APNIC 59 Policy Decisions

March 17, 2025

APNIC 59 was held in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia on February 19th to February 27th of 2025.

Prop-162: WHOIS Privacy – Did not reach consensus

Prop-162 proposes removing email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses from bulk WHOIS data to enhance the privacy of APNIC members. The goal is to prevent third parties from misusing this information for non-networking purposes, such as marketing, while ensuring legitimate access remains available through APNIC-controlled WHOIS services. The proposal argues that this change would reduce unwanted communications without negatively affecting resource holders.

Following community feedback, the proposal was updated in Version 2, released on February 10th. This version provides more detail on technical changes, enforcement mechanisms, and transparency measures while maintaining the original objective of removing contact details from bulk WHOIS. This was the version presented during APNIC 59 in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

During APNIC 59, community feedback was generally supportive of Prop-162, with some recommendations for improvement. Suggestions included allowing resource holders to opt in to sharing limited contact details instead of full removal and clarifying which WHOIS objects would be affected. Concerns were raised about the potential impact on legitimate research, as access restrictions would require clear criteria for defining legitimate users. Despite overall support, the proposal did not reach consensus.

prop-163: Enhancing WHOIS Transparency and Efficiency Through Referral Server Implementation – No consensus call

Prop-163 aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of WHOIS queries within APNIC by implementing WHOIS Referral Server support. The proposal seeks to address challenges such as inconsistent query results after resource transfers, difficulties in querying NIR second-level allocations, and limited visibility into downstream allocations. By enabling automatic redirection of WHOIS queries to the appropriate RIR database and improving access to NIR and downstream allocation information, it intends to enhance transparency and streamline query processes. The proposal also acknowledges potential challenges, including implementation costs and technical compatibility issues across different systems. 

During discussions at APNIC 59, community members debated whether RDAP, which already supports referral functionality, could serve as an alternative, questioning the necessity of the proposed changes. Concerns were raised about the accuracy of referred WHOIS data, as maintaining up-to-date information ultimately depends on RIRs and APNIC. Some suggested breaking the proposal into two separate initiatives: one ensuring NIR data remains updated in APNIC’s WHOIS and another focusing on inter-RIR WHOIS referrals, which may require additional considerations. Additionally, it was noted that NIRs had not been directly consulted. Due to the discrepancies between the version of the proposal on the mailing list and the version presented to the community, a consensus call could not be made. The proposal must be formally relisted on the mailing list before further progress can be made.