(emphasis mine)

So, does that mean that if you register a domain through Network Solutions but have it hosted somewhere else (even your own hardware), they can usurp control over the domain and put this crap out there?

Layne

This is a very bad thing. When this happens to me when I browse, it makes me do a double take and try to figure out how I goofed up the URL and ended at a squatters site.

It only applied if you are hosting on Network Solutions

ICANN is the root problem here, and in many other issues. Specifically, ICANNs complete lack oversight over registrars. This in itself would not be so bad, but coupled with ICANN's refusal to consider behavior and ethics when accrediting registrars. Incidents like this are eroding peoples faith in the current system, and if it goes on like this other countries will have a very substantial case for removing internet control from US hands.

Ultimately, internet registrars need to have a code of ethics, which they can be held to account over. Some people might call this woolly thinking. However doctors, engineers and yes, even lawyers and estate agents, have codes of practice that they are supposed to abide by and can in theory be held to account over. Registrars need only amass monopolies of scale and pay off ICANN with cold hard cash. Naturally, such a system attracts the most unscrupulous type of practices.

Only two things can break the net as it currently stands. ICANN, and the telecoms. The latter is dubious. If this mismanagement continues ICANN could literally bring about its own demise, and possibly the free internet along with it.

Exactly, fuck companies who do this. If people are using your space which you paid for to advertise their own services, the only way to truly "opt out" is to ditch them.

...since you are going to give me the ad revenues, right guys? I paid for the domain so it's my money right? What? You're not? And you practice front-running on my domain availability look ups? And you charge me 3x the national rate for registrations? Oh, wait, is your business model based on enantiodroma [wikipedia.org]? Because you're doing a very good job of making yourself extinct.

People need to realize that there's something unethical about long and complex user agreements, and stop doing business with companies that use them. A good company will provide a simple service and do it well. It won't be easy, because most companies have long and complex user agreements, but this is a shift that needs to happen eventually.

This isn't s registrar problem, it is a web hosting problem (or a DNS service problem in the case of subdomains) that happens to involve a hosting company that is also a registrar. Planting ads on 404 pages could be done by any (scummy) hosting company. Registrars that don't provide hosting can't monkey with 404 pages. The problem doesn't involve the registration of the domain name, it's the optional services (hosting/DNS) provided after registration where the problem arises, so I don't see how ICANN has anything to do with it. I'm not saying ICANN doesn't have shortcomings, I'm just saying this isn't one of them.

But this article says that if you register and host your site with NetSol, they can redirect ALL 404 errors to their spam, even for an active domain. That goes way beyond "dead subdomains".

No, what Argent is saying is that NetSol refused to transfer the domain to Tucows until he/she renewed with NetSol, paying their inflated price for the domain. This is interesting, and most likely a violation of ICANN rules since the domain was still valid.

Seriously, there should be a word limit on the amount of legalese you can agree to in a single action, or for a single service.

Bonus if we can make it legally required that every contract have a human-readable summary, similar to the Creative Commons ones. Here's their summary of the GPLv2. [creativecommons.org]

going on six years here. from before their switch from linux to microsoft and no problems either. so far.