WHOIS Information
As part of the administration of the .CA Registry, CIRA operates an electronic look-up service called "WHOIS". WHOIS is designed to provide limited information concerning Domain Names.
WHOIS has built-in privacy protection options, which can be used to limit the personal information available through the WHOIS system. For Registrants who are individuals (e.g. as opposed to organizations), the privacy protection options are turned on by default, and only limited personal information is available to third parties when they search the WHOIS system for a Domain Name that you have registered. If you turn your privacy protection option off, more of your personal information will be available through the WHOIS system. Your privacy protections can be changed by contacting your Registrar.
When your privacy protection is turned on, the following information is visible:
Domain Name;
Domain Name status;
Creation date;
Expiry date;
Updated date;
Registrar name; and
Registrar number.
When your privacy protection is turned OFF, the following information is visible
Registrant Information includes:
Registrant name;
Mailing address, e-mail address, phone number and fax number;
Domain Name Information includes:
Domain Name;
Domain Name status;
Creation date;
Expiry date;
Updated date;
Registrar name; and
Registrar number.
Administrative Contact Information and Technical Contact Information includes:
Name;
Mailing address;
Phone;
Fax; and
E-mail.
If you are a non-individual Registrant, the information that will be made available through the WHOIS system will be the same as an individual Registrant with their privacy protection turned OFF. Non-individual Registrants may request to CIRA, in writing, that the information described above not be disclosed to the public via the WHOIS. In such a written request, the non-individual Registrant must certify that it has a legitimate need to protect the privacy of its information, which need is greater than that of other CIRA Registrants who are not individuals, because the nature of that Registrant’s operations or activities is such that disclosure of its information via the WHOIS would be likely to cause harm to individuals or to that Registrant.
CIRA retains the discretion to determine in any case whether a non-individual Registrant meets the criteria and will be permitted to opt out of standard disclosure of information in the WHOIS. If CIRA accedes to the request, the non-individual Registrant’s WHOIS information will only be disclosed thereafter in accordance with the terms for disclosure applicable to individual Registrants.