Anyone visiting a website that integrates third-party services, such as Cookiebot or Google Maps, can easily find out whether their own visitor data may be exposed to insecure third countries. A Whois query immediately shows whether there is likely to be a problem with data protection.
At least after the Privacy Shield ruling of the ECJ ("Schrems II") it is important to know who the owner of a domain is. A domain is a symbolic internet address. Especially for foreign domains, knowing the owner is significant.
Who owns a domain?
This question can be answered with a Whois query.
Anyone transferring data to the US or using American companies for data processing should only do so after user consent. This rules out all Google services for website operators who place a high value on legal security. Update: The consent for US data transfer is, however, tied to the regulations of Art. 49 GDPR.
By using these tools, one puts oneself at risk of exposing personal data (such as network addresses) to American regulations like the Cloud Act, the FISA Law (particularly Section 702) or the Executive Order 12333. This is in conflict with, among other things, the provisions in Article 44ff GDPR.
A concerned person visiting a website can quickly find out who is registered for a given domain or IP address by using an executable and free Whois query. To whom this domain or address has been licensed.
A so-called Whois inquiry (also referred to as WHOIS-Lookup) provides information about the Registrant, who has registered the domain. For WHOIS services, there are numerous providers that allow free inquiries. Here are some of these providers and Internet Address Administration Offices:
WHO.IS
This service is accessible at address https://who.is.
The query is possible by entering the domain name. A domain name, for example, is google-analytics.com
The text www. or https:// at the beginning is omitted here!
ICANN
The ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. It coordinates the assignment of unique names and addresses on the Internet. This includes coordinating the Domain Name System (DNS) and allocating IP addresses. DNS serves to assign a symbolic name (the domain name) the corresponding technical network address. This assignment occurs through a name server (Name Server), which represents a DNS service.
The WHOIS service of ICANN is available at https://lookup.icann.org/. With it, one can search for a domain name (only Top Level Domain) like cookiebot.com as well as an IP address such as 184.86.103.220.
To find an IP address for a subdomain like consent.cookiebt.com, one must first obtain it. This can be done using a browser such as Mozilla Firefox. To do this, one calls up a website that uses a tool like Cookiebot to contact the desired address. Before calling up the website, one opens the developer console with the key F12. In the developer console, one opens the network analysis, calls up the website, moves the mouse over the symbolic address and sees the IP address associated with it.
The number 443 mentioned at the end of the address, separated from the IP-address by a colon, refers to the Port. This is irrelevant for the current consideration.
If an address is not administered by ICANN, the result of the query will indicate which registry is responsible.
In the picture, next to the responsible WHOIS-Server is also the owner of the address visible (here: Akamai).
The ICANN is the worldwide umbrella organization for domain names and addresses. It makes use of five Regional agencies, which, simplified, are each responsible for a continental area.
The regional agencies, in turn, make use of local registrars, such as DENIC for German domain names. Each local registrar works with partners that make domains – usually for a fee – registerable. These partners are called Registrare.
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Register | Allows the registration of domain names | All-Inkl.com |
| Registratur | Manages domain names, also called registry | DENIC |
| Registrant | Person or organization registering a domain | Company that has an Internet address |
| Regional Internetregistratur | One of five global bodies that manage IP addresses | RIPE NCC |
| ICANN | Global umbrella organization for the administration of Internet domains and addresses | ICANN |
ARIN and other regional offices
ARIN stands for American Registry for Internet Numbers. The ARIN is a subsidiary of ICANN and represents a regional internet registry, to which also RIPE belongs. ARIN is responsible, among other things, for the USA, RIPE for Europe, among other things. In addition, there are APNIC, AFRINIC and LACNIC:
- ARIN: North America, Canada, USA, parts of the Caribbean
My name is Klaus Meffert. I have a doctorate in computer science and have been working professionally and practically with information technology for over 30 years. I also work as an expert in IT & data protection. I achieve my results by looking at technology and law. This seems absolutely essential to me when it comes to digital data protection. My company, IT Logic GmbH, also offers consulting and development of optimized and secure AI solutions.
