ICANN Finds 70% of Tested Domain Names Pass 2009 Syntax Accuracy Requirements

its Accuracy Reporting System to identify potentially inaccurate Whois contact information and forward that information on to registrars for further action. Ninety-nine percent of all tested email addresses met the 2009 RAA’s syntax requirements, as did 85 percent of tested phone numbers and 79 percent of all postal addresses, ICANN said. All domains are required to meet the 2009 RAA’s syntax accuracy standards, while only domains not grandfathered under the 2013 RAA must meet the 2013 agreement’s stricter syntax accuracy standards. Only 34 percent of the 3,848 tested domain names not grandfathered under the 2013 RAA met all of that RAA’s syntax accuracy requirements, though 97 percent met requirements for email addresses. More than 84 percent of the nongrandfathered 2013 RAA domains met requirements for phone numbers, while 44 percent met requirements for postal addresses. The 2013 RAA’s additional syntax accuracy requirements mainly focused on postal addresses, ICANN said. The organization said it’s planning to issue a report on follow-up efforts to remedy syntax inaccuracies in the tested domain names and is planning to complete an additional round of syntax accuracy testing in November. In a related Whois issue, groups have been battling over whether ICANN should allow registrations that mask domain-name ownership through the use of IP proxy servers (see 1507060059 and 1507170064).