Host name giant Go Daddy Inc. will stop providing .cn domain name registrations in China, the company told the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) today in Washington, D.C.
“There appears to be a recent increase in China’s surveillance and monitoring of the Internet activities of its citizens,” said Christine Jones, general counsel & corporate secretary for Go Daddy.
“We made the decision that we didn’t want to act as an agent of the Chinese government.”
The move follows increased Internet surveillance imposed by the Chinese regime, via the state-controlled China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC). The new regulations require companies to retroactively provide full photo identification with hostname registrations in the .cn domain to the CNNIC registry.
Go Daddy manages over 40 million domain name registrations, more than any other company in the history of the Internet, said Jones, but “this is the first time that any registry has ever asked us to retroactively obtain information on individuals who have registered a domain name with our company.”
The company intends to continue servicing existing .cn domain names, for those registrants who choose to reveal the detailed personal information required. For those that do not, the regulations suggest that CNNIC will discontinue their service.
Go Daddy was testifying at a hearing titled, “Google and Internet Control in China: A Nexus Between Human Rights and Trade?” alongside Google Inc., the Computer & Communications Industry Association, Human Rights in China, and former U.S. Ambassador Mark Palmer.
“Google fired a shot heard ‘round the world, and now a second American company has answered the call to defend the rights of the Chinese people,” commented Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) in a statement, calling the testimony “a powerful sign that American [Internet technology] companies want to do the right thing in repressive countries.”
Google’s director of U.S. Public Policy, Alan Davidson, spoke at the hearing. He reported that following Google’s move to Hong Kong on Monday, the Chinese regime had been sporadically censoring Google.com.hk and Google.com searches in China.
“Internet censorship should also be part of our trade agenda,” recommended Davidson.
No Chinese regime representative appeared at the event, but a submitted statement from the Chinese Embassy accused Google of reneging on “the written promise it made when entering the Chinese market by stopping filtering its searching service and making thinly veiled accusation against China.”
“Go Daddy and Google deserve more than praise for doing the right thing in China, they deserve our government’s support,” said Rep. Smith.
The CECC, chaired by Sen. Byron Dorgan, is a congressional committee comprised of nine senators, nine representatives, and five senior presidential administration officials, which has a mandate to examine human rights and the rule of law in China.
Go Daddy is the world’s largest domain name provider, according to the Netcraft Internet services company.
“There appears to be a recent increase in China’s surveillance and monitoring of the Internet activities of its citizens,” said Christine Jones, general counsel & corporate secretary for Go Daddy.
“We made the decision that we didn’t want to act as an agent of the Chinese government.”
The move follows increased Internet surveillance imposed by the Chinese regime, via the state-controlled China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC). The new regulations require companies to retroactively provide full photo identification with hostname registrations in the .cn domain to the CNNIC registry.
Go Daddy manages over 40 million domain name registrations, more than any other company in the history of the Internet, said Jones, but “this is the first time that any registry has ever asked us to retroactively obtain information on individuals who have registered a domain name with our company.”
The company intends to continue servicing existing .cn domain names, for those registrants who choose to reveal the detailed personal information required. For those that do not, the regulations suggest that CNNIC will discontinue their service.
Go Daddy was testifying at a hearing titled, “Google and Internet Control in China: A Nexus Between Human Rights and Trade?” alongside Google Inc., the Computer & Communications Industry Association, Human Rights in China, and former U.S. Ambassador Mark Palmer.
“Google fired a shot heard ‘round the world, and now a second American company has answered the call to defend the rights of the Chinese people,” commented Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) in a statement, calling the testimony “a powerful sign that American [Internet technology] companies want to do the right thing in repressive countries.”
Google’s director of U.S. Public Policy, Alan Davidson, spoke at the hearing. He reported that following Google’s move to Hong Kong on Monday, the Chinese regime had been sporadically censoring Google.com.hk and Google.com searches in China.
“Internet censorship should also be part of our trade agenda,” recommended Davidson.
No Chinese regime representative appeared at the event, but a submitted statement from the Chinese Embassy accused Google of reneging on “the written promise it made when entering the Chinese market by stopping filtering its searching service and making thinly veiled accusation against China.”
“Go Daddy and Google deserve more than praise for doing the right thing in China, they deserve our government’s support,” said Rep. Smith.
The CECC, chaired by Sen. Byron Dorgan, is a congressional committee comprised of nine senators, nine representatives, and five senior presidential administration officials, which has a mandate to examine human rights and the rule of law in China.
Go Daddy is the world’s largest domain name provider, according to the Netcraft Internet services company.
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