I see all this and I’m still gobsmacked how easy it is to connive at error.  Leading……well, um threshold questions are always intended to enforce adaption of a set narrative.  That should be rejected for cause.

There is no successful contradiction for the evidence of inaccuracy in contact data and the registration system still lacks meaningful enforcement of the existing data accuracy policy for the DNS. It remains astonishing how easily errors persist—registrars are required to warrant that registrants provide valid contact details, yet verification remains weak. ICANN’s policy demands that registrars validate and periodically review phone and email contacts, even as these are constantly changing and too often left unchecked.

Here is what we know for sure. The self-regulated registration data (WHOIS) accuracy model has failed. We have undeniable proof: emails don’t resolve, phone numbers are unreachable, and registrars face no real consequences for non-compliance. What we have here is a policy that exists in theory but not in practice. ICANN, the supposed master regulator, has failed to enforce its own policy. Evidence of oversight is weak to non-existent, and without penalties, registrars have no incentive to comply.

Enter NIS2, which flips the script on registration data (WHOIS) accuracy. It raises the bar on verification, intends enforcement of legally binding government oversight and introduces penalties for non-compliance. So now, the hue and cry. Because if the EU enforces this directive as law, it would fragment the domain registration landscape, resulting in divergent verification standards, conflicting enforcement mechanisms, and inevitable clashes with GDPR. Lawyers will thrive with the legal grey areas now at play.

But let’s not get lost in the noise. If the true goal of the registration data (WHOIS) accuracy is contactability, then who the registrant claims to be is secondary. Whether they identify as Wile E. Coyote, Donald D. Duck, or Jack Schitt shouldn’t matter. So long as they can be reached via a valid phone number or email.  And if they cannot be reached, there are consequences.

Carlton