ICANN will investigate Network Solutions’ domain registering policy in the wake of reports that the company was automatically registering domains based on user searches.
ICANN’s decision to investigate comes just as Network Solutions reportedly is changing the policy.
In a brief note to eWEEK, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the international body in charge of TLDs (top-level domain name registrants) and Internet addressing, stated that it will be looking into Network Solutions’ new policy of registering any domain name that is searched for on its site.
However, Network Solutions told ICANN about this policy change before it implemented them.
“Network Solutions informed us when they launched this process,” said Jason Keenan, ICANN’s media adviser. It was only after Network Solutions quietly implemented this policy and users noticed the change and protested about it online that ICANN took note of it. Now, “ICANN has begun looking into the matter to see if it is in compliance with the Registrar Accreditation Agreement,” said Keenan.