I am looking for a domain name registrant. Where can I look it up?
The Whois is an easy-to-use tool for checking the availability of a .nl domain name. If the domain name is already taken, you can see who has registered it.
On the page looking up a domain name you will find more information about what a domain name is, how the Whois works and how the privacy of personal data is protected. Alternatively, you can go straight to look for a domain name via the Whois.
I would like to transfer my domain name to another registrar. What is the procedure?
To get your domain name transferred, you need the token (unique ID number) for your domain name. Your existing registrar has the token and is obliged to give it to you within five days, if you ask for it. The procedure for changing your registrar is described on the page transferring your domain name.
The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date. How can I get them updated?
To update the contact details associated with your domain name, you need to contact your registrar. Read more about updating contact details.
Why is my domain name in quarantine?
When a domain name is cancelled, we aren't told the reason, so we can't tell you. You'll need to ask your registrar. The advantage of quarantine is that, if a name's cancelled by mistake, you can always get it back.
One common reason is that the contract between you and your registrar says you've got to renew the registration every year. If you haven't set up automatic renewal and you don't renew manually, the registration will expire.
Ik heb een klacht over mijn provider/registrar. Kan ik daarvoor bij SIDN terecht?
Wanneer je een klacht hebt over of een geschil met je registrar dan zijn er verschillende mogelijkheden om tot een oplossing te komen. Hierover lees je meer op pagina klacht over registrar. SIDN heeft geen formele klachtenprocedure voor het behandelen van een klacht over jouw registrar.
What conditions do I have to meet as a registrar?
Would you like to be able to register domain names for customers or for your own organisation by dealing directly with SIDN? If so, you can become a .nl registrar. Read more about the conditions and how to apply for registrar status on the page becoming a registrar.
SIDN Fund supports new secure guest Wi-Fi initiative
Thursday 20 February 2020
Wi-Fi is an integral part of the modern digital world. There's Wi-Fi wherever you go; the only variable is how you access it. Many places have guest Wi-Fi systems, but they aren't always secure. Networks that anyone can access are an open door for hackers looking to steal personal data. Publicroam is therefore looking to change the landscape by offering free, automatic and secure Wi-Fi access. The brainchild of Ted Dinklo and Paul Francissen, publicroam is founded on the belief that everyone should be able to get safe and easy internet access when out and about. Ted has been talking to us about the initiative and the publicroamVPN research project, supported by SIDN Fund.
Here in the Netherlands, many people are familiar with the eduroam and govroam roaming services, which allow educational institutes and government bodies to share their networks with other organisations. If you work for any of the participating organisations, you can go to another campus or government site here or abroad and use the Wi-Fi network without worrying. But what about the countless public Wi-Fi networks? Why can't they be part of the system? That's what Ted Dinklo and Paul Francissen began wondering in 2017. And it's what led to the start of publicroam, which went live in 2018.
"People nowadays expect free Wi-Fi access wherever they go. Offering visitors access to your Wi-Fi is part of being a good host, but obviously you want the service you offer to be secure," says Ted.
How does publicroam work?
Everyone deserves easy, secure access to Wi-Fi. That's the belief underpinning publicroam. And there's no question that the service is a cinch to use. To get started, you simply need to create a free account by going to the publicroam website or texting a unique code (as described here). Your login details are then sent to your phone. "Next, all you do is activate your account, which is a one-off procedure. After that, your phone will automatically connect whenever you're near a publicroam network," explains Ted. "The connection is secure and your phone is automatically linked to every other participating network." So there's no searching for available Wi-Fi networks, no racking your brains for forgotten passwords, and no worrying that hackers might be intercepting your data traffic.
As a publicroam user, you can get on with your digital life when away from your office and home, entirely free of charge. Each participating organisation pays a small fee to cover publicroam's operating costs and enable the organisation to continue its mission of realising secure Wi-Fi access for all. Ted and Paul's initiative was recently recognised at the Privacy Awards 2020. "Publicroam proves that you can have a sound commercial initiative that respects privacy," the jury affirmed. Publicroam uses personal data exclusively to provide the service.
PublicroamVPN
The service is rock solid and spreading throughout the country. But Ten and Paul aren't about to sit back and relax. The duo are now working on the next step: publicroamVPN. "With publicroam, the connection between your device and the network access point is secure. But we think it would be great if we could offer a VPN service based on the same model. Then you would have end-to-end data security and no one could see what websites you visit, for example."
What's a VPN?
VPN stands for virtual private network. An encrypted, and therefore secure, connection is set up between your device and a VPN server. You can then exchange data with another computer without any fear of anyone else getting hold of the data or contaminating it with a virus.
Pioneer Project support from SIDN Fund
Publicroam's mission dovetails neatly with SIDN Fund's goal of helping to build a secure internet for all. The Fund is therefore supporting Ted and Paul's research into the possibility of realising a VPN within the existing model. "The free Wi-Fi available in public places is often very insecure," says SIDN Fund's Programme Manager Mieke van Heesewijk. "Users have to accept terms and conditions, under which they effectively give their data to the service provider in return for getting on line. By supporting this project, SIDN Fund hopes to further encourage the development of secure, open Wi-Fi."
Opting for security
"Our dream is that, eventually, you won't ask whether there's Wi-Fi in the place you're visiting, but whether there's publicroam. Insecure Wi-Fi connections belong in the past: there's now plenty of scope for providing safe and easy public access. It's just a question of making more organisations aware of what's possible," argues Ted. "If you want to offer your visitors or customer a free Wi-Fi service, you should really be offering them a secure service." Anyone who's interested in joining publicroam or knows an organisation that might want to offer access is encouraged to visit the publicroam website and get in touch!
