question How to prevent domain name searches from being stolen?

[Domain Name Invest]

Hello,

I don't know what methods you use to search for available domain names, personally I usually check their availability on Google Domains (I find their interface quite convenient for searches).

Lately I felt like looking for new domains to buy, and it turns out that a domain name that had not been re-registered since 2009 has just been registered barely a day after I detected it.... funny coincidence!

I suspect that some people are monitoring the searches made from some registrars, but maybe I'm a bit of a conspiracy buff...

If this is the case, how can we avoid having some domain names "stolen" as soon as they are detected?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

[DomainNature]

This is known as Industrial Espionage, today the AI tech is so advanced and it is in every tech we use, even your browser is a window for them.
NamePros website I can tell use such tech, it would be good for the owners to tell us how exactly it works because I m tired to see targeted topics bassed on what I search on internet.
This AI tech collects all info as you browse the internet, images, text, sounds, movies you watch etc, even your smartphone is a spying device.
I have promised that I will destroy those who build it and will impale them on 5G antennas when I will have the needed power, I also suspect that because they know this they will prevent me to sell any domain name so I never gather resources to come after them. But they forgot that I have power of word and I can do some manipulations to this matrix which will affect them in return, even if it will touch me I m ready to do it again.

 

[Reallybigidea.com]

Hello,

I don't know what methods you use to search for available domain names, personally I usually check their availability on Google Domains (I find their interface quite convenient for searches).

Lately I felt like looking for new domains to buy, and it turns out that a domain name that had not been re-registered since 2009 has just been registered barely a day after I detected it.... funny coincidence!

I suspect that some people are monitoring the searches made from some registrars, but maybe I'm a bit of a conspiracy buff...

If this is the case, how can we avoid having some domain names "stolen" as soon as they are detected?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

all of domains that I checked for the last 3-6 months now are taken. most of them was not fresh drops regged an dropped in 2007-2012 etc some of them never registered before viknd.com jilyo.com - 100% stolen ideas. . that's funny.. people loves my domain ideas haha

I regularly checking on HosterStats.com it has no ssl probably third parties monitoring your searches. checking on whois namebioetc...

some ppl from registrar business saw my recent regs and grab similar ideas that's funny.. Namecheap staff grabbed as well everyone stiil your idea.

 

[DOMAIN ILLUMINATI]

Only what belongs to you can be stolen from you.

 

[donames_11]

If you are that interested in a domain name, why do you have to wait to register it?

 

[pinkdragon]

Use FoxWhois (free for .com, paid for other extensions).

 

[DOMAIN ILLUMINATI]

If you are that interested in a domain name, why do you have to wait to register it?

This is basically the essential question in regards to this matter.

One reason is that some may have not the money at the time when they want to register it (in this case you simply should not search for it, thats a 101, period).

But the main reason (if lack of money is not the point) in my assesment is that they are in fact (most probably) actually not 100 % interested in it (they just think they are but in fact they are not, at least not 100 %) as otherwise they would have directly registered it (instead of just searching for it (without being prepared to register it instantly (in case it is available))).

 

[twiki]

I never got this issue with Dynadot. However, I got it with other renowned registrars. I can confirm that this kind of frontrunning is still rampant. Some of the big registrars do this, or the people working there do this for their own personal benefit.

Anyway.

There is the linux tool on one hand.

As a paid service, I'd recommend Estibot. You get access to a lot of different tools including bulk whois. You can also do the fast DNS check initially and then use the whois as step 2, in this way you get the results faster but also have more quota if you search for many.

I've used their bulk whois for a while until I had a better solution (custom). It's good and pricing is good. Of course if you wait 2 weeks a couple names might be taken already, but that's just random match - unlike the registrars who actually do this.

Edit: Estibot never has "picked" on my data and I ran a lot of names through them in the past.

 

[Etim Abasiama]

Hi

the name can't be "stolen", if you didn't own it.

best to register it when you see it available, as others may have same idea as you.

procrastination can be your worse enemy in domaining sometimes.

imo...

Exactly

 

[vincew]

Hello,

I don't know what methods you use to search for available domain names, personally I usually check their availability on Google Domains (I find their interface quite convenient for searches).

Lately I felt like looking for new domains to buy, and it turns out that a domain name that had not been re-registered since 2009 has just been registered barely a day after I detected it.... funny coincidence!

