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ICANN Moves Against GoDaddy Domain Lockdowns

Posted by Zonk on from the they-delved-too-deep dept.

An anonymous reader writes "ICANN is finally taking action against Domain Registrar GoDaddy's controversial 'lockdowns'. GoDaddy has long had a policy of 'locking down' domain names for 60 days after a customer updated their contact details. This put customers in a Catch 22 position: ICANN requires customers keep their contact details up to date, or risk having the domain forfeited. Yet during the lockdown period the customer is prevented from transferring the domain from GoDaddy to another registrar. If the lockdown ran over the domain's expiry date, customers were forced to renew with GoDaddy or lose the domain. ICANN proposes to ban this practice. ICANN who is charged with overseeing the Internet has long been accused of giving domain registrars a free ride. But recently after ICANN failed to discipline Network Solutions over a front-running scam, they found themselves both on the wrong end of a lawsuit by lawyers Kabateck Brown Kellner. Is ICANN's action a signal of increased vigilance in policing registrars, or is it a PR move paving the way for a complete removal of US Government oversight?"

5 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. I'd rather not buy from the likes of GoDaddy or NS by Malevolent+Tester · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does anyone have a list of the smaller/more honest registrars? I remember on the last Network Solutions article there were a few people talking about the better service at some of the less well known ones.

    --
    If you haven't made a developer cry, you've wasted a day.
  2. GoDaddy and the spam you received today by Arrogant-Bastard · · Score: 4, Interesting
    GoDaddy is the single largest registrar of spammers, phishers, and the like. On the surface, that might sound odd, given that GoDaddy has published policies that say they'll take action, but the reality is that those are propaganda, no better. GoDaddy's enforcement of its own policies against abusers has been laughable: it's pretty obvious to everyone that they only do so with reluctance and in the face of bad PR. (See Usenet's news.admin.net-abuse.email for many discussions on this.)

    This really isn't surprising, though: spammers and phishers buy domains by the hundreds, if not thousands, which makes them excellent customers. And if you're GoDaddy, you need that income (among other reasons) to fund your offensively sexist commercials.

    How does this tie in? It's all about profits. Profits for GoDaddy are maximized by selling as many domains as possible and then holding them for ransom. Given how weak and slow ICANN has been, this has been a viable strategy for a number of years; it remains to be seen if something meaningful will actually happen in this case, or whether GoDaddy will just continue cementing its reputation as one of the scummiest registrars out there.

  3. GoDaddy not the only one by WebGangsta · · Score: 3, Interesting

    GoDaddy has long had a policy of 'locking down' domain names for 60 days after a customer updated their contact details

    I ran into this exact same situation a few weeks ago with either Network Solutions or Register.com (we were bouncing back and forth between the two services working on a few different accounts, so my memory is faulty as to which one was the culprit - though I'm leaning towards NetSol). My point is that the issue is not isolated to just GoDaddy.

    We wanted to transfer the account to a different registrar, but the email address on file was one that was no longer active. So we changed the address to one that was active so the transfer messages could arrive correctly, and we were told that there was a hold. Solution: I called and bitched about it. Took about 24 hours, but we were able to bypass the auto lock and move the account successfully. Not the most ideal situation, but at least there was a way around.

    1. Re:GoDaddy not the only one by capnkr · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yes, NS does it too, it has happened to me. BUT...

      If you tell NS that you are trying/going to move the domain due to their (exorbitant) pricing, they will offer you a new price, much more in line with what other registrars like GoDaddy charge ($8.75/yr in my case). So basically, problem solved...

      I do think the lock-down policy is a simple ploy to retain customers, no matter who implements it.

      --
      "...there are some things that can beat smartness and foresight. Awkwardness and stupidity can." ~ Mark Twain
  4. Re:Give me a frelling break... by pebs · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Godaddy is just $10 a year -- not a lot of money, even by poverty standards. What is it with all this namby-pamby BS when you'll spend more in a day's lunch than it's worth mulling over saving a buck a year with a different registar.

    I guess some people need something to complain about!

    I don't care to give money to assholes, personally, whether its $10 or $1000. Also, some people own multiple domains (I own about 10 personally), so it could potentially be more than $10.

    GoDaddy's been making stupid asshole moves ever since I heard about them, so they've never received my money. It's your bad decision if you chose GoDaddy. But in any case, it's important that people be made aware of the kind of practices GoDaddy has. When you have Kevin and Alex (Diggnation) telling you to buy a domain from GoDaddy, you need another voice saying "Hey! GoDaddy is a fucking shitty registrar!"

    There's no point in your meta-complaining. If you like to let companies ass-rape you, that's fine, but that doesn't mean everyone else likes it.

    Dreamhost is also $9.95/year (I use them). There's no good reason to use GoDaddy when there are plenty of better registrars that aren't any more expensive.

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    #!/