Data Escrow Service 

On February 20, 2014, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) officially announced the certification of the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) as a Data Escrow Agent (DEA) for New gTLDs, granting it the authority to provide global data escrow services for New gTLDs.

CNNIC is the first organization in Asia specializing in basic resource management to obtain this qualification. At the same time, it is also the only New gTLD data escrow platform that meets the information security management requirements set by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China.

What is Data Escrow?

Data Escrow, or data hosting, is a new requirement imposed by ICANN for New gTLD applicants. Applicants are required to select a Data Escrow Agent and submit their registration data to the agent for escrow, following the specified data format and timeline.

Why is Data Escrow introduced?

In the era of New gTLDs, ICANN has implemented a series of strategic measures to ensure the smooth operation of the Internet domain name system and the continuity of Internet services, even in the event of physical attacks or registrar failures. Requiring Data Escrow Agents (DEA) to fully comply with data hosting requirements and pass rigorous verification tests is an integral part of ICANN's strategic planning. 

CNNIC Data Escrow Service

Data Escrow Process

Initial Setup:

The Data Escrow Party (BERO) must provide CNNIC with the following:

●SSH public key for logging into CNNIC SFTP. 

●PGP public key for signing and verifying the escrowed data. 

●Email address for receiving notifications from CNNIC regarding data escrow. 

●Data file schema. 

CNNIC Provides the Escrow Party with:

● Server address. 

● User name for logging into SFTP. 

●PGP public key for encrypting the escrowed data. 

After CNNIC receives the keys and information provided by the data hosting party, it will complete the user account initialization within 2-3 working days. Once the setup is complete, CNNIC will send the keys and information provided to the data hosting party as an encrypted attachment to the designated email address of the hosting party. CNNIC’s business contact person will inform the relevant interface person at the hosting party of the document password via telephone. 

Reasons for choosing CNNIC

Reasons for choosing CNNIC

●Institutional authority and trustworthiness, with localized service operations;

●Three data centers in the same city and remote locations to ensure data storage security; 

●Simplified relevant processes while meeting ICANN’s data escrow agreement requirements and complying with the technical and policy standards set by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.