I suspect that some people are monitoring the searches made from some registrars, but maybe I'm a bit of a conspiracy buff...

If this is the case, how can we avoid having some domain names "stolen" as soon as they are detected?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

I use GWhois.org, I've never had a domain idea stolen from there. I don't use any other site because I do worry about theft.

 

[Dan Names]

I once reg. a name on godaddy, one day later someone reg. a name, quite similar (and even better than mine) at godaddy too.

coincidence?

well, no...



for domain look up I act. use whois.com
think they have too many look ups each day, to be able to monitor that all.

 

[branding]

Just stop using registrars to check...

https://www.alphr.com/whois-windows-command-prompt/

Problem solved.

 

[FolioTeam]

Hi

the name can't be "stolen", if you didn't own it.

best to register it when you see it available, as others may have same idea as you.

procrastination can be your worse enemy in domaining sometimes.

imo...

That people think that they are the only ones thinking of that great idea out of millions and billions of people all over the world is outstanding in itself. Just because you thought of it doesn't mean someone else can't think of it too

 

[biggie]

Just because you thought of it doesn't mean someone else can't think of it too

Hi

exactly!

ideas, may not be unique to an individual, as those who act first, often get the credit.

as validation:
often someone else may say or do the same thing you were thinking,
but they did it, or said it, first.

imo...

 

[DomainNature]

This is known as Industrial Espionage, today the AI tech is so advanced and it is in every tech we use, even your browser is a window for them.
NamePros website I can tell use such tech, it would be good for the owners to tell us how exactly it works because I m tired to see targeted topics bassed on what I search on internet.
This AI tech collects all info as you browse the internet, images, text, sounds, movies you watch etc, even your smartphone is a spying device.
I have promised that I will destroy those who build it and will impale them on 5G antennas when I will have the needed power, I also suspect that because they know this they will prevent me to sell any domain name so I never gather resources to come after them. But they forgot that I have power of word and I can do some manipulations to this matrix which will affect them in return, even if it will touch me I m ready to do it again.

To prove that I m right this is what Zuckerberg wrote after a couple of days after my message, his post is made in such a way to look inocent but it is not they use this tech for long time.

You can find his post on his timeline.

Exciting breakthrough: Meta AI research built a system that learns from speech, vision and text without needing labeled training data. People experience the world through a combination of sight, sound and words, and systems like this could one day understand the world the way we do. This will all eventually get built into AR glasses with an AI assistant so, for example, it could help you cook dinner, noticing if you miss an ingredient, prompting you to turn down the heat, or more complex tasks.

 

[Anees Ahmad]

IMO If you found a hidden gem, you shouldn't waste a second. Once you own, nobody can steal it.

 

[CraigD]

Unique ideas are very rare these days.

I think domainers are often (consciously or subconsciously) triggered to search names by something they have just seen in the media.

Millions of other people just saw the same thing, and a small percentage of bright sparks will search for related names.

If you want it, grab it!

 

[maksimfa]

It's understandable that people here only look at this problem from a domainer's point of view,

But consider the people in a small business or even a large company who have been brainstorming for several days to find what they feel is the perfect domain name for their project and when they finally decide to register it they find out that it was just registered the day before and put under privacy by someone else.

There are several culprits who STEAL other people's domain ideas:

The Registries,
which in the case of .com Verisign openly makes the list of domain searches available for others to take advantage of.

The Registrars,
It's a well known fact that Registrars and their employees pass around domain search lists to others like hotcakes.

Whois look up sites,
Including even the one from ICANN that have access to domain searches

ISPs and anyone else that has access to your Internet connection legally or illegally (including the hackers).

Search engine and other sites,
That you might have used to research your domain ideas.

The sites you use online to store your files and documents,
Which might somehow be accessible to others.


And in some cases the little mice that live inside your home or the flies on your walls that might see it as an added opportunity to take advantage of any new ideas that you might have come up with (including but not limited to new inventions, business ideas and plans, new designs, proprietary information, or even a new tune or song that you might have come up with).

But regardless of who has access to your domain searches and research I believe that there should be a 60 day window that they should be required by law not to disclose your domain search and research info.

IMO

If a small business does not jump on a domain name for $10 while they think about it and someone steals it... they should re-consider being in business.

