ICANN To Probe Insider Domain Purchases

[Rubber Duck]

Marina Del Ray, CA (AHN) - Are insiders unfairly profiting from the demand for Internet domains? Although never proven, a group overseeing Internet addresses hopes to prevent speculation becoming accepted fact.

According to an advisory panel of the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a suspicion that someone is using insider data to buy domains people are seeking could harm the growing business of selling Internet addresses.

ICANN said the alleged plot supposedly works this way: a consumer checks whether a domain is available. Someone with access to that search data uses the information to buy the wanted address and sells it for a profit. ICANN calls the practice "domain name front running."

However, no evidence exists so far proving the suspicions. A probe by ICANN's Security and Stability Advisory Committee aims to find proof of the practice and suggest measures the domain-selling industry can take to prevent such insider actions.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008933439

[thegenius1]

Ovt ?

[jacksonm]

This is the modus operandus for shady registrars worldwide.

.

[IDNCowboy]

ICANN helping the domainers?

noo way

[Drewbert]

Gimme a G
Gimme an O
Gimme a D
Gimme an A
Gimme a D
.......

[Rubber Duck]

Gimme a G
Gimme an O
Gimme a D
Gimme an A
Gimme a D
.......

Blimey, they must be busy if they are chasing all the stuff their own registrants run after. Worse than cleaning out the Elephant House, I should imagine!

[Drewbert]

http://frankschilling.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/10/domain-tasting-.html

[markits]

Someone posted the following in a Chinese forum:

The poster checked an idn.cn domain and saw its available; he hesitated and did not reg it;
He finally decided to reg the domain but found the domain was taken and the whois shows that the registrant has a cnnic insider email;
He further found out that the reg time was changed to one year (or two year, couldn't exactly remember) ago.

[thegenius1]

Someone posted the following in a Chinese forum:

The poster checked an idn.cn domain and saw its available; he hesitated and did not reg it;
He finally decided to reg the domain but found the domain was taken and the whois shows that the registrant has a cnnic insider email;
He further found out that the reg time was changed to one year (or two year, couldn't exactly remember) ago.

Could have just been a lack of sleep due to idn'ing .. I have it happen several times where i thought a domain was available , came back days later to see it was regged a few years ago. My conclusion was that i had a space between the .com or something and didnt notice it.

[jacksonm]

Could have just been a lack of sleep due to idn'ing .. I have it happen several times where i thought a domain was available , came back days later to see it was regged a few years ago. My conclusion was that i had a space between the .com or something and didnt notice it.

This has happened to me as well and I know damned well that there wasn't a space between the .com.

.

[mgrohan]

Yeah i have seen this has been reported many times before on other boards, companies using domain name queries etc. Whether it is really happening though or just coincidence.. Good to see ICANN investigating the matter though.

[touchring]

Yeah i have seen this has been reported many times before on other boards, companies using domain name queries etc. Whether it is really happening though or just coincidence.. Good to see ICANN investigating the matter though.


I've encountered one myself, can't remembered where i searched, but my name was registered, when i checked again a few weeks later. I think going through register lists is an "industry practice".