registries How .com and .net became a restricted TLD

[Lox]

Verisign has been given approval to start restricting who can and cannot register .com and .net domain names in various countries.

Customers of Chinese registrars are the first to be affected by the change to the registry’s back-end system, which was made last year.

ICANN last week gave Verisign a “free to deploy” notice for a new “Verification Code Extension” system that enables the company to stop domains registered via selected registrars from resolving unless the registrant’s identity has been verified and the name is not on China’s banned list.

Read more > Domainincite

 

[Arca]

Verisign’s contract to run the .COM registry should not be renewed beyond 2024.

They get a contract worth billions of dollars just to maintain the .COM registry, and the only thing they seem interested in doing is raising wholesale prices for .COM registrations (which has been blocked, several times, for now), or introducing mechanisms like this, aimed at facilitating government control and censorship. Verisign and other registries compliance to China's demands will surely come in handy for the Chinese Communist Party, as they are currently setting up their 1984 style citizen score surveillance system, that is going to be launched by 2020.

 

[Name Trader]

I wouldn't say Verisign's sole purpose in life is to raise prices on .COM domains. But you cannot blame them for trying. If China are making all registries do this. I don't see why you pick on Verisign. It'll be part of doing business in China. Are you suggesting we should all refuse to do business with China because of this?

I would rather pick on ICANN who won't let Verisign raise prices on .COM but let the nGTLD's raise prices as much as they like. I'd call that destabilizing the market.

 

[NigelD]

Can't see any problem with this new policy. Anything that keeps the quality of.com registrations high and stops spammy use of domains must be a good thing. It's the new gtlds that need greater regulation on prices. Free and 1 cent offers are as dangerous, in my mind, as massive renewal fees. Maybe a minimum price of $1 and a maximum price increase over 5 year terms.