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

Not the Point

[mfh]

When a domain is snatched, usually it doesn't matter if the original owner gets it back or not. That's not the point, in most cases. Thieves will use the domain to drive traffic to their astroturfing/spam network and drive their PR up in the process. That stays in memory indefinitely and has a beneficial impact on any site like that.

If the owner gets their network back, they still have the stigma of the bad activity associated with the domain.

Preventing domain theft is going to only get increasingly more difficult as technology becomes more complicated.