> Your domain name is often your most secure key to your entire online identity, and you want that to be on as a secure legal footing as possible.
No, it absolutely isn't. Domain names are rented from a TLD registrar, someone who literally just controls a bunch of DNS servers and some automated systems that's approved by and has paid ICANN. They can reject your renewal for any reason and there's nothing you can do about it from an ICANN or court perspective. Worse, what walks in domains is money, which is why registrars can sell "premium" domains that aren't owned for exorbitant prices.
Ordering from your own country maybe ups the ante from a civil court perspective if you have money to sue a registrar and the time to go to court for it.
> Ordering from your own country maybe ups the ante from a civil court perspective if you have money to sue a registrar and the time to go to court for it.
Yes, that’s my point. If your local government and associated court system is completely unworkable for you (corruption, onerous fees, etc.), then some other TLD might be preferable. But a local citizen will almost always have a large advantage in a dispute with some foreign entity. Therefore, you should almost always try to get this advantage by using your local ccTLD.
That was a point, but your first point was that domains are secure sources of web identity. That's what I disagreed with. I do agree that if your civil courts are knowledgeable you at least have some defense, but domains are more rent and less property which makes them an insecure form of identity imo.
You might own your house, but if you stop paying taxes, you will, somehow, lose ownership of it. The same thing applies here.
There is no such thing as absolute property. Legal entities can confiscate and expropriate whatever they think they should, regardless of ownership. Everything is fluid and exists on sufferance. If you want absolute irrevocable control, use a darknet, like .onion.
I introduced the word rent, but I'm realizing my issue with domains as identity is that they're more analogous in my mind to property than identity.
My name and identity are mine even if I don't pay taxes. Identities aren't fully immutable but certainly not transactionally transferable. PGP, for all its flaws, is much closer to the concept of provable identity, imo.
I do understand your underlying message which is to function independently on the web you absolutely need a name you can rely on. We agree there, I just don't think the system or things that support it match the underlying needs/wants.
First, you've confused registrars and registries - registrars don't operate DNS servers for TLDs; registries do. This isn't a pedantic point; understanding the distinction is absolutely key for understanding how domain registrations work.
Second, registries (for gTLDs) have agreements with ICANN that provide legal protections for domain registrants - including protections against denying renewals or jacking up renewal pricing. You can see the agreements here: https://www.icann.org/en/registry-agreements
This is not the case with ccTLDs; each ccTLD registry can operate as arbitrarily and capriciously as they want, which is why teddyh's advice to avoid foreign ccTLDs is quite sound.
No, it absolutely isn't. Domain names are rented from a TLD registrar, someone who literally just controls a bunch of DNS servers and some automated systems that's approved by and has paid ICANN. They can reject your renewal for any reason and there's nothing you can do about it from an ICANN or court perspective. Worse, what walks in domains is money, which is why registrars can sell "premium" domains that aren't owned for exorbitant prices.
Ordering from your own country maybe ups the ante from a civil court perspective if you have money to sue a registrar and the time to go to court for it.