davezan - 6:19 pm on Sep 9, 2004 (gmt 0)

Hi everyone!

Whenever I get any domain name news that can potentially affect ALL domain name owners, I'll be sure to post it.

Some of you may or may not know by now, but the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the governing body charged with overseeing the Domain Name System, has formulated new domain name transfer policies that will take effect on November 12, 2004:

[icann.org...]

So what does this mean?

First, the good news: it makes domain name transfers simple and painless because you actually don't even HAVE to confirm it anymore!

All you have to do is go to the new registrar/reseller of your choice, follow their instructions on how to create an account with them (be it online for via fax), pay up, then the new registrar/reseller will notify your current one of the impending transfer.

Ideally, the new one will send an authorization email to the email address of the administrative contact based on the domain name's WHOIS record. Whoever has access to that email must either confirm or deny the request.

But here's the change: whether you receive it or not, the default result is that the registrar or reseller MUST release the domain name from their systems & transfer it to the new one.

Standard exceptions still apply, though:

1. Domain must still be paid. Better you do this at least 30 days before expiration. 2. Domain must not be "locked". 3. Domain must not be in any sort of dispute.

Assuming at least those 3 exceptions don't apply to your domain name, your transfer will push thru without a hitch. Barring any technical hiccups, of course. :)

Now, the bad news: just as it will become easier to move your domain name to your new registrar, it becomes easier for one total unknown stranger to do this without your consent.

So what must you do to prevent this from happening?

1. Contact your registrar or reseller and ask if they have a sort of locking feature that prevents domain transfers from taking place. Most if not all registrars provide this.

If they do, you must log inside your account and activate it yourself. A friend of mine, though, notified me she recently got an email from her domain registrar that they will turn on their locks for all domains on a certain date, so be sure to read any email from your current registrar or reseller regarding this.

2. If your domain name doesn't have this lock, check your domain name's WHOIS contact information (or internal info) & ensure the email address w/in is correct & only you has access to it. This is to ensure you receive the email and follow its instructions on how to deny the transfer.

3. Since ISPs sometimes block legitimate emails from reaching their recipients, be sure to "whitelist" them. If necessary, please contact your registrar or reseller and ask what is their specific email address that'll be sent to you requesting confirmation or denial of the transfer.

I'll keep you all posted as the date when the transfer policies takes effect looms near. Meanwhile, please be sure to inform as many people as you can about this to prepare for it.
Take care of your domain name/s!

[edited by: Brett_Tabke at 8:45 pm (utc) on Sep. 13, 2004]
[edit reason] fixed formating [/edit]