I feel like the easy way to solve this is to run an experiment (perhaps across a small group of people and IPs) that search for a pre-defined list of domains (m

I feel like the easy way to solve this is to run an experiment (perhaps across a small group of people and IPs) that search for a pre-defined list of domains (maybe 10-50 domains), but don't complete checkout. Perhaps even spread this out over a few days. Then, run a lookup to see which one of these domains have been taken. If none, then I'd argue this looks like a coincidence. If one or more domains were taken, it may be interesting to look into it further. If one would assume that the registrar is acting in bad faith, then I guess they're having some sort of "qualifier" algorithm that only takes the domain if they think there's a great chance of it paying off. They can't just buy any domain, that'd be way too obvious. The sad thing is that raising domain prices would probably make the squatting less attractive ($1000 a domain). And only partly so, because they'd still continue to be a classic business expense (even on a larger scale) for squatters, but really hurt the individual or those starting out considerably (not sure about a side project, is it worth a $1000 domain?). It's like the EU cookie thing, there is a problem that needs to be solved and everyone knows it. But the solution is not that simple apparently (or, as with the EU cookie banners, it looked simple but turned into a disaster).