More news about .PRO and it's verification process

[RJ]

Does anyone care about .PRO? I wonder if doctors and lawyers do.

From Demys

.PRO - VERIFICATION GUARANTEED?

21st May, 2003

RegistryPro, the registrar for the .pro top level domain, has partnered with ChoicePoint - a provider of identification and credential verification services - to authenticate professional eligibility information submitted by doctors, lawyers and accountants registering for domain names with the .pro extension.

The .pro extension is the last one of seven new TLDs - including .biz and .info - announced by ICANN in 2001 to be launched. The domain space is designed to be used exclusively by "professionals" - which will be initially limited to doctors, lawyers and certified public accountants (CPAs) who are based in the USA.

In order to be eligible for a .pro domain name, such professionals must self-certify that they are professionals and that they meet the requirements of their profession in their jurisdiction. The eligibility information provided will then be cross-verified by ChoicePoint against state, local or professional licensing databases to establish a match with the information submitted by each registrant.

Once the personal information is positively matched at the time of the application, the registrant will receive a .pro domain name and be issued a digital certificate. The cross-verification process will not only be used in the registration of .pro domain names, but also in the issue of digital certificates that will be provided to each .pro registrant. RegistryPro say that such an authentication system for .pro domain names will "provide an easy way to identify a professional practice or professional name on the Internet."

restricted registrations

However, one of the major criticisms of .pro is that it is limited only to US based professionals in the three fields. UK-based engineers, French architects or other professionals cannot register a .pro domain. In RegistryPro's original Registry Operator's Proposal to ICANN , they asserted that:

The .pro TLD will become, in some respects, a directory of professionals locally and around the world. For example, if you are referred to a lawyer in Hong Kong, a simple check of JohnWLee.law.pro will indicate that Mr. Lee is indeed a licensed attorney in Hong Kong...Similarly, if a consumer in New York is looking for a doctor, an Internet search on med.pro will enable her to find one.

RegistryPro assert that they will be rolling the domain out to new professions and to new jurisdictions. No schedule has yet been published for this roll-out. To create, and perhaps more importantly maintain, such an accurate database RegistryPro will have to employ companies such as ChoicePoint throughout the globe checking any number of professions.

It is uncertain whether such an ambitious world wide verification system could be implemented at a cost which would assure a reasonably priced registration fee - one that is low enough to encourage the necessary take-up volume. It also appears that RegistryPro themselves are uncomfortable about any reliance being placed on their self-certification and third party verification system - as shown by the disclaimer which accompanies their press release announcing ChoicePoint's appointment and is repeated on their home page for good measure:

Pro registrants self-certify that they are professionals. Neither RegistryPro nor the sponsoring registrar can attest to its accuracy nor are they responsible for statements made by .pro registrants. The relevant jurisdiction's licensing body or office of professionals should be contacted to obtain information about a .Pro registrant's licensing status and qualifications..

While RegistryPro is busy broadcasting the launch of .pro for a limited class of US professionals, it remains to be seen whether the domain will prove to be a global success.

Links:

RegistryPro

ChoicePoint