Register .lv domain name

Changes to .lv domain name billing contacts

Changes to .lv domain name billing contacts

NIC.LV is planning to change the .LV domain name registration procedure by reducing the amount of processed data. This article explains what data are being processed now and what changes in data processing are expected this year.

The upcoming changes in the light of GDPR.

‘Integrated Data Protection and Privacy by Default’ is one of the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that has led many data controllers, including NIC.LV, to evaluate data processing procedures when considering the development of the services offered.

Already in 2018, NIC.LV conducted a number of data minimization activities, including a reduction of personal data available using WHOIS service (more info here).

During 2019 NIC.LV plans to minimize registration data by deleting the role of “billing contact” and will issue invoices to domain name holders only.
- The domain name holder or the registrant is the person who owns the right to use the domain name according to the entry in the .LV Registry;
- The billing contact is the contractual contact person designated by the domain name holder as the billing person.

The upcoming changes will:

  • reduce the amount of data processed in the .LV Registry,
  • simplify and speed up the domain name registration process,
  • make it easier for customers to manage their domain names,
  • ensure the accuracy of data.

How is .LV Registry currently collecting and processing data?

If you are a customer of a .LV registrar, the .LV Registry only receives data on the domain name holder. According to the agreement with NIC.LV, the registrar is providing the functions of both the billing and the technical contact person. Therefore, registrars and their clients will not experience any changes.

If you register domain names directly with us, for each domain name (domain name agreement), the following data (apart from the technical information) are stored in the .LV Registry:

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NIC.LV on-line system user
Individual:
Legal person:
Username -
Password -
Holder
Individual:
Legal person:
Name, Surname Name
Personal code Registration number
Address of correspondence Address of correspondence
declared place of residence domicile
e-mail
Administrative contact:
Phone number Name, Surname
- e-mail
- Phone number
Billing contact
Individual:
Legal person:
Name, Surname Name
Personal code Registration number
Address of correspondence Address of correspondence
declared place of residence domicile
e-mail
Billing contact:
Phone number Name, Surname
- e-mail
- Phone number
Technical contact
Individual:
Legal person:
Name, Surname -
e-mail -
Phone number -

What will change?

In 1997, when domain name registration and maintenance became a paid service, the .LV registry in the registration application introduced a role “billing contact”. In accordance with NIC.LV policy “Fee for Domain Name Registration” (10 March 1997) clause 4.1, this information was used for invoicing purposes.

In practice, IT service providers (including Internet Service Providers, Website Developers and other IT professionals) that registered .LV domain names on behalf of their customers, in their application for domain name registration indicated themselves as billing and technical contact persons.

In November 2009, NIC.LV introduced a Registry - Registrar Model. As a result, part of domain name registration service providers previously identified only as billing contacts in the domain name contract, concluded an agreement with NIC.LV and became official .LV registrars.

In 2018, during the evaluation of the procedures for the registration of domain names and the terms and conditions of the domain name registration agreement, NIC.LV found that domain name holders of approximately 9% of registered .LV domain names have a different billing person.

Taking into account the provisions of the GDPR and the model of cooperation between NIC.LV and registrars, NIC.LV has assessed the necessity of the contact persons specified in the contract and concluded that the processing of billing contact data is not needed for the provision of the domain name usage rights service, as the service is provided to the domain name holder. On the other hand, individuals such as a domain name holder, technical contact person and NIC Client Online System user must be retained because they are essential and necessary for the performance of the contract.

In direct registrations, NIC.LV enters into a civil contract with a domain name holder. As the domain name holder has the most extensive authority, by deleting the role of the “billing contact”, the domain name holder will not lose the ability to fully manage the domain names he/she has registered.

After the deletion of the role “billing contact”, the invoices for the use of the domain name will be issued and sent to the domain name holder. Therefore, NIC.LV recommends to make sure that the domain names in the .LV Registry are registered to their actual holders.

Special Cases:

  • If you are a domain name billing contact that provides domain name registration services to your clients and want to continue to pay for your client domain names, you need to become a NIC.LV partner – a .LV registrar and start enjoying the benefits of being a registrar.
  • If you are specified as a domain name billing contact but are the actual holder of the domain name, you must come to an agreement with the domain name holder specified in the .LV Registry for a change of usage rights. Read more here.
  • Regarding state and municipal authorities, a holder of a domain name can only be a legal entity or an intermediary authority with the right to contract, not a department of an institution. Therefore, please note that only domain name holder details will appear on the invoice.