Head of the Biblical Archaeology Society Robert Cargill has harshly criticized the new .BIBLE generic top-level domain (gTLD), which ICANN delegated to the American Bible Society, for its restrictive registration policies.
Under its rules, registrants can’t use a .BIBLE domain to “encourage or contribute to disrespect for the Bible or the Bible community”, with ABS determining what constitutes disrespect.
Cargill says this formula can be applied to almost any research on Biblical subjects. “No one ‘owns’ the Bible, and no one should have to submit to the American Bible Society’s ill-conceived holiness code in order to register a .BIBLE domain name,” he wrote, adding that .BIBLE is on its way to becoming “the internet’s equivalent of televangelism.”
The archaeologist also criticized ICANN for allowing ABS to introduce such strange conditions, Domain Incite reports.
It is not the first time concerns have been aired about .BIBLE policy. The Society of Biblical Literature criticized the way the American Bible Society is running its .BIBLE domain name. Following a scandal earlier this year and complaints from the influential Anti-Defamation League, ABS has revised its original policy to permit Jewish people to register names.
