domains NameCheap Terminating Services to Russian Customers

[bhartzer]

Namecheap is apparently terminating services to Russian customers:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1497665532081889287

Namecheap is asking that customers from Russia transfer their domain names to another registrar by March 6, 2022:

"Unfortunately, due to the Russian regime's war crimes and human rights violations in Ukraine, we will no longer be providing services to users registered in Russia. While we sympathize that this war may not affect your own views or opinion on the matter, the fact is, your authoritarian government is committing human rights abuses and engaging in war crimes so this is a policy decision we have made and will stand by.

If you hold any top-level domains with us, we ask that you transfer them to another provider by March 6, 2022. "

 

[vast]

Well, I’m from Russia. Here’s how it feels on my side.

First of all, as some have mentioned here, there are many people in Russia who are upset with the war and all that's happening. I won’t lie that everyone is, but in my circle, for instance, that’s the vast majority of people. In my company, I currently have co-workers in various countries, Ukraine being one them. It’s absolutely absurd for me to take the fact that my Kiev colleagues I’ve just been discussing some work matters with are now hiding with their families in the airshelter from the bombs/missiles sent by my country’s military forces. I admit that Russia might’ve had some grounds for concerns with the certain processes taking place in Ukraine; some have been really frustrating; but the WAR?? Weird and scary. Nobody has expected this. NOBODY. I actually don’t think about us as about two different nations (with all the due respect to the Ukrainian right for identity) – so what’s happening now feels more like the civil war to me, and it’s pain to see this going on. And I’m not alone in my opinion.

So why am I talking about all this? The issue is even not in the domain names. The issue is in the overall perception of the ordinary Russian people, virtually putting the equality sign between them and those making decisions. That's not right. As to the Russian people - yes, we leave in the same country, share the same core values in general and love our country in spite of everyhing - but I believe we have the right to have our own opinion on the certain matters. My taxes going to the “regime”? What’s about schools, medicine, roads, pensions for old-age people? Should we stop paying our taxes and leave this all out according to Namecheap CEO? Or should we just stop earning/eating for the sake of the democracy values? Does he really believe that hitting the tiny fraction of Russians being their customers for years will hit the “regime”? Nonsense. This is definitely more the demonstrative step, trying to be in the ”trend”. Poor decision as from the business side perspective so as in the common morality/ethics aspect.

 

[johnn]

Another stupid mistake. Mixing Business and Politic.
Russian people have nothing to do with the situation. It's the Russian Government.

 

[frank-germany]

Since 2003, Namepros "witnessed/survived" 117 wars caused by many different ideologies/beliefs, some has ended, others ongoing.

List of Conflicts: 2003–present

Regards

you try to relativate the war in Ukraine
so it should look unimportant

but the contrary is the case

if all goes wrong that could be the very last war of mankind

how many of those wars you try to quote
were sanctioned by nearly all members of the UN?

nearly all humans on this planet try to make that war end
and condemn Russia for its attack

most humans on this planet try to support Ukraine
as they were attacked for no reason

I hope the good people in Russia will stop Putin ASAP



>>>
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
@ABaerbock


Government representative* from Germany
There was no reason for this war - except the aggressive striving for power of one man. But it is not greatness to attack weaker people, to bomb cities, to let children die. It is our responsibility to oppose this decisively. <<<


>>China-backed bank AIIB stops activities in Russia. And that means: The Chinese are obviously "not amused". <<

https://www.rnd.de/wirtschaft/china...jekte-auf-eis-YW2HJS474PAVYC3T6EJRRJUZXY.html

https://twitter.com/x/status/1499822066098655234

 

[Kingslayer]

Not sure how i feel about this one.

I totally agree with sanctions and i agree that Russians should feel some pain for what their nation is doing to Ukraine, in hope that it causes outrage and getting rid of Putin and his cronies from the inside.

But domain names are property, this is like seizing assets of ordinary people, i agree with seizing/freezing assets of Putin and people around him and shunning Russian companies, but ordinary individual Russians? I don't agree with that.

Also 6th of March is not enough time, especially during a pandemic, what happens if someone is hospitalized with covid and recovers, checks their email after 4 weeks only to find that the registrar they have trusted with their assets, that they paid a lot of money for, may have deleted their assets just because they are Russian?

Something doesn't sit right with me on that.

 

[Sutruk]

Frank, This is impossible because civilians has no weapons. Most russians (not oligarchs) are trying to not die because have no money for food. We are living in recession since 2014. Currently our economy is ruined.

