ICANN Investigates Insider Domain Name Snatching

Tech.Luver sends us word that, hot on the heels of reports that Verisign may be planning to sell DNS root server lookup data, ICANN has opened an investigation into a suspected practice by registrars it calls "domain name front running." The suspicion is that insiders at some registrars are using information from whois searches to snatch up desirable domain names before interested customers can register them. Here is ICANN's announcement of the investigation (PDF). ICANN asks that anyone who suspects they have been victimized by domain name front running to email them with details.

Comments

wow

[zehaeva]

I am so very glad that ICANN has quickly come forth at the first signs of such a horrible problem, to think that the registrars would abuse their positions like this.

I think we all can rest since ICANN is going to fix this before it even becomes a problem.

oh wait ...

Re:Some probabilistic inference

[blueZ3]

What do you mean, extremely unlikely?

The first one is obviously used by The King of Siam's Major Order of Worried Lemurs Acting Perfectly or Xylophone Needing Vampires Being Wheedled Like Queens of Another Nice Monarchy In Utah's Tasteless Kingdom, Looking at Everyone's Hiney

The other two are equally obvious

Re:Some proof

[Chapter80]

I just tried checking a random domain on the networksolutions whois. ( 21laforest.com ) It's available so I'll check it a month from now to see if its snatched.

ha ha! Not a very controlled experiment.

• find an available name
• post it on slashdot
• check a month later to see if it's taken.

There are enough ass-tunnels out there (like me) who'd pay $8.95 just to screw up your experiment!