Registration Data Policy: Consent to Data Publication

In compliance with ICANN’s Registration Data Policy, domain registrants must now explicitly consent if they wish to have their personal registration data published in WHOIS or RDAP for gTLDs.

To support this, we’ve introduced a new setting across all domain management interfaces — Consent to Data Publication — which allows resellers to manage consent on behalf of their clients for the publication of contact data in WHOIS/RDAP.

This article explains the features, how it interacts with WHOIS Privacy Protection (WPP), and how to implement it across:

• Reseller Control Panel (RCP)
• API Integrations (REST/XML)
• WHMCS Modules  

Consent to Data Publication – Overview

Key Rules:

• 🔐 WPP takes precedence: If WPP is enabled, actual data is never shown, regardless of consent.
• ⚠️ Consent is mandatory: Without it, no personal data will be published, even if WPP is disabled.
   

🖥️ RCP (Reseller Control Panel)

A new field called Consent to Data Publication is now visible under the Contact Details Modification page for each GTLD domain.

Default Behavior:

• Consent is set to OFF by default.
• The registrant’s data will be redacted in public WHOIS/RDAP unless consent is explicitly given. 

How to Use:

• Log in to the RCP.
• Navigate to the Domain Details page and click on Edit Contact Data.
• You will see the Consent to Data Publication toggle.
• Set it to ON if the registrant wishes to make their contact data public (provided WPP is disabled).

API Integration (REST & XML)

All API-based resellers are required to support this new field in their integration for domain operations (Create, Transfer, Update).

Field Specification

✅REST API

• Parent Field:  domain_additional_data
• Field Name: consent_for_publishing
• Data Type: string
• Allowed Values:
  • "0" – Registrant does not consent
  • "1" – Registrant does consent 
     

✅ XML API

• Parent Field: domainAdditionalData
• Field Name: consentForPublishing
• Allowed Values:
  • "0" – No consent
  • "1" – Consent given

Required Updates for API Resellers:

1. Add support for the consent_for_publishing (REST) / consentForPublishing (XML) field during:
   • Domain Registration (createDomain)
   • Domain Transfer (transferDomain)
   • Domain Updates (modifyDomain)
2. Present a clear opt-in consent option to registrants via your frontend.

Default Behavior if Field Not Provided:

• Data will remain redacted in WHOIS/RDAP by default.

WHMCS Integration

As of v5.8.4 of the Openprovider WHMCS Domains Module, a new option — Consent to Publish Domain Contact Data—is now available.

Where It Appears:

• Domain Registration
• Domain Transfer
• Domain Modification

Behavior:

• Personal data is redacted by default, in line with GDPR.
• An explicit checkbox option is now shown to collect the registrant's consent.
• If selected, the registrant’s personal data will appear in WHOIS/RDAP only if WPP is disabled.

Required Actions for WHMCS Admins:

• Download and install the latest module version.

NOTE:

To remain compliant and transparent:

• 📌 Always default to redacted unless consent is explicitly granted.
• ✅ For API users: Present the consent option clearly during domain registration, transfer, or contact updates.
• 🔍 Include a tooltip or info message that explains:
  "Your personal information is redacted by default to protect your privacy.
  If you manually change this setting to allow publication, you understand and agree that the contact information will be treated as public and non-personal data."
• 📝 Log consent decisions received from registrants for audit trails and regulatory compliance.
   

Need Help?

• For API documentation, refer to our API Reference Guide.
• For WHMCS-specific installation and upgrade help, visit the GitHub repository.
• Contact our support team for implementation assistance.