The Dispute Over the .org Domain

Since the sale of the .org domain to a financial investor was revealed last month, the deal has been hotly debated on the internet. Various organisations are now even calling for an investigation by the US government. But what exactly is the fuss about the .org domain?

What has happened so far?

The dispute was triggered by an announcement on November 13, 2019, that the newly formed investment firm Ethos Capital would acquire the non-profit organisation Public Interest Registry (PIR) for 1.135 billion USD and that they would relinquish its status as a non-profit organisation. The Public Interest Registry (PIR) was founded in 2002 by the also non-profit Internet Society (ISOC) and has since been responsible for the allocation and management of the .org domain.

In addition, in the summer of 2019, the price caps for .org domains were lifted by the responsible Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). This move had already sparked massive protests from various organisations and individuals in the industry. Previously, the annual cost for a .org domain was set at 8.25 USD in a contract from 2013, with price increases of up to 10 percent allowed per year. This cap is now removed with the new 2019 contract.

What sets the .org domain apart?

With the .org domain, it is one of the first domain extensions on the internet introduced on January 1, 1985. This makes the domain extension as old as the well-known .com domain or .net domain. The .org domain was originally intended for non-commercial organisations, as other domain extensions, such as the .com domain, were exclusively for commercial internet offerings in the early days of the internet.

Although over time the allocation guidelines have loosened and .org domains can now be registered by any natural or legal person for any purpose, the domain extension is still preferred for its originally intended purpose. Especially in the realm of open-source projects and free software, the .org domain is commonly used. Prominent examples include Wikipedia, Mozilla, or Linux, all of which rely on the non-commercial domain extension. Additionally, most major international non-profit organisations and non-governmental organisations such as Greenpeace, WWF, or Amnesty International use the .org domain for their international web presence.

What are the allegations?

Due to the unclear circumstances surrounding the sale of the Public Interest Registry (PIR), previously operated as a non-profit organisation, to an investment firm with profit motives, there are numerous allegations on the internet ranging from inconsistencies and lack of transparency to corruption and conspiracy. The owner of the newly established investment firm Ethos Capital, Erik Brooks, is not a stranger in the scene as he held a senior position at the investment firm Abry Partners for many years. Abry Partners had acquired a large domain name registry with Donuts Inc. just last year. Subsequently, the former ICANN President Akram Atallah was appointed as the new CEO of Donuts, while one of the founders of Donuts became the CEO of Public Interest Registry (PIR) in return. Furthermore, several former ICANN employees hold senior positions at Ethos Capital.

In addition to the risk of price increases, various organisations also raise concerns about the security of domain customers. A profit-oriented company nowadays finds it challenging to protect the interests of its often activist customers against censorship, surveillance, or disinformation by governmental authorities in various regions around the world.

What does the future hold?

For now, it remains to be seen how the situation surrounding the .org domain will evolve. Whether there will be a thorough investigation by the US government, whether there will be price increases, and how the new ownership structure at the registry will actually affect customers, is currently unclear.

For more information on the topic:

https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Untersuchung-des-org-Verkaufs-durch-US-Kongress-gefordert-4615010.html

https://www.golem.de/news/icann-und-isoc-der-ausverkauf-des-internets-1912-145340.html

https://savedotorg.org/