It's that time of the year again... Nominet's Board elections. This year there is one seat up for grabs. The nomination period for the election finished up some time ago but it's only today that Nominet has announced who the candidates are: Of course as it's Nominet related there has to be a slight "twist"... In the email announcing the candidates they say that … [Read more...] about Nominet Elections Candidates Announced
German Company to Handle all Domain Registration Data Escrow
It's been 16 years since the RegisterFly meltdown. For those that don't recall what happened, the short version is that the company got into serious difficulties and eventually ICANN pulled their accreditation. One of the issues with the RegisterFly collapse was that it was a total mess for registrants whose domains were with the company, as there was no information about … [Read more...] about German Company to Handle all Domain Registration Data Escrow
ICANN and DNS-OARC Heading to Vietnam
ICANN and DNS-OARC will be holding a week of events in Vietnam this September. The week of DNS related events will be split out into three separate events: The event will be held both "in person" and "online". Putting the DNS Symposium and OARC together makes a lot of sense, as the audiences for both events would be very similar. Whether or not the audience for the DNS … [Read more...] about ICANN and DNS-OARC Heading to Vietnam
Yet Another Dáil Question About IE Domains
IE (Irish) domain names were the subject of yet another question in Ireland's national parliament at the end of last month. This is the 3rd time that IE domains have come up that I'm aware of in the past couple of years and it's always in relation to post-Brexit related issues. This time round the question was submitted by Sinn Féin's Mairéad Farrell: To ask the … [Read more...] about Yet Another Dáil Question About IE Domains
Belgian (.be) Registry Removes Phones Numbers From Public Whois
DNS Belgium, the not for profit registry for .be, has made changes to their public whois. From now on the telephone number of registrants will no longer be displayed in public whois. The change will impact all .be domain names, whether they are registered to a natural person (ie. a private individual) or a legal person such as a company or other organisation. If you … [Read more...] about Belgian (.be) Registry Removes Phones Numbers From Public Whois
ICANN Chooses Rwanda for 2024 Summer Meeting
ICANN holds three meetings a year and usually rotates them by geographic region. This year's meetings are being held in Mexico, USA and Germany, which means that North America gets two meetings, while Latin America and Caribbean, Asia etc all got none. Next year, however, things will change a little with the organisation holding its June meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. … [Read more...] about ICANN Chooses Rwanda for 2024 Summer Meeting
Funny Domain Advert
If you work for a domain name registry or registrar you often find yourself trying to explain what you do to friends and family. While you might love your job and think the DNS is "fascinating" the reality is that most people's eyes glaze over. This Japanese advert puts an amusing spin on the entire thing: Love it! … [Read more...] about Funny Domain Advert
Does the Epik Sale Signal the end of the Saga or just a new Chapter?
The registrar Epik has been sold to a new company which, conveniently, is also called Epik. The details of the deal aren't 100% public, but from what has been reported by Andrew and others it sounds like the transaction would have involved a cash injection equal to the beleaguered registrar's debts. Up until a couple of days ago Epik was owned by a company called Epik … [Read more...] about Does the Epik Sale Signal the end of the Saga or just a new Chapter?
Telegram Links Being Blocked in France
Telegram is an encrypted messaging service. It uses the domain name t.me for users to create short links to their profiles so that you can share your telegram link without having to give anyone your mobile phone number. So a user whose username (handle) is john would be reachable via https://t.me/john and so on. At some point in the last 24 hours the French government … [Read more...] about Telegram Links Being Blocked in France
Whois is Officially Dead (Bonus – so is the fax!)
For the last few years registries of both names and numbers have been rolling out new technologies. One of the areas that was long due an upgrade was the protocol for displaying registration data. For the past 30 or so years both names and numbers have used "whois" to tell you who a domain or IP address was linked to. Sure, it "worked", but it was far from ideal. Every registry … [Read more...] about Whois is Officially Dead (Bonus – so is the fax!)