"ICANN is not a regulator and we have limited expertise or authority to assess the legality of ... [a new gTLD registry operator's] activities."- Allen Grogan, ICANN Chief Contract Compliance Officer, 09 Apr 2015 (emphasis added)For internet users, safety and security on the web is becoming more and more problematic due, in part, to ICANN's money-grab, the new gTLDs program, which unleashed hundreds of unwanted and unneeded new gTLDs (new generic top-level domains) onto the internet without any regulatory oversight from internet authority ICANN, or otherwise. The results have been dismal, for internet users and the domain name industry:
“Most new gTLDs have failed to take off and many have already been riddled with so many fraudulent and junk registrations that they are being blocked wholesale,” said IID President and CTO Rod Rasmussen recently.The answer? Other than being sure your OS and Browser are updated and utilizing all security features available, consider blocking ICANN's 'shadiest' new gTLDs "wholesale" as indicated by IID's Rod Rasmussen, who, according to IID's website, is:
"... Co-chair of the Anti-Phishing Working Group’s (APWG) Internet Policy Committee and serves as the APWG Industry Liaison, representing and speaking on behalf of the organization at events around the world ... and is a member of ICANN's Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC). Rasmussen is a member of the Online Trust Alliance’s (OTA) Steering Committee. He is a member of the FCC's Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (FCC CSRIC) ..."And IID is hardly alone among respected security firms:
The shadiest characters in the world of top-level domains | ZDNet: "In order to safeguard themselves against unwanted, suspicious traffic, Blue Coat recommends that the enterprise consider blocking traffic which leads to the riskiest top-level domains, and users should take caution against linking [or clicking] on links based on these TLDs if received over email or social networks." (emphasis, and link added)
How to block new gTLDs, or any Top-Level Domain, be it a gTLD or ccTLD, so your computer, smartphone, tablet or other device is not infected with malware, hijacked, etc.? Network administrators and even nations (see, e.g., China's Great Firewall), can block TLDs 'wholesale.' For individual users, it depends.
Using OpenDNS is one answer for individual users to protect themselves from ICANN's shadiest new gTLDs--see Block .xxx .info etc.. : OpenDNS: "You can already block any domain you want, including the TLDs you mentioned, by adding them to your blacklist."
A list of ALL top-level domains (TLDs) is here--be sure to allow legacy gTLDs .COM, .NET, .ORG, (and if you are in the U.S., also .EDU, .GOV, .MIL), and the ccTLD of your country.
More options for blocking 'wholesale' all of ICANN's shady new gTLDs, as well as other 'bad news' TLDs, will likely emerge in response to the warnings issued by respected security firms such as IID and Blue Coat, as well as due to increasing public demand for safety, security, consumer protection, and consumer choice on the internet!
Caveat Emptor!
See also on Domain Mondo:
- Cybersecurity Firm IID Predicts New gTLD Websites Will 'Go Dark'
- Security Firm Recommends Blocking ICANN's "Shadiest" New gTLDs
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