RE: [ga] The Aftertaste

["Dominik Filipp" <dominik.filipp@xxxxxxxx>]

Danny,

You are right in your assumptions. However, for now we should adopt
step-by-step approach and concentrate on domain tasting as the initial
step of this clean-up-mess process. To avoid NXD data solicitation you
would have to stop selling traffic data by registries, which is a more
difficult problem as it requires revision and amendment of existing
registry agreements. I have no idea whether this is legitimately
achievable. Most likely it is not.

Nevertheless, by eliminating domain tasting the ongoing flurry of
registrations based on NXD traffic will rapidly go down as well. List of
domains of 'momentary interest' says a little about real market power
and interest in such domains and is therefore risky for speculators to
pay for them full price in higher volume. Sure, there will be attempts
to harvest the flakes of gold out of NXD lists but those flakes (generic
names) make just very small part of all such domains collected.

Well, you are right. Many other questions...

Dominik
 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ga@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-ga@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Danny Younger
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 1:21 PM
To: ga@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ga] The Aftertaste


Some thoughts.

Let's for a moment pretend that the practice of domain tasting has
disappeared.

What awaits us next?  Already we have scoundrels soliciting NXDomain
data on the NANOG lists and elsewhere.  Such data is purportedly already
being purchased from certain ISPs, and, of course, ICANN (in the
exercise of its perverse wisdom) has already granted the registries the
right to sell their own traffic data.

So soon we can expect an ongoing flurry of registrations that will be
based on NXD traffic records.  Naturally, those domains that will be
registered will invariably be typosquats of major brands/trademarks --
why should we expect anything else?

All that will have happened with the end of domain tasting will be a
shift in market models -- you will still see a pattern of abuse into the
future that will tacitly be aided by both registries and registrars.

As such, we can't just think about how to stop "tasting"; instead, we
should be thinking about mechanisms designed to clean up the mess that
ICANN has made, that would allow for the rapid takedown of the
typosquats that have emerged while ICANN looked the other way and
ignored its responsibility to the community.  

In the U.S., the Snowe bill reflects the sentiment that ICANN can't be
trusted to do the job that it was assigned; measures are being designed
to actively regulate registrar practices (as the general view is that
registrars are incapable of engaging in their own self-regulation).

This may be one of our last chances to demonstrate that the ICANN
community is capable of dealing with a problem and is capable of
cleaning up its own mess...
otherwise, regulations will be indeed forced upon the supplier community
and the very nature of the Internet that many have sought to promote
will change for the worse as the heavy hand of Government will intrude
to a greater and greater degree as time goes by.

Either ICANN manages the namespace or the governments will -- the
resource is just too important to allow for ineptitude or a wild west
attitude to prevail.


 
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