Using (mostly) bad examples, advocacy group asks domain industry to implement some broad solution.
Advocacy group Digital Citizens Alliance has issued a report “Domains of Danger” (pdf) that criticizes domain registrars and domain investors.
Digital Citizens Group is backed by pharmaceutical companies, health companies and online safety/security groups. One of its advisory board members is Garth Bruen of Knujon, a controversial figure to the domain name business. ICANN criticized Knujon for “not verifying the facts” in 2010.
The report brings up some valid points but falls into the traps of scaremongering, gotchas, and other issues that render it similar to other criticisms of the domain name industry. It’s also devoid of any reasonable solutions.
Let’s start with the report’s valid point.
The report blasts domainers for buying Covid-related domains to profit from the pandemic. It even includes a screenshot of a forum post in which someone brags about snapping up Covid-related domains to offer them for sale.
I agree that this is sleazy. Digital Citizens even got a Domain Agents broker to gloss over its odd statements about wanting to sell a fake coronavirus vaccine, hence its interest in buying a domain. Gotcha!
What the report doesn’t mention is that many domain name marketplaces have worked to rid themselves of these domains. Yes, there are some idiots out there trying to sell these domains, just like people try to profit off of other disasters. I don’t love it, but the majority of the industry frowns upon these activities.
The report then shifts to the sex trafficking bogeyman. Digital Citizens says it easily registered these domains:
Jailbaitmarket .biz
Girlsforsale .biz
Sextrafficking .so
Trackingsexslaves .com
Barely18girlsforsale .biz
Underage-girls-escorts .biz
It even blasts Google for offering “suggestions on the best way to ensure the domain isn’t misunderstood”:
It’s as if the authors pictured someone at Google receiving a request to register the domain and manually typing, “Hey, great domain, it’s spelled correctly!”
But the dumber part is the domains it chose. And don’t take my word for it. The report states:
It should go without saying that it’s unlikely that a sex trafficker would register a domain as blatant as the ones Digital Citizens acquired, but if these names prompt no scrutiny, imagine what savvy and unscrupulous sex traffickers can do?
Yes, it does go without saying, which is why it makes little sense to base an argument off of these domains. It’s like me saying how easy it would be for me to pull off a terrorist attack because no one’s watching out for me, ignoring the fact that no one’s watching out for me because there are no warning signs that I’m going to commit such an act.
So, yes, someone could register Jailbaitmarket .biz to set up a sex trafficking site. (By the way, this plays into the false notion that there’s a sophisticated syndicate of people snatching women and selling them on marketplaces.) And perhaps a registrar could block this domain from being registered…but, people are unlikely to use these obvious words.
Two of these domains Digital Citizens registered would actually be quite useful for an NGO that is fighting human trafficking.
The authors did find another nice gotcha — that daterapedrug .com is listed for sale through AfternicDLS, which gave Namecheap a bad look. But again, it’s an overlooked exception, not the rule.
A common suggestion is for registrars to block words from being registered. Blocking words is tricky, though. Stop people from registering domains with ‘rapist’ in them, and you’re also blocking therapists from registering domains for their businesses.
Like many reports designed to shock, this one doesn’t have an answer. It says:
Domain name industry participants, government and other stakeholders should come together to craft solutions to these problems. Because just as any domain name can be registered, doesn’t mean it should be, or that registrars have to do it.
The authors generally suggest putting holds on domains that could be used in bad ways.
OK domain industry, you figure it out.
Jon Schultz says
Do you “blast” GoDaddy, Andrew, for its attempt to profit from its pandemic and tragedy-related domains? Just recently, well after banning coronavirus domains from GoDaddy Auctions, they increased the price of their domain PandemicFlu.com (which was part of Frank Schilling’s collection and is now listed at NameFind) from a high-4-figure buy-now price to a minimum bid of $39,000 at GoDaddy Auctions. I filled out the form for a price quote and was written by an Afternic broker, “This is a brokered name and the seller we are representing is looking for offers in the high 5 figures USD.”
Or do you only criticize lowly domainers like me?
snoopy1267 says
Agree, Godaddy is badly in the double standard zone and along with Dan and Sedo are some of the worst domain shamers.
Godaddy have made millions from Corona domains whilst at the same time trying to cultivate a public perception of being against monetising them.
MTS says
There is a force in the world working to tear people apart at any cost. They stand on self-made mountains as hypocrites with great tree stumps in their eyes. Criticizing everything in their path from a code of social justice they could not ever live up to themselves. While they inspire and push others to literally take lives in the streets, it is only to cover up their own heinous acts. Depravity is being exposed, accountability is coming, and the twisted few call upon all their tokens to muddy the water. The time for corrupted bias, disinformation, and the deception of this world is almost over. Count on it you who would so eagerly and faithfully serve your false masters, and create intentional division instead of unity.
MoGreen says
There is no end to the stupidity of Knujon and Garth .
Let’s look at daterapedrug.com . What if the site is purchased to be an ecommerce site to sell straws that can detect date rape drugs ? That would be a great use of the domain , but when you are narrow minded , you cannot think of these use cases.
All this report does is try to generate fear so slimy folks can then sell their security services to “protect” people
Lifesavings.online says
Godaddy owns pedophilia.com in their namefind portfoilo. Literally domaining pushing/profiting off pedophilia from an island (they bought it from Frank Schilling).
There’s no solution though, don’t look here. People will get around any block. Ridiculous to try. Only effective to crawl sites for undesirable content then take them down at that point.
So while they play policeman and create crimes that doesn’t exist (reging domains in order to make a story), maybe they should do something worthwhile, like bust some bad sites.
John Berryhill says
Garth is really just phoning it in these days. “Oooooh, domain names with scary words in them. Booga-boogah!” Because, yeah, when I go to buy a sex slave, I have to type in a bunch of domain names that are parked or not selling, before I get to one of those legit online sex slave websites.
Qanon is more coherent.
MoGreen says
Should have combined them – registrar and domain sales are actually a front for satan worshipping , organ harvesting cults secretly led by ICANN
George Soros and Bill Gates are actually the domain name holders for these domains and only Donald Trump and Knujon which was the old English spelling of QAnnon can save the world
john berryhill says
Have you considered running for chair of the ICANN Intellectual Property Constituency? They could use innovative thinkers with fresh perspectives like yours.
joesaba2014 says
I have registered Covid domains, rather to develop an online assistant for people in the world to ask and have a response from health specialists so that no one is insecure is a way to help the millions of affected to have something else that they can serve as help and guidance.
If those who protest for these domains and also do it with mine, if they wish they will have to pay 31 Million US dollars, the pharmacies can afford to have an online assistant that helps the millions of patients in the world, it would be a great advance of control for hospitals, doctors, mutual and much more is a very valuable domain (com).