*** Here Is A List Of Some Of The Best Domain Name Resources Available ***NEW YORK, NY – This past week, the man who virtually created the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee, spoke about his “Contract for the Web” initiative; something he believes is fundamental to ensure a protected, free and open Internet for all of society.
Early backers of the initiative, which can be viewed at ContractForTheWeb.org, include notable support from some of the webs largest innovators such as Google.com, Facebook.com, Craig Newmark (Founder of Craigslist.org), the W3C World Wide Web Consortium Standards organization, and the list continues to grow.
The effort is being led by Berners-Lee’s own organization, the World Wide Web Foundation, based in Washington, D.C., which is a non-profit group dedicated to just that – the improvement and availability of the World Wide Web to all. Berners-Lee believes that Internet access should be considered a basic human right.
The web was designed to bring people together and make knowledge freely available. Everyone has a role to play to ensure the web serves humanity. By committing to the following principles, governments, companies and citizens around the world can help protect the open web as a public good and basic right for everyone.
Domain Registrar Uniregistry released a public statement regarding the effort which may suggest it too could support such an effort, but only if it includes what Uniregistry called in a press release, the creation of a “Domain Name Bill of Rights”, a bill or other form of legislation that would ensure – or even guarantee – that every domain name owner receives formal “due process” and an “appropriate investigation” defined by clear guidelines and the rule of law, when faced with accusations and demands that might contribute to online censorship or a domain owner losing their platform to speak – their domain name.
Uniregistry is [a] diverse company whose culture is built on the ideology of one planet + one people and we reject hatred, bigotry and discrimination in any shape or form. We also believe strongly in the importance of free speech and expression as an inalienable human right. History has proven time and time again that these ideologies will inevitably clash. In keeping with Sir Berners-Lee’s call for a ‘Magna Carta for the web’, we would urge a Bill of Rights to provide clarity and assurances to domain registrants around the world. At Uniregistry, our mission is to provide a domain name to every global citizen and we believe the introduction of a domain name “Bill of Rights’ would bring us one step closer to that vision,” said Kanchan Mhatre, Chief Operating Officer at Uniregistry.
Cayman Islands based Uniregistry Corporation is one of the largest domain name portfolio owners, a global domain name registry, and operator of more than twenty-five new top-level domains. The company was founded in 2012 by early Internet-investor and Internet-visionary Frank Schilling; maybe Schilling sees something coming down the pike with this Contract for the Web, something that might not be so good for domain name owners.
About The Author: John Colascione is Chief Executive Officer of Internet Marketing Services Inc. He specializes in Website Monetization, is a Google AdWords Certified Professional, authored a ‘how to’ book called ”Mastering Your Website‘, and is a key player in several Internet related businesses through his search engine strategy brand Searchen Networks®
This is something I have been calling for a very long time. In 2014 I wrote for a Call to Action. http://www.ccin.com/domain-industry-call-to-action
It reflected what I was seeing at the time within our industry and the internet at large. I’ve had the ability to watch the internet grow from intrAnet to intErnet since the 1980s. While many of the leaders in the domain industry were on board with our “Call to Action”, Frank was the first to leave it. I don’t really blame him, since the overall effort was like herding cats. Everyone had a direction that they thought it should travel. Rick also thought it was a dead cause after a few weeks. But as I told Rick then- this effort will find the right time and it will be for social and economic reasons that ignite the people or electorate into action.
I wrote for this year’s 2018 State of the industry: “Two simple facets of the internet that must be unfettered and have complete control by all of us – the URL and Domain Names. Currently they are being abused and manipulated in ways that are not beneficial for their survival.”
An Internet Bill of Rights should no longer be required but demanded.