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Verisign To Sell DNS Root Server Lookup Data?
An anonymous reader writes "According to an editorial at Domain Name News, Verisign is considering selling partial access to DNS root server lookup data. The data would be made available to registrars, who in turn could use it for 'traffic-tasting' non-existent domains entered by any internet user. This would give them a better idea about what bogus domains to put up sites on to capture eyeballs." Haven't seen this story elsewhere and it's based on an anonymous source; YMMV.
Does Verisign do anything anymore that isn't just to make a bigger buck, the rest of the world be damned?
Most residential and business users will be behind a local DNS server, which probably caches the nameservers for individual TLDs. Since those NS entries on the root servers generally have a 48-hour cache time (and many ISPs DNS servers are probably (mis)configured to hold the data for longer), it doesn't seem like many requests would actually be getting through to Verizon's root servers, especially not enough to make a service like this viable.
Crushing dreams at the speed of sarcasm
I remember when registration of domains was free, all you had to do was figure out how to fill out the paperwork.
So they sell the data, new domains are registered, and the sites that go up on these domains will be loaded with pop-ups, pop-unders, pop-offs, and pop-up-ur-as* windows.
Sounds like enabling spam to me!
Great. Not only are whois queries bugged by domain prospectors, a.k.a. squatspecting (don't check for the availability of a domain unless you intend to buy it immediately, because someone else is watching and will do so instead), but now just trying them in your browser will tip off others who will buy your ideas for domains out from under you.
Now after you try a URL in your browser and get an error saying the domain doesn't exist, you can just wait one minute and try again and someone will have it up and ready to serve you porn.
This is "Do More Evil".
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
This is how you fix this problem...
Write a perl script that generates fake domains and then does a DNS lookups against them. Thus ensuring that their busy reserving "www.luckylinuxsexmonkeypants.com"
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
We have known for years that Verisign is a badly behaved company. This is just the latest example. I just don't understand why ICANN renewed their contract. Like Diebold and SCO, this is a company that we don't need.