For any business I think about entering, I usually register between 5 to 10 names I think I like, and then will end up picking which one works best.

For a small business, $10 should not even be worth thinking more than 10 seconds about investing in your business.

But to your points... yes, that happens, but I don't think it is a problem. If it is a good name, and it is available, buy it, stop wasting time thinking about it.

 

[oldtimer]

If a small business does not jump on a domain name for $10 while they think about it and someone steals it... they should re-consider being in business.

For any business I think about entering, I usually register between 5 to 10 names I think I like, and then will end up picking which one works best.

For a small business, $10 should not even be worth thinking more than 10 seconds about investing in your business.

But to your points... yes, that happens, but I don't think it is a problem. If it is a good name, and it is available, buy it, stop wasting time thinking about it.

In many other Industries it is already illegal for those in the know to use insider info for their own benefit specially when it is in competition with the clients' and customers' interest.

I believe that this should also apply to the domain Industry too.

Keep in mind that we are not talking about a couple of domains here and there as perhaps thousands of domains might have been taken this way over the past 20 years which has even raised some alarms at ICANN on a few occasions already.


https://www.icann.org/search#!/?searchText=front running


This is a problem that needs to be fixed not to be swept under the carpet.

IMO

 

[maksimfa]

In many other Industries it is already illegal for those in the know to use insider info for their own benefit specially when it is in competition with the clients' and customers' interest.

I believe that this should also apply to the domain Industry too.

Keep in mind that we are not talking about a couple of domains here and there as perhaps thousands of domains might have been taken this way over the past 20 years which has even raised some alarms at ICANN on a few occasions already.


https://www.icann.org/search#!/?searchText=front running


This is a problem that needs to be fixed not to be swept under the carpet.

IMO

Insider trading is one thing…. But the domain market is certainly not it.

Unless they systematically buy up every domain someone searches for in order to sell it to them at inflated prices, you will have a hard time proving anything or any harm.

You search a website…. By searching that site you are giving them your data. Don’t want it? Don’t do it.

What do you think Google and Microsoft do with your data? They analyze and monetize your private info.

If you search for a domain and then don’t buy it… it is only your fault.

There are 6 or 7 billion people on the planet…. Some else will have the same domain idea as you.

 

[oldtimer]

Insider trading is one thing…. But the domain market is certainly not it.

Unless they systematically buy up every domain someone searches for in order to sell it to them at inflated prices, you will have a hard time proving anything or any harm.

You search a website…. By searching that site you are giving them your data. Don’t want it? Don’t do it.

What do you think Google and Microsoft do with your data? They analyze and monetize your private info.

If you search for a domain and then don’t buy it… it is only your fault.

There are 6 or 7 billion people on the planet…. Some else will have the same domain idea as you.

You are entitled to having your own opinion about this, but unfortunately I don't agree with you.

There has to be some more protections for people in this regard.

I had suggested in another thread that perhaps there should be a 60 day time limit before information concerning domain searches are made available to others by companies that might be privy to that insider info such as VeriSign, Google, Whois websites, or Registry and Registrars.

And I do understand that different people can come up with the same idea for a domain name at the same time, but what we are talking about here are those who have come to know an obscure but valuable domain name is available only because of someone else searching for it.

Nevertheless that's how I feel about this issue, but I understand that others might think differently.

IMO

 

[maksimfa]

You are entitled to having your own opinion about this, but unfortunately I don't agree with you.

There has to be some more protections for people in this regard.

I had suggested in another thread that perhaps there should be a 60 day time limit before information concerning domain searches are made available to others by companies that might be privy to that insider info such as VeriSign, Google, Whois websites, or Registry and Registrars.

And I do understand that different people can come up with the same idea for a domain name at the same time, but what we are talking about here are those who have come to know an obscure but valuable domain name is available only because of someone else searching for it.

Nevertheless that's how I feel about this issue, but I understand that others might think differently.

IMO

Do you have ANY documented proof that Google, Whois, or ANY Registrars are taking your search data and selling it to third parties?

Do you have ANY proof of ANY financial harm caused to ANY business because they searched for a domain name... THEN someone took that data, sold it to someone else, who then held the name hostage or tried to re-sell it for insanely higher prices?

