discuss Blatantly Racist Domains

[Ategy]

So I'm going through tomorrow's auction list at GoDaddy (technically today, but I haven't slept yet) .. and I come across the following domain:

GasTheJews.com

I really don't want this to be a "GoDaddy" thing .. as in fact I've probably gone through well over a million domains and for the most part now that I think about it I'm actually impressed with how few I've seen considering the number of domains. The very reason it's hard to find good domains is why I like domaining as the best way to be successful at domaining is to find good names that don't get noticed .. so it's very understandable that occasional bad names also might go under the radar.

I've seen tons of adult domains which don't bother me at all .. I've seen a few borderline or potentially dual meaning domains which also don't bother me .. even the reaction to having "retarded.com" in the NamesCon auction seemed a little much to me as there are potentially possible uses of the domain that wouldn't necessarily be offensive ... but I don't ever recall seeing a domain quite as blatantly racist as this one with absolutely no dis-ambiguity or potential alternate/dual-meaning. I'm not jewish .. but the domain still crosses me as wrong.


I came here to share because I'm truly curious as to if anyone has seen anything similar? Are there policies in place for things this extreme? I'm a hard core believer in freedom of expression .. GasTheJews really crosses my usually extremely tolerant line.


Note: Sadly .. not only was it registered once .. but it actually has a bid!

 

[Emmy101]

How do you know this?

If this domain or others were regged and put on auction to offend and spread hate, then the more exposure the more people it offends and successfully achieves it's goals !

 

[Pepto]

I was going to like your post but for some reason my like link has disappeared for this topic and I cannot like anything. Works in other topics but not in this topic.

Anyways.... here is my like

Anyone else missing the like link


How do you know this?

Plot Twist @MapleDots owns the domain

 

[MapleDots]

Plot Twist @MapleDots owns the domain

I wish I did own it, I would send it to a black hole so it would never see the light of day again. I am very tolerant and absolutely not for censorship but this domain is just vile. The idea to burn any human being regardless of nationality is just disgusting. It shows how far humanity has to go before we can ever achieve peace.

PS. My likes seem to be working again for this topic.

 

[Shianna-EBN]

As a person of Jewish decent, I'd love to own the domain just to make sure it's in safe hands and I would most likely forward it to some funny picture. I don't think censoring domains is necessary with you have individuals like myself who would happily park all the stupid names.

 

[Pepto]

As a person of Jewish decent, I'd love to own the domain just to make sure it's in safe hands and I would most likely forward it to some funny picture. I don't think censoring domains is necessary with you have individuals like myself who would happily park all the stupid names.

Aww man honestly i'm trying very hard to not post some Jewish Memery haha. I know when people fly out to Israel they are nervous about getting there passport stamped. I would love to go and especially ask them to stamp it twice just for good measure and it took me years to realize the Israeli predicament especially after reading about the six day war. Israeli stands up for there people strong spirited.

 

[Negoshi]

I'm hesitating to reply based on the fact you clearly did not read through the thread before posting! That's irresponsible speech even if you are free to make.

If you must know though .. personally I'm like a lot of people in that the name doesn't influence me at all .. my issue with stuff like this is the potential exposure to children and others who are easily influenced by such propaganda .. I'm completely against any form of genocide (like most here I'd like to hope). I'll even admit to laughing when I first saw the name because I was so chocked to see it and found it so out of place and honestly didn't even know what to think.

"Try to sell it to Donald Trump" = children are not the only ones easily influenced by propaganda......

 

[Pepto]

"Try to sell it to Donald Trump" = children are not the only ones easily influenced by propaganda......

 

[Grego85]

just ignore it...

not worth getting all upset over.

 

[Acroplex]

Thought-provoking thread.

Domains are "words" and words can hurt, right?

The basic principle is that "freedom of speech" determines a lot of how domains exist and function.

But there are some complications.

Would a racist domain be offensive in itself, if it hosted pictures of puppies?

And vice-versa, an innocent domain name hosting the most despicable images - would that be ok to own?

Not two people would react alike, but it seems that inaction would be acceptable to the majority, according to this poll.

