AUSTRALIA - A South Australian woman narrowly avoided a complete financial disaster after falling victim to a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) scam that led to the loss of over $800,000. Authorities have since managed to recover a significant portion of the stolen funds, shedding light on the growing threat of cyber fraud in real estate transactions. The victim, who had been in the process of purchasing a property, received what appeared to be a legitimate … [Read more...]
The End of an Era: Whois Lookup Service Fades Into History, Replaced by RDAP
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - In a significant shift for the internet's infrastructure, the decades-old Whois system is being phased out, making way for its modern successor: the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP). This transition marks the end of an era for one of the internet's most recognizable tools and ushers in a new chapter in how domain registration data is accessed and managed. For years, Whois has been the go-to resource for querying domain name registration … [Read more...]
50 Million Potentially Compromised In PowerSchool Data Breach
SACRAMENTO, CA - On December 28, 2024, PowerSchool, a prominent provider of educational technology services to over 60 million K-12 students worldwide, identified a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to its Student Information System (SIS) through the PowerSource customer support portal. The breach, which occurred between December 19 and December 24, 2024, allowed threat actors to exfiltrate sensitive data, including names, addresses, dates of birth, … [Read more...]
Shopify Snaps Up Pair of Country Code Top Level Domains for Over $500,000
OTTAWA, CA - Shopify Inc., Canada's leading technology company, has acquired the domain names Shop.ca and Shop.us from Toronto-based EMERGE Commerce Ltd. for approximately $500,000. These domains now redirect to Shopify's Shop App website, a marketplace designed as a "digital shopping assistant" that allows users to search for products and brands, make purchases, and track shipments. The original Shop.ca launched in 2011, positioning itself as "Canada’s largest online … [Read more...]
Namecheap Publishes Results Naming Highest TLD, Domain Registrations for 2024
PHOENIX, AZ - One of the most well-known domain registrars in the world, Namecheap, has released the results of a study outlining the highest number of domains registered through its service in the Top-Level Domain (TLD) as well as National Domain categories for the year 2024. Namecheap’s report notes that the most popular TLD registered with the company in 2024, unsurprisingly, was .COM, which took a commanding lead with 3,661,899 registrations. The number two slot ended … [Read more...]
Reddit Community, Unstoppable Domains Partner to Launch .MOON Blockchain Domain
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The 8.8 million users of Reddit’s r/cryptocurrency community have partnered up with internet registrar Unstoppable Domains to launch the first-ever Reddit community-based blockchain Top-Level Domain (TLD), .MOON. Built on the Polygon blockchain, .MOON will enable the crypto community members of Reddit to interact with more than 865 blockchain applications and wallets, in addition to allowing them to establish digital identities with which to do … [Read more...]
Senator Demands Domain Registrars Address Russian Influence Operations During 2024 Election
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has issued a demand to several of the top American internet domain registrars to clamp down on the abuse of their services by Russian disinformation actors who he alleged are attempting to interfere with and influence the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. Warner sent a letter earlier in October to several well-known companies in the web domain registering and hosting … [Read more...]
Domain Days Dubai Set To Take Place At Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah, Nov 5-6
WEST ASIA - Domain Days Dubai 2024 is set to take place at the Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah on November 5-6, 2024. This will be the second edition of the event, aimed at professionals in the domain, hosting, and digital asset sectors across the Middle East and Africa. The conference will feature 40 speakers, attracting around 200 attendees from over 100 companies. Key topics will include domain name management, auctions, and monetization strategies, with a special focus on … [Read more...]
These Countries Are Beniffting Big from Their Distinctive Top-Level Domains
PALM BEACH, FL -The rise in prominence of artificial intelligence in the tech industry has proven to be a significant boon for Anguilla, which has seen a huge spike – and along with it, a lucrative revenue stream – from companies and organizations seeking to register the small Caribbean island nation’s top-level domain (TLD) of “.AI.” This development has been making headlines in the press, but Anguilla isn’t the only country with a TLD that is desired across the globe for … [Read more...]
Following Initial Early Non-Public Release Period, .MUSIC TLD Now Available
LOS ANGELES, CA - Following a brief period of time last year when the new “.MUSIC” Top-Level Domain (TLD) – a domain for artists and those adjacent of the music community – was made available for a limited number of select applicants, the domain is now freely available for public registration, first come, first served. .MUSIC first launched in September 2023, initially offering a 30-day period between September 11 through November 15 when trademark holders could register … [Read more...]
GoDaddy or Namecheap: Which Registrar Should You Use to Buy an .AI Domain?
PHOENIX, AZ - With the boom of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution the talk of the technology industry – both for good and bad – the demand for the .AI domain has skyrocketed. Originally an obscure country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the small Caribbean island of Anguilla, it has spiked in popularity with tech companies looking to cash in on the AI craze, making it one of the most popular extensions out there currently. That being said, the US-based GoDaddy … [Read more...]
Domain Names as Digital Real Estate: The Parallels of Scarcity and Value
PALM BEACH, FL - In the modern business landscape, owning a premium domain name can be as valuable as holding a prime piece of physical real estate. Just as with prime properties in desirable locations, premium domain names—short, memorable, and industry-specific web addresses—are in limited supply, which drives up their value over time. These digital assets, much like their physical counterparts, are scarce commodities, and their importance has only increased in an era where … [Read more...]
Growing Scarcity of Geographic Domain Names: A Look at U.S. State Domains
PALM BEACH, FL - The internet landscape has undergone rapid transformation since the early days of the web (1990s), and one of the most valuable assets to emerge during this time is domain names. As businesses, organizations, and individuals rushed to stake their claims online, certain categories of domain names have become increasingly scarce, with geographic domains—particularly those tied to U.S. cities and states—standing out as prime real estate. Owning a domain like … [Read more...]
Sensational Spelling: Variants on Generic Keyword Domains Growing in Popularity
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - At this point, the Internet has been around for a while, and there are countless number of domain names out there that have been snapped up for nearly every conceivable purpose. With that being said, an ever-growing number of legitimate brand name domains have been snapped up, giving rise to the growing popularity of alternate spellings of well known, generic, business-related keywords for domains, known as “sensational spelling.” Sensational spelling … [Read more...]
Lawsuit Alleges GoDaddy “Stole” Domain Name Two Months After Purchase
TEMPE, AZ - A lawsuit filed by Sweden-based Crisby Studio AB alleges that the biggest Internet registrar in the world, GoDaddy, “wrongfully took possession of” a domain name, two months after it had been successfully purchased by the company earlier this year. Crisby Studio AB, a Swedish limited liability company, and Niklas Thorin, a Swedish resident Plaintiffs, v. GoDaddy, Inc., a Delaware corporation, GoDaddy.com, LLC, a Delaware corporation, … [Read more...]