From time to time, and any time you update your domain contact information, you may receive an email from us asking you to verify your WhoIs information. But what is WhoIs and how to you verify it? It's funny you should ask.
Sections
- What is WhoIs
- What is WhoIs Verification?
- How do I complete teh WhoIs Verification?
- What happens if I do not complete the WhoIs Verification?
What is WhoIs
WhoIs (Who Is?) is the term used by ICANN to describe the contact information of a domain. ICANN requires that all domains have up to date WhoIs data, but the information is not stored on one giant database. Instead, the data is stored and maintained by domain registers. You can look up the WhoIs information for any domain using many online sites, or by using a scripts from your CLI (command line interface).
While most TLDs mask the private information contained in the WhoIs information, some require that this information remains public. This is more common with some country based TLDs (.us).
You can find more information on WhoIs data on the ICANN website.
What is WhoIs Verification?
Not only is it good practice to keep your domain contact information up to date, it is mandated by ICANN that all accredited domain registrars ensure that the domains they manager are up to date.
To ensure domains are maintained, from time to time, a WhoIs Verification request will be sent to the mailbox on the domain contact information. This is also sent any time the contact information is updated.
This is done, not only to ensure that your contact information is accurate, but to ensure that you are aware of any changes to your contact information. If someone else gains control of your domain name, it may not be recoverable.
How do I complete the WhoIs Verification?
The verification email will contain the current contact information and ask you to verify that this information is accurate. If not, you should update the contact information right away. Once updated, a new verification email will be sent.
If the information is accurate, then you will need to click on the Verification link in the email. This will signal to your registrar that the current information is up to date.
What happens if I do not complete the WhoIs Verification?
If you do not complete the WhoIs Verification within 14 days of the email being sent, your domain will be suspended and any websites or email attached to the domain will cease to function.
If your domain is currently suspended due to incomplete WhoIs Verification, you should check your mailbox for the verification email. As long as it has not been suspended for a long time, the verification link should still work.
If the verification link does not work, or you cannot find the email, contact support and we will send a new one. Check you contact information for the domain to ensure that you are checking the correct mailbox.
If your domain contact email uses that domain (for example, if your domain email is email@example.com for the domain example.com), you will need to update the domain contact email address before you will be able to reactivate the domain. This is one reason that we do not recommend you use the domain based email as the contact email address.
Still Having Issues?
If you are still having issues, you can contact our Customer Support in the following methods:
Live Chat
You can connect to our Live Chat Support Team from your MacHighway Client Area. If you are not sure how to do this, you can find a guide here.
Our Live Chat team is available Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern Time.
Support Ticket
You can submit a support ticket to our Support Team from your client area.
Our ticket Support Team is available 24/7/365.
Phone support
You can contact our Phone Support Team using the following number:
- US/Canada 1-888-974-0334
- International 1-727-800-3606
Our Phone Support team is available Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern Time.
