The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is in charge of the WHOIS database in its entirety. ICANN launched in 1998 as a solution to the need that the internet had created in reaching a point where an organization that could formally oversee and manage the necessary requirements of a rapidly evolving online world became a necessity.
ICANN operates as a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, CA and is governed by a board of 16 members which comprise of representatives from all around the world. As of 2016, ICANN operates the WHOIS lookup internationally and encompasses domain name registration information worldwide.