It is quite surprising that you would suggest this notion to "protect the little guy" when the ENTIRE PREMISE OF THE DOMAINING INDUSTRY, is to register names dirt cheap, or buy them dirt cheap, and then sell them for A LOT more to the end user.

In which case... to be fair.... why don't we force domain "owners" and I say that loosely since we don't actually own the names and merely lease them, lol, if the domain is left undeveloped for more than 6 months, it goes back to the registry.

I am guessing you would also be fine with eliminating all of the drop catch services as well.

Look, you would have a really valid point... IF.... Registrar sees you searching for a name, and you did not buy it within 10 minutes. They registered it for their own books, and now when you search for it again, they are offering it to you for sale for $1,000. If that were the case, you would have a point... but we don't have that.

Now if you want to be fair.... to the little guy of course, we should eliminate drop catching. there are companies and people who have lists of formerly developed websites where a small business owner did not renew it in time and are not familiar with drop catching and never heard of it. Now some company or some domainer is holding the domain asking thousands of dollars and holding domain hostage from a small business owner who is completely clueless about domain registration. that is a FAR bigger problem where people actually get hurt than some mythical ideal that your domain search data somehow hurts the little guy.

 

[oldtimer]

Do you have ANY documented proof that Google, Whois, or ANY Registrars are taking your search data and selling it to third parties?

Do you have ANY proof of ANY financial harm caused to ANY business because they searched for a domain name... THEN someone took that data, sold it to someone else, who then held the name hostage or tried to re-sell it for insanely higher prices?

It is quite surprising that you would suggest this notion to "protect the little guy" when the ENTIRE PREMISE OF THE DOMAINING INDUSTRY, is to register names dirt cheap, or buy them dirt cheap, and then sell them for A LOT more to the end user.

In which case... to be fair.... why don't we force domain "owners" and I say that loosely since we don't actually own the names and merely lease them, lol, if the domain is left undeveloped for more than 6 months, it goes back to the registry.

I am guessing you would also be fine with eliminating all of the drop catch services as well.

Look, you would have a really valid point... IF.... Registrar sees you searching for a name, and you did not buy it within 10 minutes. They registered it for their own books, and now when you search for it again, they are offering it to you for sale for $1,000. If that were the case, you would have a point... but we don't have that.

Now if you want to be fair.... to the little guy of course, we should eliminate drop catching. there are companies and people who have lists of formerly developed websites where a small business owner did not renew it in time and are not familiar with drop catching and never heard of it. Now some company or some domainer is holding the domain asking thousands of dollars and holding domain hostage from a small business owner who is completely clueless about domain registration. that is a FAR bigger problem where people actually get hurt than some mythical ideal that your domain search data somehow hurts the little guy.

Front Running domains has been going on for a long time now as indicated in the ICANN links that I had posted earlier.

I agree that there are other problems associated with the domain Industry and domaining that also need attention and must be fixed, but this thread was about Front Running domains and so it became the focus of attention for me here.

I originally thought that it was just coincidence that some of the domains that I was searching for were being registered and put under privacy shortly afterwards specially since a lot of people here were telling me the same thing and so I just forgot about them and counted them as just not being fast enough. But after I lost a few obscure domains that I had found to be available I have started keeping better records of my domain searches and hopefully will be able to have some proof as to this Front Running situation soon. I recommend that others to also start keeping better records so that we can get a handle on this situation.

Now even after showing concrete proof of Front Running going on I am sure that there will be some people here that would still try to blame us for not registering the domains fast enough, but I still believe that taking advantage of someone elses domain search ideas is not right and should not be accepted as the norm.

And keep in mind that domaining is now accepted as a legitimate hobby and investment (as long as one doesn't infringe on other people's rights) but Front Running is still considered as an unacceptable practice by ICANN.

Regarding drop catching domain names associated with businesses that forget to renew them that is something that the Registries and the Registrars can fix by not allowing those domains to drop like all the other domains do at least not until they do their best to contact the previous owners to verify that they no longer want those domains.

IMO

 

[maksimfa]

Front Running domains has been going on for a long time now as indicated in the ICANN links that I had posted earlier.

I agree that there are other problems associated with the domain Industry and domaining that also need attention and must be fixed, but this thread was about Front Running domains and so it became the focus of attention for me here.

