Greater privacy and protection against cybercrime

No more personal data in Whois service

The publicly accessible Whois service can be used to query information about domain names. The revised OID no longer requires that personal data be published there. From 1 January 2021, the name and address of the domain holder and the technical contact for a domain name will thus no longer be made public for data protection reasons, regardless of whether the holder is a private individual or a corporate entity.

Information on personal data

In justified cases, SWITCH will provide information on personal data. This will become necessary because, in future, the name and address of the holder of a domain name will no longer be published in the Whois service. Requests for information can be submitted online from 1 January 2021.

Accessing the zone file

The zone file includes a list of all .ch domain names with information about the relevant name server that can be actively used on the internet for websites and emails. The zone file is updated hourly and provides useful information to researchers studying internet phenomena or the development of the internet in general. However, the data is also valuable for law enforcement authorities in order to fight cybercrime faster and more effectively. SWITCH will provide access to the zone file from 1 January 2021. You can find more information here.

Links:

OID – Modification from 18 November 2020 (only available in German or in French)

OFCOM information on OID revision