2. Background and Organization

In fulfilling the functions of a Network Information Center, each NIC needs to collect and distribute a variety of information about the network it serves. Much of the information handled by a NIC is "directory" information that provides pointers to people, organizations, and resources throughout a network. The use of publically accessible databases to disseminate such data is seen as beneficial to the Internet because it allows efficient information retrieval by users, Network Operation Centers (NOCs), and other NICs.

This document is organized into two parts. The first part contains recommendations for preventing unauthorized disclosure of information in NIC databases. The second part recommends formal accuracy guidelines for NIC databases.