I voted to sell it to Trump.

 

[mr-x]

So I'm going through tomorrow's auction list at GoDaddy (technically today, but I haven't slept yet) .. and I come across the following domain:

GasTheJews.com

I really don't want this to be a "GoDaddy" thing .. Note: Sadly .. not only was it registered once .. but it actually has a bid!

Godaddy is an American company, .com is managed by an American company. We have #1 Amendment rights. Hate speech is protected. Offensive speech is protected. Without those protections, we wouldn't have free speech. We'd be forced to be silent in the face of evil or current cultural norms.. just like Canada and Europe.

 

[mr-x]

I voted to sell it to Trump.

Ironic b/c Pres. Trump supports Israel much more than Pres. Obama did.

If I were inclined to buy it, the proper owner would the Anti-defamation League

 

[Fancy.domains]

Disgusting words and meaning, but we should not ban words.

No one with a brain will buy that piece if crap. And if someone will set up a website with this theme, they will face legal problems in many countries.

 

[Kuffy]

The interesting thing about this is that it's the plural that gives offence. If it was GasTheJew. It could refer to Gaston the French jew, and be his personal website.

 

[mr-x]

Disgusting words and meaning, but we should not ban words.

No one with a brain will buy that piece if crap. And if someone will set up a website with this theme, they will face legal problems in many countries.

Take a look at NAACP's domain portfolio.

 

[DnEbook]

In our world something controversial gains attention, it's up to the individual to decide if it deserves their attention, you simply can't control everything, what the hell is happening on the dark web right I dread to wonder?

 

[Ategy]

FYI .. I did get an email back later that morning stating:

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’ve informed the appropriate parties here so further action may be taken accordingly. As you’ve mentioned, we do have many filters in place, but technology is never infallible. We appreciate your understanding."

I'm not really sure what it meant they did though .. nor what their policies are. I did ask again today as I reported a 2nd domain:

"RapeKids.com" - GD Auction ends today at 1:53pm PDT
https://auctions.godaddy.com/trpItemListing.aspx?miid=229614375

I did ask for a little more information / GD policies ... if they give any more information I'll certainly share it back here for all of you!

 

[Mister Funsky]

I'm truly curious as to if anyone has seen anything similar

Yep...most of the most crude/vile words and expressions are taken. Some by those keeping them out of the 'wrong' hands or by sub-human scum that want to turn them into hate filled sites.

Freedom of speech rules this and other real and/or perceived racist/vile names...take away free speech and our homes are next.

 

[Ategy]

I was up rather late and slept half the day .. but it seems like the "RapeKids.com" auction is down (was supposed to end in 15 minutes). I didn't get a reply yet though, so I'll keep you all posted.

Freedom of speech rules this and other real and/or perceived racist/vile names...take away free speech and our homes are next.

That's a myth that just isn't true. While it is VERY possible for leaders/people in power to twist rules/laws to their advantage (which citizens definitely 100% need to be watchful of), you can indeed have rules/limits in place.

If you scream that there is a fire in a crowded theatre, and the resulting stampede of people panicking to get out causes injury or death, you can and likely will be charged .. and rightfully so.

Again though .. I'm not talking about sharing an "opinion" .. to say "I think I should be allowed to rape children" or "I think all Jews should be gased" are not clear calls to action and actually should fall under freedom of expression (even if they are obviously very disturbing and "morally wrong" things to say) .. freedom of thought and freedom to express those thoughts are most certainly paramount to the fundamental concept of freedom of speech and expression.

However, making a call to action statement calling for rape or genocide actually can be considered the same as uttering a death threat (which is indeed clearly illegal). But again .. you can't charge anyone for saying "I want to kill you" .. it needs to be "I'm going to kill you".

While I agree there is a danger of a slippery slope in that those in power could use the same rules/laws to censor more and more, if you live in a proper democratic society with proper checks and balances on those in power, you can indeed have good clear enforceable rules on hate speech.

Those rules already do exist in most first-world countries .. the real question here is whether and how those rules should extend to domain names .. and who enforces those rules.

