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Ask Slashdot: Best ccTLD To Avoid Confiscation?

Posted by timothy on from the go-sealand dept.

First time accepted submitter Pete McCann writes "Given the recent spate of domain seizures by the U.S. government, it seems that registrations in any U.S.-hosted registry (like the gTLDs .com, .net, and .org) aren't stable places to put content that the U.S. government might find objectionable. I am wondering, are there any ccTLD registries out there that have an open registration policy and are willing to stand up to censorship demands from the USG? There is this list of ccTLDs with open registration policies, and the current MAFIAAFIRE redirection list looks very Tuvalu-heavy. Where would you register a site for maximum resistance to confiscation?"

3 of 241 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Does not matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is not quite correct. The US Govt. would require the AUTHORITATIVE name server to redirect, which is why the usual .com, .net etc are vulnerable. By switching your TLD to .tv for example, your authoritative name server is outside of US jurisdiction.

    Link to a brief but informative DNS primer: http://www.comodo.com/secure-dns/support/dns_history.html

  2. .to - Tonga, or other privacy-conscious registry by nullchar · · Score: 4, Informative

    I would not recommend .tv as VeriSign is the registry operator and they would be happy to disable your domain name, just like .com/.net.

    Tonga is another tiny island nation - .to - but the registry has a web portal for direct registration (so you don't have to use a registrar which may bow to pressure) and they have a very private WHOIS policy. Almost no details can be gleaned from putting accurate information as the registrant contact.

    I would recommend any ccTLD that allows direct registration through an HTTPS session. Avoid the registrar middlemen for ultimate control over your domain. However, you will be responsible for manually renewing your domain! And be sure to read the registry's fine print for how they may revoke a domain. Ensure the contact data is accurate so you can get any email / snail mail correspondence. This will help you defend your domain in case of a dispute, and help prevent against unauthorized transfers of the domain. Make sure the email account on record is not easily hijacked.

  3. Iceland, IMMI, ISNIC and .is ccTLD by mordur · · Score: 4, Informative

    The .is ccTLD has consistently rated as one of the best run ccTLDs out there. In this piece of news item on the ISNIC web site:

    https://www.isnic.is/en/news/view?id=203

    That basically says that they will take down domains only if one of three conditions is met:
    1. Non payment of registration fees
    2. If the whois records and registration information is incorrect (the are very strict about the technical setup of domains in whois and dns)
    3. If the cops show up with a court order (has never happened in 25 years of the ccTLD
    Also, let's not forget this:

    http://immi.is/

    The Icelanders are going to make their country a safe haven for freedom of expression and the press, so the legal framework will be there for this tld to be the safest in the foreseeable future.