Tag Archives: Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse

Domain Name Disputes, Opinion

CADNA Warns Of Dodgy Websites In US Holiday Shopping Season

It’s the time of the year when Americans go a bit crazy with shopping, online and offline. During last year’s Cyber Monday, Americans spent $1.98 billion shopping online, topping Thanksgiving online sales by 17 percent.But with such large amounts of money being spent, scammers are always going to follow. The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) has looked at this, examining “the registered typo variations of the top 100-trafficked websites as determined by Interbrand,” writes Yvette Miller in the Huffington Post. “We found 2,089 domain names in this category,” she write, and then they “examined the registration information and content for each domain.””The data showed that only 19 percent of the domain names resolved to the target content, which means the marketplace is full of bad actors trying to fool consumers.”Miller then examines the common ways scammers take advantage of the unsuspecting, trusting online shopper. These are:

  • pay per click (PPC) sites – the most common websites with a typo domain –PPC advertisements are tools used to monetise the internet user traffic that arrives at a domain name
  • scam/malware sites – two percent of the sites CADNA examined hosted scams or potentially harboured malware through prompts to enter information for a prize or, perhaps, prompts to download files from the website
  • “affiliate” sites – where “brands offer affiliate programs, which allow third party website owners to post the brands’ links and banners on the third party site or to send traffic to the brand’s site directly through domain forwards (watch what happens in the browser bar — you’ll notice the redirect). In return, the owner of the site hosting the link receives a commission for every click-through that results in a purchase”.

CADNA doesn’t want to scare shoppers. Miller concludes by writing “Be careful this holiday season: Only visit sites that have been clearly advertised. Double check the spelling in the address bar if something looks a bit off. Don’t divulge personal information where you’re not used to doing so. And don’t download suspicious-looking attachments.”The full article is available at www.huffingtonpost.com/yvette-miller/cyber-safety-on-cyber-mon_b_4351639.html.

New gTLDs

CADNA Asks ICANN For More Considerations For Brand Owners

The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) and its sister organisation FairWinds Partners are taking a dual approach to dealing with new gTLDs.CADNA has asked ICANN to give more consideration to brand owners and announce a second application period for new gTLD applications as they consider brand owners to have their backs against the wall.”One of the biggest responses we have heard from brands is that they feel as if their backs are up against a wall,” explained CADNA President Josh Bourne. “The fact that ICANN has only offered one opportunity to apply for new gTLDs has created a sense of chaos among brands, who feel as though ICANN is forcing them into making a ‘now or never’ decision that could impact both them and their consumers. Knowing that they will have the opportunity to apply again after having the chance to see if new gTLDs become valuable will go a long way toward relieving that anxiety.”CADNA has been very critical of the new gTLD process, but unlike the advertising and marketing associations that have belatedly banded together to form the Coalition for Responsible Internet Domain Oversight (CRIDO), they at least accept new gTLDs are coming, but want to strengthen protections for brand owners.CADNA says that “while it does not oppose fostering innovation and improving competition on the internet via an expanded domain name space, CADNA recognises that one of the major sources of dissatisfaction and apprehension among brand owners is the fact that they feel that, in a sense, they are being held hostage.”With this acceptance of the inevitability of new gTLDs, CADNA’s sister organisation FairWinds Partners have formed a consultancy to advise brand owners on the opportunities and challenges they present.FairWinds will be offering advice for brands on every aspect of the new gTLD programme beyond just the complex process of applying for and managing a new gTLD. Their philosophy is that a comprehensive consultative process, paired with the creation of key deliverables, will give brand owners the greatest chance of extracting value from new domains.