Please note that this is not the actual http://www.rfc-ignorant.org/policy-ipwhois.html webpage, but a suggested revised version of it by Allen Smith.

ipwhois.rfc-ignorant.org listing policy

Precedent: RFC954

Type: IP

RFC954 specifies that all hosts who can connect to "the DoD Internet" and are capable of passing traffic should be listed in the whois server (accessible via a standard TCP port, 43), complete with contact information including (at least) one network e-mail address. Over time, this has mutated into an expectation that whois for the IP space would be maintained by the appropriate RIR (Regional Internet Registry). It is important to note that, at present, there is no "root" WHOIS server for IP networks. It is basically up to the client to know to which RIR the address to be looked up has been delegated (and should be queried for).

Networks are listed in the ipwhois.rfc-ignorant.org zone based on meeting any of the following criteria:

  1. The information provided in the WHOIS record for a given network is missing or otherwise "obviously wrong"; examples might include: (An exception is that a fax number is not considered in this, because not everyone has a fax, but everyone should be expected to provide accurate contact info for their network via telephone, snailmail, and email.)
  2. If the information provided on a WHOIS record is inaccurate, out of date, or otherwise "provably wrong". This might include e-mails that bounce, phone numbers of people who have nothing to do with the network, or a street address that doesn't work for the company in question.
  3. If an address space does not have a working, public, free of charge WHOIS registry providing all the necessary contact information, then by definition no network in that address space is RFC954-compliant, and that would make the entire address space a viable candidate for listing.
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