Potential .Info Woes ... by Afilias

[Mark]

This was pointed out on another forum not even a month ago :

http://www.icann.org/registries/rsep/index.html#2008007

http://www.icann.org/registries/rsep/afilias-request-20jun08.pdf

Pursuant to Section 3.6.5 of the RRA, Afilias reserves the right to deny, cancel or transfer any registration or transaction, or place any domain name(s) on registry lock, hold or similar status, that it deems necessary, in its discretion;........

And now :

http://www.icann.org/registries/rsep/jones-to-afilias-18jul08.pdf



The intent was to fight spammers using "cheap" .info's as an unlimited source of domains to spam with (+/-) , But Afilias created that problem themselves. Now they want the right to cancel any of our (Your) .info's for whatever reason "in it's discretion"

-What if one of your .info sites gets hacked for even one day ?
-What if they have employees that are too lazy to check actual email headers and someone is using your domain <Supposedly> to send their spam ? (It Happens everyday folks)
-What if other registries follow suit (.com .net ... etc ...) ?

 

[domainer50]

Now they want the right to cancel any of our (Your) .info's for whatever reason "in it's discretion"

Thats awful. Ill admit, that .info has become a saturated extension, but still, how could you do that? Just take a domain because in their discretion its the right thing to do?

Pretty shady if you ask me. What would they then do with those names? Put them back into the registry, so someone else can register them and have them taken away? Make them unavailable so that the extension slowly dies out (or would this help the extension?)

Regardless, its wrong :imho:

 

[Jackie]

Wow! Thanks for bringing this issue to light here Mark. :o

See http://www.icann.org/registries/rsep/

Please note that ICANN accepted their revised proposal on July 3, not the one you note above, the original proposal from June 20th.

This - http://www.icann.org/registries/rsep/afilias-abuse-funnel-request-rev-03jul08.pdf
is the revised July 3rd version of the proposal that ICANN approved. It seems like it removes some of the most dangerous open-ended language like "Other Abusive Uses", which is good.

I'll review this more in the morning and discuss the possible ramifications and actions we may need to take on this as the domaining community, but now, it's off to bed for me.

 

[mis_chiff]

OH NO, this is not good,
I have a current issue with them, I have to point this out...

to correct mistakes made by Afilias or any Registrar in
connection with a domain name registration. Afilias also reserves the right to place upon registry lock, hold or similar status a domain name during resolution of a dispute.

I have a .info domain that keeps getting reported to Afilias because
the phone number is wrong. I have changed the whois at the registrar
and contacted Afilias directly. It's been 2 years now, I have received
three "Fix your whois" letters.

Afilias emailed me back - after 4 followup emails over 4 months.....
and told me that the registrar has to fix it, and to contact them...

The registrar emailed me back, and told me, Afilias has to fix it
at the main registry???

So 2 years, and not fixed yet!

Because of the above quote, and the issue involved, does this
mean they can take or lock or whatever my domain???

 

[Mark]

edjackiel - Yeah , I probably posted Bass-Ackwards (It's 3 A.M.) - My point was that it is marked "Approved" now on the Icann html page.

It seems to me , ".Info" holders should have been contacted about this via the actual Registrars or Afilias ...

I started reading about it on the other forum and kind of let it slip my mind. The OP on that thread updated it today and it says "Approved".

 

[abdussamad]

OH NO, this is not good,
I have a current issue with them, I have to point this out...


I have a .info domain that keeps getting reported to Afilias because
the phone number is wrong. I have changed the whois at the registrar
and contacted Afilias directly. It's been 2 years now, I have received
three "Fix your whois" letters.

Afilias emailed me back - after 4 followup emails over 4 months.....
and told me that the registrar has to fix it, and to contact them...

The registrar emailed me back, and told me, Afilias has to fix it
at the main registry???

So 2 years, and not fixed yet!

Because of the above quote, and the issue involved, does this
mean they can take or lock or whatever my domain???

Why don't you just transfer the domain to a registrar that supports whois privacy? Directi for example provides free whois privacy for most gtlds.

 

[mis_chiff]

Why don't you just transfer the domain to a registrar that supports whois privacy? Directi for example provides free whois privacy for most gtlds.

Changing it at the registrar level isin't
having any effect on the "Afilias Whois"
Will using the privacy correct that?

After reading this I'm quite concerned!

 

[m.jizzLe]

Much like Google's deindexing of .info domains, I think this will blow over. Sure .info has been saturated by low quality sites, but its only $6 more for a .com, so spammers will make do without .infos. I think these are just warning shots to scare people into submission.

 

[Mark]

.Info's aren't that cheap once they are registered (At Renewal time they cost the same as .com's more or less) , And they weren't that cheap in the beginning ... Afilias has caused this themselves. Spammers will continue to use this extension as long as it is this cheap because they don't use the same domain that long to begin with.