6 ms·

My proposal: assign the management of the old core generic top-level domains to the United Nations. Raise the price to maybe $50 per domain. This will make doma

My proposal: assign the management of the old core generic top-level domains to the United Nations. Raise the price to maybe $50 per domain. This will make domain hoarders/squatters unregister millions of domains. Use the money collected for the benefit of mankind (earmark the money).

vegardx 7y ago
Then you've effectively made it impossible for certain people to buy a domain name. And I wouldn't really trust that UN would be the best beneficiary of such money, it's bureaucratic hell.
- JimWestergren 7y ago
  People that cannot afford $50/year for a .com/.net/.org domain name can choose a cheaper tld. For some poor countries owning such a domain for your business would signal commitment - a good thing. Yes, UN is a bureaucratic hell but I see no other existing option.
  - vegardx 7y ago
    Why should these TLDs be exclusive for certain people, even more so if they're going to be managed by some kind of global entity? You see no other existing options because the premise is to raise the cost significantly and make it unavailable for most people. It clearly doens't have to be that way. And you don't solve anything by funneling that money into an extremely inefficient organization.
    - JimWestergren 7y ago
      Ok, well. What do you propose?
      - vegardx 7y ago
        Keep the current system, as it seems to be working well. There are other ways to stop domain squatters, like not letting them abuse the registrar status to hold domains without paying for them.
  - simias 7y ago
    Domain names are not a scarce resource, there's no need to put the bar so high. As far as I can tell the current system with the current pricing seems to work just fine, why not continue that way?
    - bitxbitxbitcoin 7y ago
      Because there are structural incentives for people involved to make money from it nefariously - so they will inevitably.
    - nybble41 7y ago
      > Domain names are not a scarce resource... They are, though, since each domain can only point to one server (per RR type). Or at least meaningful ones are, but if you're okay with a random meaningless string of characters rather than something memorable then it doesn't really matter whether it's under any particular TLD. Moreover, when it comes to .org domains the money you're paying for registration is supposed to cover some background checks to verify that the buyer is really a non-profit organization and not some scammer, to maintain the reputation and integrity of the .org TLD. That takes labor, and labor is a scarce resource.
  - C1sc0cat 7y ago
    Why should my personal .org cost that much remember that .org is not just for non profits in the narrow USA sense.
  - rocqua 7y ago
    How long until China pushes that UN body to deregister unicef.org because they are 'lying to the people' ? The UN is too political for this kind of governance.
  - whoopdedo 7y ago
    Why should I, who have had my personal domain for 15 years, using multiple email addresses, websites, and dynamic DNS back to my home router, be forced to move to a "cheaper" TLD? Gentrification comes to the internet. No thank you.
soraminazuki 7y ago
Your proposal against what? I don't see how your proposal solves any problems relevant to the article, unless extorting money from domain holders is exactly what you want. The most obvious solution to the discussed problem would be to not raise prices and hold those at ICANN, ISOC, PIR, etc. to account.
Gustomaximus 7y ago
Some kind of price scale would work well to allow individuals easy assess while discouraging hoarding. E.g First domain $3/yr Second $8/yr Third $20/yr ...etc No idea how you could track/enforce this. Make domains tied to an individual or company type thing. Shelf companies would add too much cost to have one per few domains I imagine.
- sudosysgen 7y ago
  Each country would have a given amount of vouchers say one per ten person to start and presumably only one individual could redeem them for the rebate otherwise its 50$ per month.
syshum 7y ago
That is a TERRIBLE idea, on all fronts. the price for domains should remain cheap, for many reasons, not the least of which one should not be gate keeping. Second, nothing should be in the control of the UN, they are a terrible corrupt organization that should have as small amount of power as possible.

vegardx 7y ago

Then you've effectively made it impossible for certain people to buy a domain name. And I wouldn't really trust that UN would be the best beneficiary of such money, it's bureaucratic hell.

JimWestergren 7y ago
People that cannot afford $50/year for a .com/.net/.org domain name can choose a cheaper tld. For some poor countries owning such a domain for your business would signal commitment - a good thing. Yes, UN is a bureaucratic hell but I see no other existing option.
- vegardx 7y ago
  Why should these TLDs be exclusive for certain people, even more so if they're going to be managed by some kind of global entity? You see no other existing options because the premise is to raise the cost significantly and make it unavailable for most people. It clearly doens't have to be that way. And you don't solve anything by funneling that money into an extremely inefficient organization.
  - JimWestergren 7y ago
    Ok, well. What do you propose?
    - vegardx 7y ago
      Keep the current system, as it seems to be working well. There are other ways to stop domain squatters, like not letting them abuse the registrar status to hold domains without paying for them.
- simias 7y ago
  Domain names are not a scarce resource, there's no need to put the bar so high. As far as I can tell the current system with the current pricing seems to work just fine, why not continue that way?
  - bitxbitxbitcoin 7y ago
    Because there are structural incentives for people involved to make money from it nefariously - so they will inevitably.
  - nybble41 7y ago
    > Domain names are not a scarce resource... They are, though, since each domain can only point to one server (per RR type). Or at least meaningful ones are, but if you're okay with a random meaningless string of characters rather than something memorable then it doesn't really matter whether it's under any particular TLD. Moreover, when it comes to .org domains the money you're paying for registration is supposed to cover some background checks to verify that the buyer is really a non-profit organization and not some scammer, to maintain the reputation and integrity of the .org TLD. That takes labor, and labor is a scarce resource.
- C1sc0cat 7y ago
  Why should my personal .org cost that much remember that .org is not just for non profits in the narrow USA sense.
- rocqua 7y ago
  How long until China pushes that UN body to deregister unicef.org because they are 'lying to the people' ? The UN is too political for this kind of governance.
- whoopdedo 7y ago
  Why should I, who have had my personal domain for 15 years, using multiple email addresses, websites, and dynamic DNS back to my home router, be forced to move to a "cheaper" TLD? Gentrification comes to the internet. No thank you.

soraminazuki 7y ago

Your proposal against what? I don't see how your proposal solves any problems relevant to the article, unless extorting money from domain holders is exactly what you want. The most obvious solution to the discussed problem would be to not raise prices and hold those at ICANN, ISOC, PIR, etc. to account.

Gustomaximus 7y ago

Some kind of price scale would work well to allow individuals easy assess while discouraging hoarding. E.g First domain $3/yr Second $8/yr Third $20/yr ...etc No idea how you could track/enforce this. Make domains tied to an individual or company type thing. Shelf companies would add too much cost to have one per few domains I imagine.

sudosysgen 7y ago
Each country would have a given amount of vouchers say one per ten person to start and presumably only one individual could redeem them for the rebate otherwise its 50$ per month.

syshum 7y ago

That is a TERRIBLE idea, on all fronts. the price for domains should remain cheap, for many reasons, not the least of which one should not be gate keeping. Second, nothing should be in the control of the UN, they are a terrible corrupt organization that should have as small amount of power as possible.