Frequently Asked Questions
What is CIRA?
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority is the not-for-profit Canadian corporation responsible for operating Canada’s .CA Internet country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).
What is WHOIS?
“WHOIS” is a generic term used to describe an online directory service that allows people to look up information about Internet domain names. CIRA maintains a WHOIS look-up directory which permits queries to the .CA Registry database to determine the availability of .CA domain names or to view the administrative contact and technical information provided by individuals and organizations who have registered a .CA domain name.
Why does CIRA collect information when individuals or organizations register a .CA domain name?
CIRA requires contact and technical information about individuals or organizations who register .CA domain names in order to ensure the smooth operation and management of the .CA domain name registry.
For example, the Registrant information that CIRA collects is needed to transfer a .CA domain name from one Registrant or Registrar to another, to contact Registrants about any domain registration issues, and to help resolve any disputes that may arise involving a .CA domain name.
CIRA’s role and mandate is to act as a neutral third party that manages the .CA registry in the public’s interest. The information it collects encourages public accountability and helps combat inappropriate uses of the Internet such as unsolicited email (spam) and fraud.
Is my information displayed under the .CA WHOIS?
By default, the following information (“personal information”) about individual Registrants is kept private:
- The name, address, phone number, email, and fax number (if provided) of the Administrative Contact and Technical Contact;
- The Registrant’s CIRA assigned Registrant number;
- The name of the Registrant;
- The CIRA assigned domain number for each domain name registration held by the Registrant;
- The description field which the Registrant or the Registrant’s Registrar filled out during the registration process describing the Registrant or the Registrant’s business.
The information of corporate Registrants is displayed by default. Information may be protected in special circumstances.
Why did CIRA revise its WHOIS policy to limit the amount of contact information for Registrants that is publicly available?
CIRA is committed to maintaining high standards of privacy and data protection in all of its activities. CIRA understands the importance of balancing the privacy rights of Registrants with its public responsibility for administering the .CA domain for all Canadians. For these reasons, CIRA revised its WHOIS policy.
What was CIRA’s Privacy Policy before the WHOIS policy revision and how did these changes affect it?
The previous CIRA Privacy Policy stated:
We make certain information available to the public through the WHOIS service. The information is currently limited to the following:
- The name, address, phone number, email, and fax number (if provided) of the Administrative Contact and Technical Contact;
- The Registrant’s CIRA assigned Registrant number;
- The name of the Registrant;
- Each domain name registration and the CIRA assigned domain number for each domain name registration held by the Registrant;
- The description field which the Registrant or the Registrant’s Registrar filled out during the registration process describing the Registrant or the Registrant’s business;
- The Internet Protocol Number of the primary name server and secondary name server(s) and, if applicable the tertiary, quaternary, quinary, and senary name servers for each domain name registration;
- The corresponding names of those name servers;
- The registration date and the date of each domain name registration was last changed;
- The expiration date of each domain name registration held by the Registrant; and
- The name of the Registrant’s Registrar responsible for each domain name Registrant.
The current Privacy Policy states that for dot-ca domain names registered to individual Registrants:
The following information is available to the public through the WHOIS service:
(a) domain names;
(b) Individual Registrant’s Registrar’s name;
(c) Individual Registrant’s Registrar’s number assigned by us;
(d) the expiration date of each Domain Name Registration of an Individual Registrant;
(e) the registration date of each Domain Name Registration;
(f) the last changed date of each Domain Name Registration;
(g) whether the Domain Name Registration has been suspended or is in the process of being transferred;
(h) the Internet Protocol address of the primary name server and secondary name server(s) and, if applicable, the tertiary, quaternary, quinary, and senary name servers for each Domain Name Registration; and
(i) the corresponding names of those name servers.
Therefore it is no longer possible to obtain the following using a traditional WHOIS query for dot-ca domain names registered to individual Registrants:
- The name, address, phone number, email, and fax number (if provided) of the Administrative Contact and Technical Contact;
- The Registrant’s CIRA assigned Registrant number;
- The name of the Registrant;
- The CIRA assigned domain number for each domain name registration held by the Registrant;
- The description field which the Registrant or the Registrant’s Registrar filled out during the registration process describing the Registrant or the Registrant’s business.
What background work and consultation did CIRA conduct to develop the new WHOIS policy?
CIRA’s new WHOIS policy was developed following an initial public consultation with numerous CIRA stakeholders, including:
- 2,000 .CA domain name Registrants (1,000 each of Individuals and Organizations)
- A sample of CIRA Certified Registrars (13)
- A nationally proportionate, random sample of 1,000 Canadian adults
- 27 representatives of leading organizations and/or experts in the areas of law enforcement, Internet use and governance, consumer protection, business, intellectual property and privacy
- Members of the CIRA Board of Directors
CIRA held a second public consultation on the implementation procedures for the WHOIS policy to address some of the issues raised in the initial consultation.
Why did CIRA seek comments from the public about its WHOIS policy?
CIRA invited members of the public to review and comment on the WHOIS policy, to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to contribute to the development of the WHOIS policy and encourage public debate about the need to balance privacy protection for Canadians against the public accountability of .CA domain name holders.
