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GoDaddy Follows Google's Lead; No More Registrations In China
phantomfive writes "GoDaddy has announced it will no longer register domain names in China, in response to new requirements that each registrant be photographed, and their business ID number be submitted. GoDaddy's representative said, 'The intent of the procedures appeared, to us, to be based on a desire by the Chinese authorities to exercise increased control over the subject matter of domain name registrations by Chinese nationals.'"
Fuck China and its shit.
GoDaddy did something I like.
Though, it probably has less to do with "Yay Freedom!" than "We can't sell that even with big-breasted women."
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I would also like to announce that I will no longer be accepting contract work originating in China.
Everything is easier when someone else takes the first steps.
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
Not a big deal - godaddy isn't the only domain registry out there. I wonder what other companies are going to follow suit though. Endgame I see is china eventually unplugging from the rest of the world and inventing it's own set of 'tubes.
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It's old and entirely unoriginal.
I have to wonder just how much GoDaddy.com was making from its presence in China. What was its market share? What was its gross revenue?
Based on the opinions of many /. comments, I would have suspected that the two would make happy bedfellows. Doesn't GoDaddy.com practice extreme control over their clients, rooting boxes, and taking over lapsed domain names to then extort their customers, or am I mistaking it for another registrar / host?
China is imposing requirements that domain registrants must provide a photo and a business ID. That's too much hassle for GoDaddy, home of extreme low-end domain registrations. This has little to do with politics and much to do with GoDaddy's business model.
If fu.cn is taken?
What a bunch of boobs.
This article summary is fairly misleading, they are no longer registering the .CN extension
Here is some background:
In December, giving 2 days notice to the international registrars, the .CN registry changed their policy to require paper documentation to register a .CN domain name. In January, because the registry didn't plan this very well, and because they gave absolutely no notice, they decided to turn off registrations all together until they could figure out how to actually implement their new policy. The registry implemented their policy without figuring out actually how to implement their policy..
After a month of no registrations, they opened it up, changing their policy once again to only allow .CN registrations for companies not individuals, and only companies that had an office in china. From what i understand, they are trying to remove the stigma of .CN being the #1 fraud extension (before .cm came out that is)
So to be clear, godaddy is no longer doing .CN registrations because .CN is no longer completely automated, which makes it unprofitable with their business model which is primarily based on volume.
Companies like Google and GoDaddy leaving China is not the result of them foisting their (or as you put it, American) views upon the Chinese; they are acting in what they believe to be their best interests. Filtering internet content or maintaining a backlog of photos and business IDs takes time and costs money. These companies did not like the control China was trying to exercise over them. The Chinese told them to get lost, and they did.
It would be one thing if the US government decided to force democracy down China's throat.
As things stand, that's not even in the ballpark of what's going on
This, my friend, is capitalism. Google's power comes from freedom of information, which is severely limited in China. Similarly, GoDaddy has decided that continuing to operate in China would be just too much hassle.
In my opinion, this is also the right thing to do. China is a big power -- possibly the next superpower. And if they do become at least as powerful as the US, it seems reasonable to hope that they will be dedicated to freedom instead of oppression.
But in the end, this is the market at work.
Last I checked, neither Google nor GoDaddy has a military, so I don't see how they're forcing anything. Both GoDaddy and Google are probably less concerned about the health of the US than about the health of the Internet, so I don't even think "American world view" and "supporting dictators vs democracies" has much to do with the issue.
am awfully tired of our half assed attempts to export our way of life at all levels only when we see fit. we have supported as many dictators as democracies mostly because dictators are easier to please and get to follow our wishes.
So you see a problem, and that is we aren't consistent in trying to make the world better, and your solution is to stop trying? If we change our policy, why don't we change it instead to be, encourage freedom where we can, deprecate evil wherever it is. We can't change the world alone, but almost everyone should agree that freedom of speech, women's rights, and freedom of self-determination are a good thing.
