
Notice concerning .eu domains registered by UK residents - StanAngeloff
https://eurid.eu/en/register-a-eu-domain/brexit-notice/
======
uasm
Lesson learned: avoid ccTLDs. Reduce future risk by opting in for
.com/.net/.org instead.

Imagine the thousands of people using X@Y.eu as a personal email address.
Those domains will be made available for purchase soon thereafter:

> "Twelve months after the UK withdrawal, i.e. on 30 March 2020 00:00:00 CET,
> all the affected domain names will be REVOKED, and will become AVAILABLE for
> general registration. For security and stability reasons, the release of all
> affected domain names will occur in batches from the time they become
> available."

~~~
CydeWeys
I work in this industry and this is good advice. gTLDs (especially the new
gTLDs) provide way more protection to consumers. ccTLDs are essentially the
wild west and the operators have little to no restrictions on what they can
do, including taking away people's domain names.

~~~
isostatic
The .eu rules aren't changing though, they are quite clear and have been since
they started.

Brexit is all about a minority taking away other peoples rights. Blaming the
EU for this is disingenuous at best

~~~
dizzy3gg
Minority?

~~~
isostatic
17/65ths and falling

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simcop2387
I suspect Estonia is going to get a lot more e-Residents if this happens.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Residency_of_Estonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Residency_of_Estonia)

~~~
techsupporter
Registering a .eu domain even through an Estonian domain registrar (I use
zone.ee) using an Estonian e-residency ID (which I have) still requires a
presence in the EU[0] so this probably won't help UK residents.

0 - One of the proposals to expand the .eu domain is to permit any EU citizen
living anywhere on the planet to register a .eu domain but it's not gone into
effect yet.

~~~
mimixco
Estonia's e-residency website lists several companies who can provide a legal,
physical address in Estonia. Wouldn't that work for EU domain registration?

~~~
ghego1
No, one would need to incorporate a company in Estonia

~~~
mimixco
Yes, that's one of the features of e-residency. The same service providers
offer both incorporation and a physical address.

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andrewstuart
This destroys confidence in the entire domain name system, for everyone,
everywhere.

Sorry facebook but you can no longer have the facebook.com domain because blah
blah blah reasons.

~~~
CydeWeys
That's being a little bit hyperbolic. There's nothing new under the sun here
as far as ccTLDs go. There's a long history of ccTLD operators taking away
domains for reasons similar to this. It's what you're (knowingly or
unknowingly) signing up for when you register a ccTLD domain name. And yeah,
that applies to .io domains as well.

~~~
andrewstuart
>> There's a long history of ccTLD operators taking away domains for reasons
similar to this.

Any references for this? Not doubting but interested.

~~~
CydeWeys
Here's one example:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.ly#Domain_hacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.ly#Domain_hacks)

The punchline is that there's no restriction on what a ccTLD operator can do
under their namespace. They aren't governed by ICANN regulations. It's common
to restrict domains on ccTLDs to be related to entities doing business in that
country, and to require verification of such upon registration (and take it
away later if it's found to be in violation).

~~~
andrewstuart
Well it's a pity. I guess ccTLD operators who want to continue to make monet
need to behave in a way that gives as much confidence as possible.

~~~
CydeWeys
In a lot of cases making money isn't their primary goal. Most ccTLDs are run
by their respective governments, in which case the total revenue from domain
sales is insignificant compared to the national budget. Or they're run by
universities or other affiliated non-profits.

And even if they're behaving in a seemingly sane way now, they can always
change policies down the line. With gTLDs there's real contractual protection;
you have ownership rights of those domains that don't exist in the same sense
for ccTLDs.

------
treve
Personally I feel this goes against the spirit of what .eu should stand for.
Your government not having their shit together doesn't mean you can't identify
as european. They should allow anyone on the continent to own a .eu domain.

~~~
rmk2
> They should allow anyone on the continent to own a .eu domain.

Since when is the UK "on the continent"?

~~~
bigiain
Ummm, since they invented the idea of continents, pretty much?

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent#/media/File:Continen...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent#/media/File:Continental_models-
Australia.gif)

Which continent do you think the UK is on?