How were the WHOIS implementation procedures developed?
CIRA retained an outside consultant to develop an implementation strategy for the new WHOIS policy. This strategy was further refined by CIRA. CIRA also consulted with the public on the key aspects of the implementation strategy. Comments received from public consultations were carefully considered when developing the implementation plan.
Will I still get unsolicited email (spam)?
Changes to CIRA’s WHOIS only prevent the display of individual Registrant contact information after June 10, 2008. Any information previously available in the CA WHOIS may have been collected by spammers who may continue to use this information. In addition, the .CA WHOIS is not the only information source used by spammers to gather information.
I already pay for a privacy mailbox through my Registrar. Is the WHOIS policy the same thing?
No, the CIRA WHOIS policy only encompasses searches made through our WHOIS tool. A privacy mailbox is a service provided by Registrars and encompass a range of features, generally designed to hide your ‘real’ email address and display a ‘privacy’ email on the WHOIS. It is unrelated to the .CA WHOIS.
Since the personal information of Individual Registrants is no longer displayed under the WHOIS, how do I contact a particular Registrant?
Because the new WHOIS Policy limits the amount of personal information about Individual .CA domain name Registrants available to the public, it is more difficult for interested parties to correspond with Individual Registrants.
CIRA is established an online process for passing correspondence from interested parties to Registrants. However, CIRA can not guarantee that messages will be read and/or responded to by the recipient.
How do I find out the name of a Registrant if I have a dispute about a particular domain name?
In order to facilitate communication with Registrants whose contact information is no longer displayed, CIRA developed an online process for passing correspondence from interested parties to Registrants. To contact a Registrant whose privacy is protected, use the online Message Delivery form to forward a message to the Registrant’s Administrative contact.
In the event that a user is not able to resolve their dispute using the Message Delivery form, CIRA may, under specific and limited circumstances, disclose certain specific information of Registrants that is not publicly available through the WHOIS search tool via the Request for Disclosure of Registrant Information – Rules and Procedures.
How can I tell if I am classified as an individual or a non-individual Registrant?
When registering a .CA domain name, Registrants provide a legal type to CIRA which denotes their eligibility to hold a .CA domain name. An individual Registrant is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, legal representative, or an aboriginal person. All other legal types are considered non-individuals.
As a non-individual Registrant, my information is published under the WHOIS policy. However, it is absolutely critical that my contact information be kept confidential. How do I go about doing this?
The registration information of non-individual Registrants is displayed to the public on the WHOIS. CIRA may grant WHOIS privacy protection to non-individual Registrants, but only in exceptional circumstances. In order to qualify for WHOIS privacy protection as a non-individual Registrant, you must meet both of the following criteria:
1. The nature of your operations (or activities) makes you have a greater need to protect your personal information than other non-individual Registrants; and
2. Making your personal information available on the WHOIS would likely cause harm to individuals or yourself.
For example, the following reasons do NOT qualify:
- You do not want to receive spam
- Simply because you do not want your information published on the WHOIS
- Simply because you operate a home-based business
If you believe you meet both of the above criteria to qualify for WHOIS privacy protection, please write to CIRA at the following postal or email address explaining how you meet both of the above criteria:
Privacy Requests
Canadian Internet Registration Authority
306 – 350 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1R 7S8
privacyrequests@cira.ca
The granting of privacy protection is at the discretion of CIRA. After a review of your request, you will be notified by email of CIRA’s decision. Your registration information will continue to be displayed on the WHOIS until your request is approved by CIRA.
As an Individual Registrant, can I choose to continue publication of my personal information?
The WHOIS Policy allows for individual Registrants to opt-in to full WHOIS publication of their personal information.
When an individual Registrant opts into full WHOIS publication of their personal information, it includes ALL of the data that used to be available on the WHOIS directory: name, address, telephone number, email address, etc. They may not choose to display only some of their information.
I am classified as an Individual Registrant and by default my personal information is not published in the WHOIS under CIRA’s new privacy policy. However, I run a small business from home and would like my personal information to be displayed. How can I
If you wish to display your Registrant information publicly:
- Login to your CIRA Registrant account.
- Under the heading “Changing your privacy status”, click the “Turn privacy OFF” button
What is a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate?
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a technology designed to provide additional security for online transactions between a website and a user’s Internet browser. SSL uses encryption techniques to protect communications and certificates (certs) to identify websites. The most common applications of SSL are to protect online purchases where buyers must enter credit card numbers or online banking where personal banking details may be exposed.
SSL certificates are often purchased by companies who wish to provide assurance and security for their online businesses. SSL certificates are issued by trusted third-party certificate authorities who verify that the certificate holder is the legitimate holder of the domain name registration.
When buying an SSL certificate, why does it matter that my domain name registration information is available on the public WHOIS?
Certificate authorities are companies that create and sell SSL certificates. They use the WHOIS to identify the legitimate holder of a domain name. If you request privacy protection, and your personal information is not displayed on the WHOIS, you may experience delays in getting an SSL certificate, or a certificate authority may be unable or refuse to issue an SSL certificate for your domain name.
