WHOIS is a protocol which makes it possible to view the information a given domain has been registered with through a command line or with the help of special web-based lookup websites. This info includes the names, address and e-mail address of the owner, administrator, technical and billing persons as well as the registrar organization the domain address has been acquired through, the creation and expiration dates. Except for a number of country-code TLDs that have specific limitations, the WHOIS info of any domain can be changed freely whenever you want, which is quite necessary considering that in line with the policies of the top-level Internet Corporation, ICANN, all details must be current and valid all of the time. Failing to comply with these policies could lead to losing the ownership of a domain and in some cases a domain may even be erased from the Domain Name System and released for free registration.