As of last week, ICANN allowed domain registries and registrars to opt-out of Whois-related provisions when they don’t comply with local legislation.

This waiver is designed primarily for European companies because EU privacy laws are generally stricter than others. Already, ICANN provides waivers from 2013 data retention rules which require registrars to store customer data two years after they are no longer customers.

Now registrars will not have to reveal if they are investigated by local privacy protection authorities until they obtain a waiver from ICANN. Also, they can request an ICANN waiver if they obtain a statement from the local authorities that ICANN contracts contradict their privacy laws.

Requests for waivers are reviewed by the Governmental Advisory Committee and ICANN’s General Counsel before entering into force.

For more news on domain registrars, visit <Verisign Gains Approval to Restrict the Registration of .Com and .Net Domains in Various Countries> and <Domain Registrar Dynadot Reduces its Grace Period>.
To learn about other ICANN policies: <.Com Gets Thick Whois under a New Policy>.