You don't have to take a weapon against Putin. Just go to streets and claim against the war. The world is only hoping to see you doing that.
Putin won't be able to jail 146 million russians. He must leave if you do that.
You are under a dictatorship, with fake elections and all the media controlled by Putin. Years feeding the dictator that now has exploded invading and killing your brothers in Ukraine, just because of his dementia willing to unify the Soviet Empire.
Come on guys, go to the streets, stop your dictator, stop the war, and the whole world will thank you for that.

 

[Domain_savvy]

This is uncalled for. Registrars supposed to be neutral. I thought NC works as per rules and legality but this is pure unprofessional.
Where is 30 days prior notice of policy change?
I am not russian but this decision now makes me have 2nd thoughts about NC.

 

[boker]

UN Assembly votes to demand that Russia stop war in Ukraine

Show this to the propaganda guys, 141 countries is saying this, but they go ahead with RT alternative reality.

 

[frank-germany]

Dude, try to eliminate from your vocabulary words ''RT'' and ''Russian propaganda'' and sure you'll have nothing else to say.
As for your remark about 10% - it's simply stupid. Read some history book for Christ sake, you only showing your ignorance here )))

History doens't matter for now

there is serious killing going on right now
and you try to justify it

there is no justification to invade another country
Germany did it when I wasn't alive
and I feel shame.
much shame
always have

you should do too

 

[AbdulBasit.com]

That's very bad decision coming in from NameCheap. Totally unprofessional and bad for those Russians who're not at all involved by any means in this war.

If NameCheap is acting genuinely neutral, then why not ban a country who invades in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. However, I'm against banning user's account from any specific country due to political reasons. Why to mix politics with business/registrar policies!

 

[boker]

Frank, This is impossible because civilians has no weapons. Most russians (not oligarchs) are trying to not die because have no money for food. We are living in recession since 2014. Currently our economy is ruined.

We were in the same situation 30 or so years ago, we had to sacrifice us, 3000 died and thousands more wounded...but we will never go back, exactly like lot's of other countries and we will do it 10 times more, if needed.

 

[bmugford]

I support Ukraine. I largely support private companies deciding who they do business with.

With that said, in this case though NameCheap could open itself up to potential legal and contractual issues with ICANN (and others) if customers lose their assets, or access to their asserts because of their decisions.

Regardless of your thoughts on the decision, the registrants have to be given some ability to take action. You can't block access to their domains then demand they transfer them. That simply makes no sense.

I saw the following on DomainGang.com -

It seems that several customers that were affected are no longer in Russia or not even Russian in nationality. There’s an ongoing discussion on Ycombinator, Twitter, and NamePros.

Also, as others have said NameCheap.com should post this notice on their website.

Brad

 

[boker]

Kiddish low IQ decision of Namecheap.

The problem is that US has created a fascist state near the Russian border. 8 years of constant shelling, thousands of kids and women were killed in the Donbas region. At last these scums will be punished.


Shmanctions if the way to reindustrialize the country. This is a self-sustaining country. It has everything - water, metals, forests, brightest minds and one of the best weapons. Now the capital will stay at home and will be reinvested in R&D. We praise sanctions. Give us more. It will strengthen our spirit. Putin's rating is sky-rocketing.

UKR, the land of our ancestors will be done by the end of March. UKRs actually are russians (but brainwashed with CIA propaganda). No one can resist it - or pay the price - the whole planet will be devastated. That's it. This is the red line.

Well and we love US people, not its establishment, but US people.

https://greekcitytimes.com/2022/03/01/greek-in-mariupol-fascist-ukrainian/

Another RT alternative reality fan. Without trying to take by force a territory in 2014, none of this would happen. Did you ever read a history book or you just watch RT? Less than 10% of the russian territory from today is russian, everything else is taken by force and by massacring other nations. This is happening when you only watch RT, in their reality the whole universe was russian once.

 

[frank-germany]

None of this crap has anything to do with domains.

all of this is about domains
as we talk about Namecheap
and why Namecheap terminates service to Russian
and discuss if that is justified

so just tolerate that
you all are for tolerance, right?

so tolerate the desperate move
of a company
who is attacked in their homeland

and doesn't want to grant any service to their attacker

as by now, we've learned
that not all Russian ( domainers ) condemn the attack

which really leaves me speechless

 

[Kingslayer]

FIFA/UEFA suspending Russia and all Russian clubs from competing, I agree with.