In this particular case GoDaddy's Auction platform is a private system, and they seem to have personally chosen to remove the blatantly offending domains. It's perfectly within their right to make that choice .. and in this instance I think they made the right choice.

I give a lot of grief to GoDaddy for a very sloppy/buggy website and having poor/unclear communications (automated emails) .. but I think in this case they actually do a good job. I don't know how many domains they actively remove, but considering the very large number of domains I've seen, this was only the 2nd domain I found that truly and clearly was well over the line. This is the type of thing where I don't think filters can be expected to be 100% perfect, and where users like us should also do our part by reporting any clearly illegal call to action domains.

Again though .. I'm curious as to what exactly the policies are regarding this sort of thing on all levels (Registrar, Registry and ICANN), and whether, in the eyes of the law, domain text is technically the same thing as speech or writing.


As mentioned above .. I strongly recommend anybody interested in the concepts of Free Speech (on either side of the argument) to read this very short concise eye opening book on the subject .. as it presents some aspects of both sides of the argument in ways you might not have thought of:
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/free-speech-a-very-short-introduction-9780199232352

 

[yikun]

Is this domain from ICANN accredited registrar Isoroku Yamamoto, LLC?
If one company(pheenix in this case) could not come up with a good name with its proxy registrar, just stick with numeric names like Everest-NNN.
I would definitely report this domain to its registrar. Although I don't think the registrar will do much.

 

[Mister Funsky]

That's a myth that just isn't true.

I wish I had more time and desire for this debate but too much to do and been there done that many times before...I will respect your right to disagree and/or to have your own opinion...after all, that is what free speech is about. Losing rights including free speech, personal possessions, etc, has happened several times in human history (Nazi Germany is a biggie) and is happening today in some 3rd world countries.

I will take the time over the next few days to check out the link in your post...always interested in others viewpoints.

Your point is valid about vile/hate filled names but who would oversee it? In what country? Who would vote the panel in...assuming one person would not be enough?

Your tack is probably the most effective way of handling it...contact the registrar and make your point/complaint and let the almighty dollar/yen/euro have its way.

 

[MackieMesser]

I used to own a domain name that gives the impression to be related to a known terrorist organization, although it originally (due a common name) was used for something totally different (a business) years before this terrorist organization started.

I made a satirical and provoking website which (based on the social media feedback) not everyone understood I guess, but most though. It was fun, but there were quite a lot of attacks and breach attempts (probably from supporters of that terrorist organization and people who didn't understand the satire) on the website and in the end I felt that it got too hairy, so I took down the site.

I initially thought to keep the domain, to prevent the terrorist organization or any symphathizers from acquiring it, but in after a while I dropped it anyway. I recently saw that somebody apparently caught it and put it up for sale.

I never tried to sell the domain, the whole purpose was the satire website to annoy the terrorists. For obvious reasons I can't/don't want to disclose the domain name.

 

[xn--v4h.com]

If someone is going to judge others by physical looks, race, even economic station in life, he or she isn't very smart. Wrong decisions will be made time and again.

 

[dmyre]

General observation.... GasTheJews.com is still registered at GoDaddy, parked at RookMedia, and listed for sale at Afternic.

On a similar note, Stormfront.org (a racial forum) was recently shut down at the registrar level. Don't most forums have their own Terms of Service that indicate individuals are responsible for their own content?

http://domaingang.com/domain-news/stormfront-org-1995-white-supremacy-domain-gets-shut-down/

 

[mr-x]

General observation.... GasTheJews.com is still registered at GoDaddy, parked at RookMedia, and listed for sale at Afternic.

On a similar note, Stormfront.org (a racial forum) was recently shut down at the registrar level. Don't most forums have their own Terms of Service that indicate individuals are responsible for their own content?

http://domaingang.com/domain-news/stormfront-org-1995-white-supremacy-domain-gets-shut-down/

Mobs are stupid.

 

[Ategy]

KillBlacks.org

Another one .. now in closeout at $8.. which means it's been kicking around the GoDaddy Platform upwards of 2 Weeks:

https://auctions.godaddy.com/trpItemListing.aspx?miid=239674979