Qxe4
"Smith has sponsored a bill that would make it a crime for U.S. companies to share personal user information with "Internet-restricting" countries. "
Actually if you think about it, that Bill would help companies like Google and GoDaddy. Sorry China I can't help you in your quest to find out which of your citizens posted that content! Problem solved thanks to the new Bill.
Wait, I am confused.
Is your contention that:
1) Countries should be free to choose their own path, or is it
2) Countries should not be free to choose the path of shoving their worldview down everyone's throat
Because you can't have both.
Furthermore, even if we accept that what China is doing is legitimate in terms of "choosing their own path" (rather than a case of "shoving their worldview down everyone's throat"), why does that mean it has to be free of consequences? China chooses its path. Google, GoDaddy, and who knows who else looks at that path and says, "you know what, we're not willing to do business on those terms" and stops doing business in China. Do you think that not only should countries be able to choose their own path, but that private entities should be actively compelled to continue to do business in countries that they no longer wish to do business in?
can't we just let countries choose their own path?
Can't China just let its citizens choose their own path?
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
This really does not hurt China much.
The western society is a 'servce culture', we exchange value by doing things for one another. The east culture is a manufacture culture. In the UK, our youth look up to playing instruments, video games, being footballers or engineers - doing service related things. In China, education is very important and cut throat. It's more about being a mathmatician, engineer or scientist. In my book about China and Microsoft (Gwanshee), the Chinese can get into university degrees as young as 13!
They are reducing our production capability - they manufacture a large number of things for us so we can do business cheaper. This is a massive stranglehold they have: we benefit because our businesses can do things for less. It's no longer profitable for us to run factories and production workshops in our own territories. This means we become dependent on them, like sucking from a teat.
What do they get from it?
Skills, knowledge, experience to bolster their own country. We get nothing. If we send an Apple engineer to overseer production of an iPod*, who is actually learning how the technology works? Do you think that it's really private from the native factory owners? We're essentially giving them technology and abilities. We have seen them building factories, power stations and transport links that put ours to shame, they are really building themselves an impressive infrastructure. They fund international scholarships to put the skills they learn to good news.
We're digging ourself into a roadblock. What if China cuts us off from manufacturing? It's not as though ALL THE businesses have absolute control, they could not avoid retribution from the government!
We would be screwed. The UK practically builds nothing by itself anymore, we just let China do it. If they stop, we're unemployed and opened for expansion. I think they are grinding us down slowly and surely.
What do you think of China? What can we do about it?
Slashdot needs Geekcode | Can anyone recommend any good SCIFI? My tastes: Foundation, Startide Rising, CITY, Ringworld,
Oh, we've done it many times in South America. Pinochet comes to mind immediately.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
I think you got modded troll because you used what is basically an argument from a philosophy 101 class to make a point. Everyone already knows that some things (like slavery) are bad, even if they can't describe the philosophical basis for that judgement, so bringing it up is nothing but a distraction from the conversation.
However, if you like to discuss philosophy, I'll give my view on it:
There is no natural reason that slavery is bad. It is entirely our opinion, our own judgement. Even if you want to base your moral system on an idea like, "we should try to make sure our system of government causes harm to as few people as possible" or "society should be fair" or "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," it still is nothing more than an opinion that "society should be fair." At the bottom of any moral system is an opinion (it should be noted that evolution will favor those systems that tend to preserve society, whereas those that are self destructive tend to disappear).
This is the meaning of freedom. We are free to see the world however we want, to be (in our hearts and minds) whoever we want. If enough people decide slavery is ok, it will happen. The earth has seen such things and worse before.
Personally what I have chosen is that slavery is bad, and it is an opinion I feel strongly enough that I would be willing to fight to make sure the US remains slavery free, if I had to. My beliefs are that it is good to be loving and kind, and help people out when you can. And I try to do that, no matter what other people think.
Qxe4
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