Data Use
Compliance and transparency about the public data we consume.
Zone files (ICANN CZDS)
We access gTLD zone files through ICANN’s Centralized Zone Data Service under its standard Zone File Access Agreement. We use zone files solely for internal diff computation to identify domains transitioning out of the registered pool. We do not redistribute or resell raw zone-file data in any form.
What we publish
We publish derived analytics only: a domain name, its observed status transitions, our Domain Quality Score and explanation, and aggregated context (Wayback snapshot counts, keyword categorization). This derived analysis is what each user sees on their /drops list and domain dossiers.
Wayback Machine / Internet Archive
We use the public Wayback CDX API to count historical snapshots and retrieve first-seen year for domain names. We cache results to reduce load on the Internet Archive and comply with their recommended usage patterns.
WHOIS / RDAP
Registration status checks use RDAP (the modern WHOIS replacement) at registry-provided endpoints. We respect rate limits and do not store or republish registrant PII.
Retention
Raw zone files are retained for 90 days at most, used only for diff computation, then deleted. Derived drop records are kept indefinitely — they are our historical dataset of domain lifecycle events.
Questions
If you represent a TLD operator and have a concern about our use of zone data, please contact [email protected].