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domains NameCheap Terminating Services to Russian Customers

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Namecheap is apparently terminating services to Russian customers:


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. "
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
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.
 
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Namecheap isn't freezing assets; they're asking that certain customers transfer their domains to another registrar.
 
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Namecheap isn't freezing assets; they're asking that certain customers transfer their domains to another registrar.
What happens if they don't transfer before 6th March?
 
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>> What happens if they don't transfer before 6th March?
I have no idea, but I will ask.
 
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fck. I have just transferred my most valuable domains to Namecheap how I can transfer away before 6 March? according ICAAN 60 day lock is on.

p.s I always trusted Namecheap but now.. they are just trying to steal your assets (domain names) that's not ok.

know your registrar. can't believe. oh.

Google domains
cloudflare
Amazon ? biggest brands do not terminate Russiam customers.
 
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>> What happens if they don't transfer before 6th March?
I have no idea, but I will ask.
Thanks.

If they are deleted/sold on, that is seizing and i hope NameCheap doesn't go that route.

But regardless, 1 week is not enough time.
 
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>> What happens if they don't transfer before 6th March?
I have created a ticket regarding this issue. btw ticket account already banned can't login.
 
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we are not oligarchs neither linked to the them and banning us because we russians its not ok.
 
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1. Why is this decision not published on namecheap’s website for record purposes?

2. What exactly is namecheap trying to achieve?

3. Any ICANN provision(s) for this type of action?

4. Can you right lawlessness with lawlessness?

5. Before outbound transfer, is namecheap ready to make refunds for domains with valid expiration dates or concerned customers must forcefully transfer at their own cost?

More questions than answers. IMO, this is irrational and void of common sense.
 
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You can transfer back to losing registrar in 60 day lock period
fck. I have just transferred my most valuable domains to Namecheap how I can transfer away before 6 March? according ICAAN 60 day lock is on.

p.s I always trusted Namecheap but now.. they are just trying to steal your assets (domain names) that's not ok.

know your registrar. can't believe. oh.

Google domains
cloudflare
Amazon ? biggest brands do not terminate Russiam customers.
 
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Statement from Namecheap CEO:
We haven't blocked the domains, we are asking people to move. There are plenty of other choices out there when it comes to infrastructure services so this isn't "deplatforming". I sympathize with people that are not pro regime but ultimately even those tax dollars they may generate go to the regime. We have people on the ground in Ukraine being bombarded now non stop. I cannot with good conscience continue to support the Russian regime in any way, shape or form. People that are getting angry need to point that at the cause, their own government. If more grace time is necessary for some to move, we will provide it. Free speech is one thing but this decision is more about a government that is committing war crimes against innocent people that we want nothing to do with.

via https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30504812
 
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Concerned customers should report this to ICANN and seek for advice.
 
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how I can do that? didn't know about it.
Or you can find here or another forum a member or a trusted person that is not from Russia & push all your domains ( special those cant be transfer out ) to account of that person or a fresh account of that trust person 😉
 
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That link is not Namechep's website. Let namecheap publish the decision on its website, they should not hide behind.
if they do that icann will terminate Namecheap registrar I think...
 
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I really like Namecheap, and understand that they have a lot of staff in Ukraine. Hopefully all are safe and stay safe.

That being said-- I do think that NC should extend their deadline, and ensure that customers' assets are accessible even after the deadline (unsure how that is to be handled).

After all, there are a lot of Russians who don't approve of their government's actions. Thousands have been arrested for protesting. Who knows, perhaps some Russian Namecheap customers are in jail now for this.
 
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I think most Ukrainians will getting EU citizenship meanwhile in Russia we have no food, prices skyrocketing. sadly times.
 
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Fair enough i guess, but the part on "I sympathize with people that are not pro regime but ultimately even those tax dollars they may generate go to the regime."

I hope the NameCheap CEO/decision makers stick to their word on that, don't drive to work or put the heating on when they get home while Putin is still in power in order to make sure they are not supporting the Russian regime as many nations (not sure about America) are still importing gas from Russia.
 
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I posted this in the other NameCheap thread, but -

“Namecheap told its existing Russian customers that they need to move their services off of their platform immediately.”

and this –

“Russian IP addresses are being blocked from accessing the company’s website.”

Don’t really work together. How are customers supposed to move if they don’t have access to the website?

Brad
 
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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
 
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