar 10 and closes at 2100 UTC on 19 Mar 10.
• The voting period starts immediately after the review period and closes at 2100 UTC on 26 Mar 10.
• The motion states that the changes are effective immediately.

Compliance impact

• EV certificate domain verification must follow the revised WHOIS comparison requirement immediately upon effectiveness.
• The evidence does not provide any phased applicability by CA type or certificate type beyond the EV certificate scope stated in the motion.