Companies no longer dealing with Russian companies, I agree with.

Sporting sponsorships ending with Russian companies, I agree with.

But I don’t agree with this, in the same way I wouldn’t agree with Twitter kicking all Russians off its platform. You have to look at what line of business you’re involved in, in this case NameCheap are in the domain game, they deal with individual Russian people directly, who have chosen/trusted NameCheap with their assets and NameCheap also have to look at what they are asking Russian people to do.

They are asking them to pay $10+ per domain to transfer their assets to another registrar, which is a huge amount of money to a Russian paying in ruble right now, but even if it wasn’t how can Russian people be expected to transfer their assets to another company when they can no longer make overseas transactions?

We all know who the bad guys are with what’s happening Ukraine, even majority of Russians say they are ashamed of their country right now, but there can come a stage where you can go too far and if you do that you are playing into Putin’s hands, you become what Putin tells his people the west are with Russia.

 

[DAN.COM]

It's sad to see ordinary Russians being now targetted by companies. We should stand firm behind Ukraine and against the Russian government but often ordinary citizens are hurt most which are against the war as well.

Seems like an overly emotional decision.

 

[bmugford]

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BM-21_Grad in Kharkiv...
Just 1 example of your war crimes...
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/kharkiv-chernihiv-heavily-bombed-by-russian-forces-134250565521

Yes, you can see countless videos of shells, bombs, or missiles hitting schools, churches, train stations and many other non "military" targets. You can see the aftermath of the damage.

To deny that is simply denying reality.

Brad

 

[Jurgen Wolf]

Orcs attack the whole civilized world...
For those, who still didn't understand anything and tolerate it.

 

[Sutruk]

@frank-germany for stopping the war Germany should stop sending weapons..

Source : https://m.bild.de/politik/2022/poli...ffen-sind-angekommen-79329184.bildMobile.html

Germany send weapons basically because there's a country trying to not be invaded, people trying to not being killed, and ukrainians at least have the right to self defense.
By the way I don't think that's a war. That's an agression and an invasion by a super powerful armed country to a much smaller country in terms of weapons.
Like a photo I recently have seen... "If Russia stops fighting there will be no war. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no more Ukraine."
So one is fighting for Putin's megalomaniac dreams to recover the Soviet Union, and the other is fighting for their country to not disappear and for not being killed by a foreign army.

 

[Jurgen Wolf]

7th day of Russian invasion...
These orcs already killed >2,000 civilians in Ukraine, tens of children!

The Hague is waiting for putler and lukashenko...

 

[wwwulff]

I am 100% with Ukraine and support all sanctions against Russia even if it hits ordinary Russians hard - I hope NameCheap finds a way to handle the situation so that Russian domainere can move their domains but I have a hard time feeling any sympathy for Russians while their army murders civilians in Ukraine - The only Russians I feel sympathy for are those who speak out loud against Putin and his inner circle and unfortunately you do not see many (if any?) of them on this forum.

 

[frank-germany]

I am not Putin's supporter. Imho, this person was very inefficient in managing economic processes in Russia since his inception in 2000. Russia like the USA has everything to flourish - bright people, resources, and proper size to scale in.

The key point is that majority of European and Northern American residents are eating US propaganda instead of trying to get raw data and process it. It is hard.

hard to me is
reading your bS here

 

[boker]

@frank-germany what do you think about this https://tass.com/defense/1412605

For sure you must have an independent confirmation, not just an article from kremlin owned media.

 

[frank-germany]

@frank-germany for stopping the war Germany should stop sending weapons..

Source : https://m.bild.de/politik/2022/poli...ffen-sind-angekommen-79329184.bildMobile.html

Germany has a strict rule never to deliver weapons in areas where a war is happening
but this event right now is so severe
that they changed that really heavy rooted rule
with no meaningful opponents

what Russia does right now is so unheard-of
that unheard-of measures are now taken

we can not allow Putin to succeed
as we risk a nuclear war

by the way, the weapons are for self-defense only

Putin is invading Ukraine as Hitler did with Poland
Putin is regarded as the new Hitler in Germany
and we do know in Germany how important it is to the world
to stop that.

Contrary to the world view Hitler is not much honored in Germany,
but we think of him as a mad criminal.

Same is true for Putin right now.
Mad Criminal.
Who might be mad enough to use nuclear weapons,
as he has threatend already.

 

[Jurgen Wolf]

Ukrainians fight like lions for our freedom...
And we will win!
Slava Ukraini!