It appears that GoDaddy no longer cancels domains for invalid whois.
Back in February, GoDaddy canceled the domain registration for FamilyAlbum.com because its customer had invalid whois information. The domain was given to another customer who had backordered the domain. This story caused a heated debate, as many people criticized GoDaddy and many others shared their frustrations with invalid whois data. If you missed the story, here’s some background:
GoDaddy Deletes Domain Name for Invalid Whois
GoDaddy Responds to Deletion Over Invalid Whois Address
GoDaddy Makes Reporting Invalid Whois Easy
An Update on GoDaddy Whois Issue and Other Registrars’ Responses
Now GoDaddy appears to have changed its policy about canceling registrations for invalid Whois.
About 5 months ago I submitted an invalid whois report for a domain registered at GoDaddy. The whois record for the domain now shows:
This domain name has been suspended due to invalid Whois information. If you are the registrant of this domain name please contact us at: invalidwhois@secureserver.net.
I’ve kept an eye on the domain and nothing has happened. Today I received an email from a reader who is trying to get his hands on a domain with obviously false whois information. For example, the phone number is 555-555-5555. The email address also bounces. The reader submitted an invalid whois report and hoped that GoDaddy might release the domain. When the reader submitted the whois report, he received an autoresponse:
The registrant of the domain will have a brief time period to update the information or the domain may be cancelled. We will notify you when the contact information is corrected, or when the domain is cancelled.
Thank you,
GoDaddy.com
Domain Services
But apparently GoDaddy no longer deletes these registrations. After follow up with GoDaddy support, here’s the message the reader received:
“Thank you for contacting us about the domain DOMAIN.COM. The domain has been suspended due to invalid Whois. The domain will remain in suspension through expiration, including the registry’s redemption period, unless the owner updates the contact information before that time.”
So, it appears that GoDaddy no longer cancels registrations just weeks after receiving an invalid whois request. It seems that they’ve done a 180, and won’t cancel the registrations at all.
Is this the right thing to do? I know how frustrating it is to not be able to contact a domain owner because of invalid whois information. At the same time, that person did register the domain before you. And while it’s suspended at GoDaddy, they can’t use the domain at all — no connection to a web site, no parking page, etc. If the person is paying attention or they have a real web site for the domain, they will be sure to update their information.
Even if the whois information is accurate, the current owner has no obligation to respond to a purchase inquiry. But when I try to tell that to friends who want me to acquire domains for them, they certainly don’t understand.
Doug Mehus says
As a domain owner myself and someone concerned with other registrants not using correct or accurate Whois information for their domains, I understand there is a need for balance. I think that’s what GoDaddy.com is trying to do here. While suspending the domain immediately gets the owner’s attention, it also made them vulnerable to unscrupulous registrants trying to steal the domain away.
With this small delay in suspending the domain from the receipt of a Whois problem report, hopefully 15 days and no more than 30, I think that balance is achieved. If the owner continues to ignore GoDaddy.com’s e-mail messages and/or phone calls, then they should suspend the domain and there’s every indication they will.
From there, it remains suspended until it goes into Redemption Grace Period at the registry, I believe.
So, kudos to GoDaddy.com! It’s worth noting some registrars, specifically Rebel.com and OnlineNIC.com, do absolutely nothing about it. They may sometimes send the report on to the registrant, but never act on the outcome. So, GoDaddy.com is far better than these “deadbeats”.
Cheers,
Doug
Andrew says
Doug, I think I’m with you. The way they handled FamilyAlbum.com was a disaster. However, by effectively ‘disabling’ the domain until the owner corrects his information, they are rendering it useless. But it was registered for X years, and I have no problem with it sitting in suspended status for that period.
Dave Zan says
Adam says
I bet these names don’t end up going through a delete cycle either. . . they’ll just sit there and end up on TDNAM like any other “expiring domain”
Snoopy says
This doesn’t sound like an ethical way of trying to acquire a domain.
DomainerPro says
The new policy is much more reasonable and quite fair in my opinion.
LosAngeles says
Assuming either the Left Wing or the Right Wing gained control of the country, it would probably fly around in circles.
Dr. Altaf says
Where are the actual rules? Even we found that the address e.g. email, contact tel with area code etc. are correct the rgistrars send a standard notice of whois update. If the whois info not correct, why the registrars are not compelled to update their database with correct & uptodate whois collected from the registrant? It is obvious that if the sign up with the registrar was many years before the contact address cannot be feasible/updated for hundred of thousand domains if held by any registrant. Here TDNAM
should come up with improved policy how to protect alls ineterests.
Also we observed, despite escured user & password how domains are stollen from the arsenal of the registrar? In that case what action TDNAM might take to return the domain to the original owner/registrant of the domain? Thanks.
Regards,
Peter Andrews says
Unfortunately BigDaddy is now stealing domains, using the excuse that WHOIS information is inaccurate, even when it isn’t. Steer well away from this company!
Andrew Allemann says
@ Peter – show me an example.
Greg Deskin says
After fighting with Oversee about a domain, they finally agreed to transfer the domain back to me. We were notified by Godaddy that that transfer was complete and two hourse later we were hit with a $9.95 admin fee for an invalidwhois complaint. Do not use Godaddy, this is a money grab.