If you have an idea for a domain name and you try to check if it is available you may risk losing it within 2 minutes according to an article on dailydomainer.
http://www.dailydomainer.com/2007173-who-is-monitoring-your-domain-searches-update.html
What is the safest way to search for it?
Should you try the site via your browser address bar?
Should you search for it with a search engine?
Should you use a domain registration service?
Dailydomainer gives these tips:
"● Avoid address bar guessing.
● Avoid search engines that don’t make a billion dollars a year in revenue.
● Avoid browser plug-ins that send data back to the Internet.
● Go directly to trusted registrars and whois companies."
http://www.dailydomainer.com/2007173-who-is-monitoring-your-domain-searches-update.html
ICANN's SSAC have issued a report (pdf) about this.
http://img.domaintools.com/blog/domain-name-front-running.pdf
Some more discussion can be found on slashdot.
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/28/1458247
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Ouch. I do my domain searches through 1and1/ Schlund and didn't have problems so far... |
I have been a victim to this problem. So I created (copied & tweaked) an ajax script which searches directly in the whois databases like whois.internic.net & whois.afilias.info
I hope this is safe, cause haven't been a victim since then :)
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You know, I always worried about this, but decided I was being cynical and paranoid. Huh. |
Its not being cynical Reto
I have seen domain names going like that
lately observed that many of these domain search sites write a discliamer that "we don't record your searches"
last seen on pcnames |
Slashdot is reporting that every available domain checked at Network Solutions is being taken.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/01/08/1920215
Their source seems to be domainnews.com. Unfortunately that site is unavailable now. Perhaps it is the slashdot effect.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/featured/domain-registrar-network-solutions-front-running-on-whois-searches/1359
There is some additional discussion at domainstate.com.
http://www.domainstate.com/showthread.php3?s=&postid=405956#post405956 |
NSI is talking crap in the response
http://www.circleid.com/posts/81082_network_solutions_front_running/
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a really good game to play if you are free!
http://reddit.com/info/64xuc/comments/ |
I lost a domain once due to the inability of NSI's billing department to process my payment correctly. I won't lose any sleep if people boycott Network Solutions as a result of this.
As Rohit says, the NSI response doesn't make sense. It seems to me that their action will block people from registering the domain with any other registrar, rather than prevent Front Running. |
Jay Westerdal of domaintools.com confirms now that even such a well-entrenched registrar as Network Solutions, Inc. engages in underhand thieving of researched domain names. Indeed, the endeavor has a name, "frontrunning."
Great pic, too!
http://img.domaintools.com/blog/network-solutions-thief.gif
[January 8th, 2008] Network Solutions steals domain ideas; Confirmed!
http://blog.domaintools.com/2008/01/network-solutions-steals-domain-ideas-confirmed/ |
The second link in the first post should have been
http://blog.domaintools.com/2007/03/stealing-domain-name-research/ .
Beware of using their last tip, "Go directly to trusted registrars and whois companies", without reading their explanation.
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By George, ya Right! This ongoing research of Jay's (article dated 20 March, 2007) sounds profound in places, but had me lost and looking askance precisely right there (UPPERCASE ENHACEMENTS MINE; comment below):
> [...] Non-eXistent Domain (NXD) Data is a response the DNS
> system tells the asking computer if resolution on an IP
> address fails because the domain doesnt exist. Yes, ISPs
> sell this data. I personally talked with a representative that gave
> me her business card and
QUOTED ME A SIX FIGURE NUMBER
> FOR ACCESS TO THEIR NDX DATA These domain name research
> companies actually buy this data and register those domains
> to see what generates money.
A U$D ?six-figure price? for what... a year's(?) worth of mistyped/ non-existent domain names, which, by implication, the sleazebags out there are *paying up front* to shady registrars to squat on potentially-somewhat-profitable domain name "properties"? This does not add up. |
The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CANDA) has released several studies.
http://www.cadna.org/en/library.html
"Tasting Solutions White Paper"
http://www.cadna.org/en/pdf/cadna-white-paper-tasting-solutions.pdf (pdf 18p)
"Drop Catching White Paper"
http://www.cadna.org/en/pdf/cadna-white-paper-drop-catching.pdf (pdf 12p)
"Domain Name Monetization Money Trail"
http://www.cadna.org/en/pdf/domain-name-monetization.pdf (pdf 1p)
"CANDA's Response to ICAAN's Request for Information on Tasting"
http://www.cadna.org/en/pdf/cadna-response-to-icann.pdf (pdf 9p) |
