EDUCAUSE, the exclusive registry operator and registrar of .edu domain names under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, is preparing a mass purge of .edu domain names.

“Both EDUCAUSE and the Department of Commerce are committed to maintaining the accuracy of the Whois database, which records the administrative details of each .edu name. We have therefore asked all registrants of .edu names to connect to the EDUCAUSE .edu Web page, log on to their domain account, review their entries, and correct any inaccuracies. To encourage all registrants to review their Whois data, EDUCAUSE and the Department of Commerce have specified the following six-phase procedure, and have agreed that it will be completed during the 2003 calendar year.”

The organization says it is part of the final phase in a year long project to improve the accuracy of the WHOIS database for the .edu space.

Phase one involved electronic notification to all registrants, requesting they correct any possible inaccuracies of the data. It was completed in August 2002. Phase two, which included postal mail follow-ups, was completed in November 2002. A final attempt was completed as part of phase three earlier this year. Now, EDUCAUSE is in the process of removing the following domain names. This should be completed by year’s end.

“For all registrants who, after a 90-day period following the notifications in Phase 4, still have not logged on to their domain accounts, the registered .edu name will be deactivated. This means that the name will no longer resolve to an IP address and may no longer be used for Web access, e-mail delivery, or any other network connection.”

One has to imagine how some names were registered in the first place, and to individual users no less. “allison.edu,” “geraldine.edu,” “oracle.edu,” and perhaps the funniest one, “jedi.edu.” They must’ve been registered back when Network Solutions administered the .edu name space.