US Agency Shuts Down Web Sites

[Dave_Z]

Fresh after Wikileaks.org, now this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/us/04bar.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Oh boy.

 

[Jasdon]

Ahh, America - home of the free....

 

[shockie]

they keep referring to enom as having "shut down [his] site", when enom is the domain registrar, not the hosting company. looks like there's still a general misunderstanding about registrars.

secondly

Mr. Marshall said he did not understand “how Web sites owned by a British national operating via a Spanish travel agency can be affected by U.S. law.”

duh, your registrar is based in the united states. the fact that you like english muffins, own a german sheppard, and drink columbian coffee are irrelevant.

all in all, despite this incident, i'm still not sure that having an overseas registrar is any "safer" than one in the united states. home of the free? maybe not, but home of the freer?...

 

[wot]

Don't buy from american based registrars, it is becoming ridiculous the power than can be wielded without consequence to the perpetrators- the american government or their lackeys?

 

[bricio]

i think this is an example of what can happen if Snowe Bill passes, correct me if i am wrong!!!

if so, doesnt that mean ccTLDs will become stronger than ever?

 

[wot]

i think this is an example of what can happen if Snowe Bill passes, correct me if i am wrong!!!

if so, doesnt that mean ccTLDs will become stronger than ever?

You nailed it with that last comment. :imho: Except .us

 

[Pommy - The DN Doc]

they keep referring to enom as having "shut down [his] site", when enom is the domain registrar, not the hosting company. looks like there's still a general misunderstanding about registrars.

secondly



duh, your registrar is based in the united states. the fact that you like english muffins, own a german sheppard, and drink columbian coffee are irrelevant.

all in all, despite this incident, i'm still not sure that having an overseas registrar is any "safer" than one in the united states. home of the free? maybe not, but home of the freer?...

Just having a muffin and cursing my german shepherd.

Not sure what advantage a CCLTD would have with the Snowe Bill if you regged it with a US company.

 

[shockie]

if so, doesnt that mean ccTLDs will become stronger than ever?

some cctlds won't become strong for a very long time because of the governments that run them.

ie, you could probably register bushsucks.com/.us but try getting something like tienanmensquaremassacre.cn

 

[italiandragon]

This shows even more HOW BIG AND SERIOUS IS THE INCOMPETENCE of many people and how little (pretty close to nothing) the ICANN is doing.

Only when Internet will be controlled by an International Organisation like ONU, something good will happen.

No matter where you reg your .com, since the Registry (Verisign) is in Usa.

This shows that domain industry is still just a little corner and media coverage can play good or bad role depending on the words they use, totally manovrable and totally unacceptable.

 

[Kate]

Don't buy from american based registrars, it is becoming ridiculous the power than can be wielded without consequence to the perpetrators- the american government or their lackeys?

Dave Zan posted another interesting link recently... where the registry itself (Verisign, on US soil) was subpoenaed.

...
Only when Internet will be controlled by an International Organisation like ONU, something good will happen....

With the Chinese on board ? Big fans of state-sponsored Internet censorship. Be careful what you wish for

 

[ssamriga]

this is why I like living in Europe, much more freedom online
Though most of my names are at American registrars [scared]

 

[labrocca]

they keep referring to enom as having "shut down [his] site", when enom is the domain registrar, not the hosting company. looks like there's still a general misunderstanding about registrars.

A registrar controls DNS. They can effectively cut ANY site off they want. The host has NOTHING to do with Nameserver entries...that's the registrar of record.


This story is rather disturbing.

 

[verbster]

This kind of stuff reeks of other ugly government intrusions without due process or accountability...it's like an evil mixture of McCarthyism and the Patriot Act being administered and enforced by arrogant, shadowy bookburners.

 

[shockie]

mccarthy did end up catching suspect spies didn't he?

 

[Dave_Z]

Dave Zan posted another interesting link recently... where the registry itself (Verisign, on US soil) was subpoenaed.

Court ordered, to be exact:

http://www.namepros.com/legal-issue...-registrar-locked-out-registry-due-legal.html

Imagine if someone at the U.S. government figures that out. Boy, oh boy.

 

[Ronald Regging]

Just an update. The link in the OP doesn't work anymore, well it requires a NYTimes account... It did work this morning though, unfortunately I didn't have enough time to read it

 

[Dave_Z]

Still works for me right now. But here's one gist:

It turned out, though, that Mr. Marshall’s Web sites had been put on a Treasury Department blacklist and, as a consequence, his American domain name registrar, eNom Inc., had disabled them. Mr. Marshall said eNom told him it did so after a call from the Treasury Department; the company, based in Bellevue, Wash., says it learned that the sites were on the blacklist through a blog.

On hindsight, one thing I recall from my previous life is what's called the Office
of Foreign Assets Control. Essentially there's a law kinda preventing US-based
providers from catering to those whose countries are in their blacklist or so, or
possibly face stiff penalties.

The article said 80 of the travel agent's sites are regarding Cuba, which is part
of the blacklist. And since eNom's doing business under U.S. law, they're rather
obligated to follow that...or else.

I'm not completely sure, but commerce isn't necessarily included in first amend
and all that? Not to mention there apparently are specific laws addressing this
sort of thing.

And since eNom's agreement practically gives them the power to zap a domain
name anytime, coupled with its users agreeing to hold them harmless, well...

Edit: just remembered the attachment feature. So see if the article works. :D

 

[DNQuest.com]

British owned Spanish Agency hosted in Bahamas.. shutdown in US

I hope the title isn't too long lol

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/05/us_kills_european_based_cuba_websites/

When people ask, what can they do? I am not on US soil, the answer is... alot

 

[ipodxpert]

US Gov deletes .COM domains of Cuba travel site

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/05/us_kills_european_based_cuba_websites/

How far does the US government's reach extend? Now it's started to get domains killed for European sites that broke no laws in Europe. Steven Marshall, owner of sites such as www.cubanculture.com, is a British travel agent with an interest in Cuban culture who sells tours. Not now since the US government got eNom to put a "hold" on his domains

 

[.11]

If I were Steven I would be pissed, was his site getting a lot of daily visitors?

edit, I checked Alexa, seems that it did