The costly business of domain name deregulation

June 27, 2008

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) yesterday announced what is being billed as a “massive liberalisation” of the internet’s naming system.

As The Times reports here, ICANN has “approved a ‘land grab’ for new web addresses that will allow people to apply for any top-level domain name… Scripts other than Latin – for example Chinese, Japanese, Arabic and Cyrillic — will also be allowed, opening up the internet to many millions in the Middle East and Asia.”

100000.jpgBut what has also been described as a “free-for-all” comes at a price. It’ll cost $100,000 to acquire one of the new names. Moreover, ICANN reserves the right to reject applications on the basis of “morality or public order.” Hence the adult industry is still some way from its longed-for .xxx domain, and putative cyber-squatters will also be dealt with via ICANN’s sophisticated monitoring systems.

Overall, the changes seem designed to cater for big business rather the individual. Are they in keeping with the democratic spirit of the web? To find out more before you decide, click here.

 

Comments

Please submit comments to Swordplay below.

Supreme Court on Twitter

February 6, 2012

Something remarkable happened today. Yes, the Supreme Court launched its Twitter feed. It even has a Twitter policy, one of caveats, disclaimers and little by way of illumination but regardless: who would have thought that the successor body to the House of Lords would stoop to engage with the world of tweets, hashtags and retweets?

We look forward to the day when court business will be conducted via Twitter. Meantime, check out this link for an excellent blog on the Supreme Court.

Not so right said Fred

February 2, 2012
fred hat

So Farewell, then, Sir Fred Goodwin.

Now you are just Fred.

Not Right Said Fred, but plain Fred.

The Forfeiture Committee did for you.

No one had heard of it before,

But Dave said it had to act, and it did.

Trouble is that no one knows what to think.

Is it ‘Alas, poor Fred‘,

Or ‘Hurray! Sir Fred is dead!’?

We don’t know.

Do you?

By A. Mob, aged 1,378 and a half.

London Goes AWOL

January 31, 2012
CNN

STOP PRESS:

Fed up with being stuck on the Thames in south-east England, London yesterday decided to move. In a dramatic gesture which augurs ill for the Olympics, the city upped sticks and relocated to East Anglia.

Lawyers were not consulted about the move, and the city’s precise motivation remains unclear. However, financiers fear that London’s decision is a sign that it wishes to downsize. Moreover, a source from London said: “We no longer want to be Britain’s seat of power. If the Scots can deregulate, why can’t we? East Anglia is a nice place where nothing happens. It’s time for a quiet life. Please respect our right to privacy.”

Elsewhere, Birmingham did not do anything, but Manchester was seen to be packing its bags. “There’s an opportunity for us,” said Manchester. “We can become London.”

East Anglia said: “We don’t mind. It’ll be refreshing to be associated with something other than fens and flatness.”

A cartologist at CNN, which broke the extraordinary news, was later fired.