Who Is ICANN?

ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. They are the global organization that handles domain name registrants. ICANN is responsible for Internet stability.

So why should you care? Have you ever had a fully working website shut down all of a sudden? New ICANN domain name rules are behind this. Be aware that this can also happen to your website.

According to ICANN's Registrants' Benefits and Responsibilities, if you are a domain owner you must respond to inquiries from your Registrar within fifteen (15) days, and keep your registrar account data current. If you choose to have your domain name registration renew automatically, you must also keep your payment information current.

If you see the image below on a website it doesn't mean that the site was hacked or the site has problems with web services and payments. It simply means the website owner/manager overlooked or did not receive an email that needs them to click a link to validate their website ownership.

 

 

 

If you're a website owner or manager and you have been ignoring ICANN's emails before, it's time to pay attention! ICANN's new rule has consequences when you ignore or unknowingly miss their email. The new email verification rules help to make sure all registrant data is correct.

Whenever you change your WHOIS registrant data, you receive an automated email. CLICK THE VALIDATION LINK in the email or else your domain name will be suspended or shut down after 15 days.

To protect your website from suspension or shutting down, here are some tips:

• Register your website in your name.
• Make sure your contact information is up-to-date.
• Use an email address that is not at your domain.
• Make sure you access this email regularly.
• Review your registrar account.

Need help with any of this? Kahl Consultants can assist you. Give Kahl a call.