Explore the history, functionality, and future of the whois protocol in this 55-minute conference talk from the 38th Chaos Communication Congress (38C3). Dive into the world of internet routing registries (IRR) and discover how whois databases manage critical information about IP addresses and autonomous system numbers. Learn about the Routing Policy Specification Language (RPLS), the role of various IRR databases, and how routing policies are implemented in router configurations. Examine the security vulnerabilities in current systems, including unauthenticated retrieval channels and plaintext password updates. Get introduced to modern alternatives like the Registration Data Access Protocol and the Routing Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI), understanding their benefits and trade-offs in the evolving landscape of internet routing policy management.