Skip to main content

AFRINIC · RIR Watchdog

AFRINIC Whois Database Update Process

Start here for the proposal-by-proposal record: what changed, why it mattered, who argued for what, how positions evolved, what was decided, and where the evidence still has gaps.

Source facts

Policy ID
AFPUB-2014-GEN-001
RIR
AFRINIC
Official status
Withdrawn
Normalized status
Withdrawn
Introduced
May 15, 2014
Last source update
Oct 12, 2026
Coverage
Partial

Who actually shaped the debate?

3Total participants
2Discussion contributors
1Formal actors
2Discussion messages
2Effective participants
100%Top-five discussion share
1People covering 50%
2People covering 80%

Policy evolution

DRAFT-01
May 18, 2014
Source facts ↗

source_comparison_limit · Both captures identify draft-01. The earlier capture is only an archive placeholder, while the original RPD announcement supplies the proposal text. This is recovery of missing evidence, not evidence of a policy amendment; no substantive policy change can be inferred by comparing the empty wrapper with the recovered draft.

DRAFT-02
Withdrawn · Withdrawn
Unknown
Source facts ↗

annual_validation_and_holder_duties · The draft strengthens annual validation from staff 'should' language to a mandatory check. It also directly requires object owners to check and update at least annually and organizations to update records when requesting resources or services. These are proposed obligations; the withdrawn draft does not itself establish current enforceability.

response_and_reminder_deadlines · Draft-01 allows one month for an email response. Draft-02 specifies 30 days and adds a reminder on day 15 warning that a further 15 days without response leads to a grace period.

bounced_contact_followup · Draft-01 waits one month before alternative contact attempts, including for bounced mail. Draft-02 requires immediate attempts through alternative means when an email is returned as undeliverable.

grace_period_timing · Draft-01 refers to another month before marking an unresponsive record invalid. Draft-02 defines a grace period starting 31 days after first contact and lasting 30 days, during which staff continue trying to reach members through available communication tools.

invalidation_and_publication · Invalidation is tied to the end of the grace period, 61 days after initial contact. Publication changes from a discretionary report about resources with invalid contacts to a required list of non-responsive contacts and associated objects, published within 24 hours.

rectification_before_expiry · Draft-02 adds a procedure to remove a non-expired invalid resource record from the public website after its owner confirms the update in writing. AFRINIC must acknowledge within 72 hours; withdrawal should follow within 72 hours of that acknowledgement. Draft-01's publication-and-reclamation sequence contains no corresponding removal timetable.

expiry_and_reclamation · At the one-year endpoint, Draft-01 permits reclamation if inaccurate data and non-response persist. Draft-02 requires marking the resource expired and reclaiming its associated number resources into AFRINIC's pool.

reapplication_after_expiry · Draft-02 adds a new application and associated fees when an organization returns after expiry, without a guarantee of receiving the same resources. Reclaimed resources are removed from the public list. Draft-01's reclamation clause does not specify these consequences.

refunds_after_reclamation · Draft-02 adds an explicit no-refund provision when an expired record's resources return to AFRINIC's pool. The old one-year reclamation provision does not specify this financial consequence.

time_counting · Draft-02 defines literal calendar time rather than working days, daily start and expiry times, and the time zone of AFRINIC's registered address. This replaces the earlier draft's unqualified month-based timing with an explicit counting convention.

Debate timeline

  1. Official version

    draft-01

    Source facts ↗
  2. Official version

    DRAFT-02

    Withdrawn · Withdrawn

    Source facts ↗
  3. Introduced

    Introduced

    Source facts ↗
  4. Official version

    DRAFT-02

    Source facts ↗
  5. Official version

    DRAFT-01

    Source facts ↗

Entities

Freshness: Stale

Could not load more

  1. Discussion messages1
    First activityDec 5, 2014
    Last activityDec 5, 2014
    First explicit stanceUnknown
    Latest explicit stanceUnknown
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyInsufficient evidence to assess consistency
    Other policies13
  2. Adam Nelson · Identity unresolved
    Discussion messages1
    First activityNov 7, 2014
    Last activityNov 7, 2014
    First explicit stanceUnknown
    Latest explicit stanceUnknown
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyNo explicit position stated
    Other policies4
  3. Jean-Robert Hountomey · Identity unresolved
    Discussion messages0
    First activityUnknown
    Last activityUnknown
    First explicit stanceUnknown
    Latest explicit stanceUnknown
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyNo explicit position stated
    Other policies1

Sources and coverage

Official policy sources

Public discussion archives

  • afrinic-rpd
    Earliest captured
    Aug 4, 2004
    Latest captured
    Aug 25, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    13,116
    Known gaps
    0
  • www.afrinic.net
  • afrinic-africann
    Earliest captured
    Aug 3, 2026
    Latest captured
    Oct 2, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    2,599
    Known gaps
    0
  • afrinic-afripv6-discuss
    Earliest captured
    Aug 17, 2015
    Latest captured
    Sep 18, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    2,538
    Known gaps
    0
  • afrinic-announce
    Earliest captured
    Aug 18, 2015
    Latest captured
    Sep 18, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    2,497
    Known gaps
    0
  • afrinic-community-discuss
    Earliest captured
    Sep 11, 2015
    Latest captured
    Dec 29, 2019
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    3,127
    Known gaps
    0
  • afrinic-dbwg
    Earliest captured
    Aug 4, 2026
    Latest captured
    Oct 6, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    942
    Known gaps
    0
  • afrinic-dnssec-ops
    Earliest captured
    Aug 18, 2015
    Latest captured
    Dec 1, 2016
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    307
    Known gaps
    0
  • afrinic-icp2-review
    Earliest captured
    Apr 10, 2025
    Latest captured
    Nov 10, 2025
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    0
    Known gaps
    0
  • afrinic-measurement-wg
    Earliest captured
    Feb 1, 2018
    Latest captured
    Nov 22, 2024
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    138
    Known gaps
    0
  • afrinic-mira
    Earliest captured
    Nov 17, 2020
    Latest captured
    Nov 22, 2024
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    0
    Known gaps
    0
  • afrinic-ois-wg
    Earliest captured
    Sep 9, 2021
    Latest captured
    Nov 22, 2024
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    0
    Known gaps
    0
  • afrinic-rpki-discuss
    Earliest captured
    Jan 15, 2016
    Latest captured
    Apr 23, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    154
    Known gaps
    0

Coverage

Partial
Earliest captured: Aug 4, 2004
Latest captured: Oct 13, 2026

Freshness

Freshness: Stale · Last refresh:

Known gaps

  • www.afrinic.net: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • www.afrinic.net: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • afrinic-rpd: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • www.afrinic.net: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • afrinic-africann: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • afrinic-afripv6-discuss: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • afrinic-announce: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • afrinic-community-discuss: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • afrinic-dbwg: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • afrinic-dnssec-ops: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • afrinic-measurement-wg: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • afrinic-rpki-discuss: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.