This may not be something that you've thought about before, but is the domain name registrar that you use ICANN accredited? Naturally, the majority of registrars around the World are accredited, because it is required to register gTLD names, but there are instances of registrars that are not ICANN accredited. If you have domain names with these registrars, your names may not be as safe.
I've been researching this topic for quite a while, and I think that it's important to share this information around. I believe that ICANN accreditation is a must for any domain registrar and should be a factor in which registrar you choose, even when choosing a registrar to register your country-code (ccTLD) names.
ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. More details can be found about ICANN on their Wikipedia page, but in short, they control and maintain the domain name system that allows the Internet to operate as it does.
Accreditation indicates that a domain name registrar operates in a certain way, with certain restrictions and guarantees as defined and enforced by ICANN, which helps to protect domain name owners. Each registrar that wants to be accredited with ICANN needs to submit a non-refundable $3,500 application fee and must show ICANN that they are capable of operating the registrar effectively.
There are many more criteria that these registrars must follow, which can be viewed on ICANN's website, but essentially each registrar needs to comply to strict guidelines concerning capital, security, and system assurances; otherwise, their accredited status may be lost. This has happened many times before, with one famous case being that of RegisterFly.
ICANN are extremely vigilant in monitoring domain registrars to ensure they keep to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement. However, ICANN accreditation does not mean that your domains are safe against hacking or theft, but it does mean that should anything happen to the registrar where your domains reside, such as the registrar going out of business, you are protected and will not lose your gTLD domains.
ICANN accreditation is often overlooked in the choosing of a domain registrar, and I think that it is something that is somewhat taken for granted.
I've been researching this topic for quite a while, and I think that it's important to share this information around. I believe that ICANN accreditation is a must for any domain registrar and should be a factor in which registrar you choose, even when choosing a registrar to register your country-code (ccTLD) names.
Accreditation indicates that a domain name registrar operates in a certain way, with certain restrictions and guarantees as defined and enforced by ICANN, which helps to protect domain name owners. Each registrar that wants to be accredited with ICANN needs to submit a non-refundable $3,500 application fee and must show ICANN that they are capable of operating the registrar effectively.
There are many more criteria that these registrars must follow, which can be viewed on ICANN's website, but essentially each registrar needs to comply to strict guidelines concerning capital, security, and system assurances; otherwise, their accredited status may be lost. This has happened many times before, with one famous case being that of RegisterFly.
Is your domain name registrar ICANN accredited? You can check the current list at ICANN's website.
ICANN are extremely vigilant in monitoring domain registrars to ensure they keep to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement. However, ICANN accreditation does not mean that your domains are safe against hacking or theft, but it does mean that should anything happen to the registrar where your domains reside, such as the registrar going out of business, you are protected and will not lose your gTLD domains.
ICANN accreditation is often overlooked in the choosing of a domain registrar, and I think that it is something that is somewhat taken for granted.
