India’s crackdown on fake websites has sparked concerns among domain sellers, with the world’s biggest internet domain seller, GoDaddy, warning that the measures could make the internet less safe for legitimate businesses and have global ramifications.

Background

Soaring smartphone and internet use in India has led to a worsening problem of online fraud, with the government receiving 2.4 million complaints of alleged cyber fraud amounting to $2.4 billion last year. In response, an Indian court has ordered domain sellers to stop offering free privacy protection by default and to release buyer’s details to anyone with a “legitimate interest” within 72 hours.

GoDaddy has challenged the directives, arguing that they will affect legitimate businesses that have names similar to big brands and will result in public disclosure of name, address, telephone, and email of legitimate website owners, exposing them to “foreseeable privacy and security risks” such as stalking and harassment.

Implications

The court’s order has sparked concerns among domain sellers, with GoDaddy warning that the measures could force domain name companies to “exit India”. The company has also argued that the directives are “commercially destabilising” and will act like “blanket injunctions” which are difficult to implement.

Experts have also criticised the New Delhi ruling, noting that Europe redacts such details because publishing them had been abused by harassment and targeted phishing. The Indian government has not responded to requests for comment on the matter.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.