I originally thought that it was just coincidence that some of the domains that I was searching for were being registered and put under privacy shortly afterwards specially since a lot of people here were telling me the same thing and so I just forgot about them and counted them as just not being fast enough. But after I lost a few obscure domains that I had found to be available I have started keeping better records of my domain searches and hopefully will be able to have some proof as to this Front Running situation soon. I recommend that others to also start keeping better records so that we can get a handle on this situation.

Now even after showing concrete proof of Front Running going on I am sure that there will be some people here that would still try to blame us for not registering the domains fast enough, but I still believe that taking advantage of someone elses domain search ideas is not right and should not be accepted as the norm.

And keep in mind that domaining is now accepted as a legitimate hobby and investment (as long as one doesn't infringe on other people's rights) but Front Running is still considered as an unacceptable practice by ICANN.

Regarding drop catching domain names associated with businesses that forget to renew them that is something that the Registries and the Registrars can fix by not allowing those domains to drop like all the other domains do at least not until they do their best to contact the previous owners to verify that they no longer want those domains.

IMO

So here is the thing... the names that someone picked up... Did they try to sell them back to you? Or did they simply put it in their portfolio?

As much as I might dislike it, I don't actually have an issue with a registrar selling search data. You can almost use Google Trends data, which is free of course, as a proxy.

Where I would draw the line is someone buying up the name, then trying to flip it or sell it/hold ransom.

Otherwise, that is one step better than people discussing trends here.

Front running would be someone discovering a new company being registered, and snapping up those domain names, and then trying to sell it to those companies. (which is actually totally doable as new business registration data is readily available).

 

[maksimfa]

Front Running domains has been going on for a long time now as indicated in the ICANN links that I had posted earlier.

I agree that there are other problems associated with the domain Industry and domaining that also need attention and must be fixed, but this thread was about Front Running domains and so it became the focus of attention for me here.

I originally thought that it was just coincidence that some of the domains that I was searching for were being registered and put under privacy shortly afterwards specially since a lot of people here were telling me the same thing and so I just forgot about them and counted them as just not being fast enough. But after I lost a few obscure domains that I had found to be available I have started keeping better records of my domain searches and hopefully will be able to have some proof as to this Front Running situation soon. I recommend that others to also start keeping better records so that we can get a handle on this situation.

Now even after showing concrete proof of Front Running going on I am sure that there will be some people here that would still try to blame us for not registering the domains fast enough, but I still believe that taking advantage of someone elses domain search ideas is not right and should not be accepted as the norm.

And keep in mind that domaining is now accepted as a legitimate hobby and investment (as long as one doesn't infringe on other people's rights) but Front Running is still considered as an unacceptable practice by ICANN.

Regarding drop catching domain names associated with businesses that forget to renew them that is something that the Registries and the Registrars can fix by not allowing those domains to drop like all the other domains do at least not until they do their best to contact the previous owners to verify that they no longer want those domains.

IMO

and btw to test this... I am going to run a test... I have a list of 2,000 potential domain names I would like to purchase. I am going to do a search tomorrow on them and see how many are available. Then will do the same search over the next few days and see how many are available at that point.

 

[oldtimer]

So here is the thing... the names that someone picked up... Did they try to sell them back to you? Or did they simply put it in their portfolio?

As much as I might dislike it, I don't actually have an issue with a registrar selling search data. You can almost use Google Trends data, which is free of course, as a proxy.

Where I would draw the line is someone buying up the name, then trying to flip it or sell it/hold ransom.

Otherwise, that is one step better than people discussing trends here.

Front running would be someone discovering a new company being registered, and snapping up those domain names, and then trying to sell it to those companies. (which is actually totally doable as new business registration data is readily available).

and btw to test this... I am going to run a test... I have a list of 2,000 potential domain names I would like to purchase. I am going to do a search tomorrow on them and see how many are available. Then will do the same search over the next few days and see how many are available at that point.

Let's hope we can hear from other people here too who have lost domain names to Front Running. Any proof or evidence showing that such practices are still going on will be more credible if it comes from more than just one person.

In all fairness we cannot expect all the domains that we have found available to be left unregistered forever and so as I had mentioned already there should be a window of time (lets say 60 days) that domain search results should not be disclosed to the public by the companies that are privy to have that insider info.

IMO