~~~
freehunter
Depends on who you ask:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Europe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Europe)

A popular term in the UK is "continental Europe" or "the continent" for the
mainland, whereas the islands are considered to not be "on the continent".
Continents are basically a made up structure anyway, their definition is more
by convention than geology.

~~~
bigiain
Yeah - in this context it's a pretty poorly defined term... Particularly since
the original comment could be read as either " anyone on the continent (that
geographers call Europe) ..." or " anyone on 'the continent' (where you get
continental breakfasts instead of full English breakfasts) ... "

I'd probably rather question whether the ".eu" tld means "Europe" (in which
case there's a reasonable argument to be made that UK residents should be
permitted to use it even post Brexit) or if it means "European Union" (which'd
mean the UK voted to opt out of being able to use it).

------
jpatokal
Out of curiosity, how (if at all) is the address you give when registering an
.eu domain verified? What's to stop people living in the UK from giving a
spurious EU address?

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dogma1138
Domain squatting epidemic incoming.

------
dizzy3gg
See you in hell Tusk :D

~~~
afandian
Context: [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-
politics-47143135](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47143135)

------
devmunchies
UK residents will also no longer be able to say they live in Europe. /s

Norway is still allowed to register EU domains. This seems spiteful.

~~~
gumby
> This seems spiteful.

Not at all. The statement is in fact explicit on the subject: "Subject to any
transitional arrangement that may be contained in a possible withdrawal
agreement..."

Norway has such an agreement with the EU. The UK is welcome to put such an
agreement in place as well, but appears to be opting not to. Lacking any other
agreement, after the exit date the UK will have, _at its own request_ , no
legal ties to any EU institutions so why should this one be considered any
different?

~~~
lsd5you
Yes at all. There's something unnerving about the way the remain side of the
debate all engage in this mafia boss style of low key gas lighting. Let's just
not acknowledge the fact that you cannot merely just have have certain things
easily. Suddenly rules and technicalities become extremely important to the
EU.

Something else it is reminiscent of is joining a cult such as scientology. All
reassurances and promises on the way in ... but when you try to leave... So in
some sense of course Norway has X and Y. They gained these things whilst
increasing integration with the EU.

Yes I know. Leave voters are less educated and somewhat racist statistically.

~~~
donaldihunter
Rules and technicalities are extremely important to the EU. The EU exists by
virtue of a set of treaties between the member countries. Legally binding
documents that require the EU to adhere to said rules and technicalities.

~~~
lsd5you
They allowed favored nations to flaunt fiscal rules for decades and cannot get
their accounts signed off. Plus if some rule doesn't suit then it can get
changed. It's not meaningless what you are saying but it's hardly the whole
story. In this example (I don't even particularly care personally) they could
easily grand father existing .eu domain holders. It would not threaten the
existence of the EU to do that, or undermine the integrity of the institution.
In fact it would reassure all other holders that they have bought into a
stable system.

The general EU position on rules is also deeply undemocratic in the sense that
the unlimited commitment was not properly communicated or admitted to at the
time all this was put into place.

~~~
mcv
You know which country got most of the exceptions, right? The UK. They got a
discount on their membership, they're not in Schengen, not in the Eurozone.
They got nearly everything they wanted out of the EU.

~~~
lsd5you
No, schengen was another irreversible progression that we opted out of like
the euro. The discount is because the rules so heavily favoured continental
farmers. The UK was always the 2nd biggest net contributor after Germany (and
top 5 per capita), but without the influence to match it. This is despite
being told we are 20% less productive than the french ...

What we wanted out of the EU was a consensual free trade arrangement not to
support an expansionistic political project that ultimately wants to disolve
it's constituent nations.

~~~
mcv
What do you mean: "without the influence to match it"? The UK has always been
incredibly influential in the EU. A lot of the things the EU implemented, were
things the UK wanted.

~~~
lsd5you
Well that is subjective, but traditionally the leaders have been France and
Germany and there has been an animus against the UK and its interests.

Then if you break it down, there is the question of eurosceptics. Where is
their influence? Have they ever successfully reigned in the EU or got it to
reverse anything? They are represented in the parliament but it is a
toothless/show organisation.

~~~
mcv
Well, the EU was founded specifically around France and Germany. The UK did
not want to join originally. They only joined later, and were for a long time
considered the third most important and influential member, before Italy.

