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Namecheap adds cool new feature to domain search

by — Domain Registrars 9 Comments

Customers will understand more about the domain’s history.

A Namecheap search for Money.com, showing that the domain was registered in 1995 and who owns it

Namecheap’s search provides additional information when a domain is already registered.

The message domain searchers get when a domain they want is taken is usually just “not available”. The customer then needs to move on.

Namecheap just launched a nifty feature that adds context to the result. When a domain is taken, Namecheap shows when the domain was registered. I think this is helpful, giving some context to the searcher. They didn’t just get beaten out to this domain; in many cases, it’s been registered for ten or more years.

If you click on the date, you get even more information (see picture above).

Namecheap CEO Richard Kirkendall told Domain Name Wire that the company plans to add sales data in the future. If the domain name previously sold, Namecheap will display the sales price (when available).

All of this adds up to more awareness for end users who search for domains. They will become better educated about the value of domain names, and it will hopefully nudge them to understand the aftermarket better, too.

Namecheap launches Validation.com for identity verification

by — Services 2 Comments

System makes it easy for businesses to verify the identity of customers.

Picture of a selfie next to a government-issued ID on Validation.com

Validation.com makes it easier for businesses to verify the identity of customers.

Namecheap has launched a new identity verification service using a great domain name: Validation.com.

The service lets businesses confirm the identity of customers for various purposes, including chargeback prevent and Know Your Customer (KYC) rules.

Businesses using Validation.com create a submission link for their customers and select which identity documents need to be submitted. This can include a government-issued ID, a utility bill, etc.

Typical scenarios include a company validating a government-issued ID against a selfie or verifying that the name on a credit card matches an identity card.

Validation.com does not check the information against databases. Instead, it’s a self-service tool for businesses to carry out the validation level they are comfortable with.

This type of process might sound familiar to domain investors; users of Escrow.com have to provide similar documentation as part of the company’s KYC rules. But setting up a process to handle this sort of verification is beyond the reach of many small businesses, and a hassle for larger businesses.

The product solves another big problem, too: while companies can do identity verification manually, that means receiving sensitive data. Between GDPR and regulations coming to the U.S. (such as the California Consumer Privacy Act), small businesses need to avoid handling sensitive data. Validation.com does it for them.

It also gives trust to the consumer who has to share the information. Using a great domain like Validation.com certainly lends credibility to the process.

Plans start at $19 per month.

Namecheap escalates .Org challenge

by — Policy & Law 9 Comments

Registrar files rebuttal, moving toward Independent Review Process.

Logo for .org domain, featuring a blue circle with white letters spelling ORG

Namecheap has filed a rebuttal to ICANN’s board decision on its reconsideration request over the new .org contract. It is also filing for Independent Review, starting with the voluntary Cooperative Engagement Process (CEP).

The registrar is challenging ICANN’s staff deciding to remove price caps from .org domain names.

In the rebuttal (pdf), Namecheap summarizes its argument that is bolstered by the proposed agreement by Public Interest Registry to sell to a for-profit private equity company.

First, ICANN’s reliance upon Professor Carlton’s 2009 analysis is misguided because it is an opinion not based upon evidence or facts, but relies upon outdated and incomplete assumptions. Second, ICANN claims that the Base RA was developed through the ICANN policy process, however there is no evidence to suggest that those participants intended or considered the Base RA to apply to legacy TLDs (rather it was clear the intent was to develop an agreement for new gTLD registries only). Third, ICANN’s failure to incorporate essentially unanimous public comments in support of price caps shows that ICANN will do as it pleases regardless of whether it solicits public comments. And finally, the recent purchase of Public Interest Registry (PIR), the operator of the .org TLD by an equity firm and its subsequent conversion into a for profit, along with the intermingling of ex-ICANN executives and industry insiders requires that ICANN review this purchase in detail and take necessary steps to ensure that .org domains are not used a source of revenue to support expansion by PIR or payment of dividends to PIR’s shareholders (which are against the original nonprofit origins of the .org TLD).

ICANN Board finds no problems with new .Org contract

by — Policy & Law 3 Comments

Board believes Reconsideration Requests are without merit.

ICANN logo

ICANN’s Board of Directors has found no problems with ICANN’s handling of the .org contract renewal with Public Interest Registry.

Two organizations filed reconsideration requests over the controversial contract.

Domain name registrar Namecheap objected to the removal of price caps on .org domains.

Electronic Frontier Foundation objected to PIR’s ability to add new rights protections.

ICANN’s board believes its staff decisions were “consistent with ICANN Bylaws, policies, and procedures. Further, the Board did not fail to consider material information or rely on false or inaccurate materials…” in coming to its decision.

Now, both Namecheap and EFF have 15 days to submit a rebuttal.

While the decision is not unexpected, it’s interesting how the process played out. Usually, the Board Accountability Mechanisms Committee (BAMC) makes a recommendation to the Board on what to do. In this case, so many members of the BAMC recused themselves due to possible conflicts of interest that the BAMC couldn’t form a quorum.

.Com Winners & Losers: A strong month for NameSilo

by — Domain Registrars 0 Comments

NameSilo has strong month. Here’s how other registrars fared.

Image of man running up column chart with words "Top 10 Registrars"

ICANN has published the latest official data from Verisign (NASDAQ: VRSN) about the .com namespace. This registrar-by-registrar report covers June 2019.

NameSilo surged this month, landing at #5 on the monthly list. It’s also nipping at the heels of GMO for #10 on the total .com DUMs chart.

This month I began including Ascio and EPAG in Tucows’ numbers. Previously, I only included Tucows and Enom.

Here’s how registrars did in terms of new .com registrations:

1. GoDaddy.com* (NYSE: GDDY) 844698 (936,916 in May)
2. Xin Net Technology Corporation 254,177 (244,299)
3. Tucows** (NASDAQ:TCX) 188,913 (see note)
4. Alibaba (HiChina) 158,341 (127,090)
5. NameSilo (CSE:URL) 149,951 (86,680)
6. NameCheap Inc. 148,553 (154,281)
7. Chengdu West 128,004 (157,668)
8. Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) 118,274 (119,903)
9. Endurance+ (NASDAQ: EIGI) 117,245 (127,762)
10. United Internet 61,939 (n/a)

Here’s the leaderboard of the top registrars in terms of total .com registrations as of the end of June 2019.

1. GoDaddy* 51,012,237 (51,026,467 in May)
2. Tucows** 13,265,609  (see note)
3. Endurance+ 6,928,107 (6,981,256)
4. Web.com++ 6,638,229 (6,677,492)
5. Alibaba 6,250,554 (6,308,304)
6. United Internet^ 5,558,557 (5,575,836 )
7. Namecheap 4,855,101 (4,799,244)
8. Xin Net Technology Corporation 4,201,902 (3,982,474)
9. Google 2,580,499 (2,506,924)
10. GMO 2,081,293 (2,062,451)

Many domain companies have multiple accreditations and I’ve tried to capture the largest ones. See the notes below.

* Includes GoDaddy, Wild West Domains and 123 Reg
** Includes Tucows, Enom, Ascio and EPAG
+ Includes PDR, Domain.com, FastDomain and Bigrock. There are other Endurance registrars, but these are the biggest.
++ Includes Network Solutions and Register.com
^ Includes 1&1, PSI, Cronon, United-Domains, Arsys and world4you