Which system provides publicly available databases containing domain name registration contact information?

• A. WHOIS
• B. DNS
• C. ICANN
• D. Registrar

Answer: (A)

Public WHOIS databases provide domain registration contact information. The WHOIS system lets anyone query a domain (or IP) and receive records that include registrant and administrative/technical contact details, as well as registration dates and the registrar. This makes it a searchable directory of who owns or is responsible for a domain and how to reach them. DNS, by contrast, translates domain names to IP addresses and does not publish registrant contact data. ICANN is the global body that oversees policy and accreditation of registrars, but it does not itself act as the public directory of ownership data. Registrars register domains and supply the data that WHOIS provides, but the publicly accessible contact information you obtain comes from the WHOIS records.