EURid, the registry in charge of the European Union’s .EU domain, has extended measures to prevent the registration of malicious domain names linked with the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures entered into force back in April 2020. It is common knowledge that many suspicious domain names were registered this past spring during an upsurge in COVID-19 cases.
Some of them were used for illegal purposes, such as spreading fake news, profiteering from the sale of face masks or trying to sell non-existent vaccines. In this connection, most registries and registrars introduced more thorough checks for registrants who were required to validate their data and provide a statement of good faith.
In May 2020, far fewer COVID-related domain names were registered, and it appeared during the summer that the problem had been resolved. However, the pandemic’s second wave made this matter topical yet again. According to EURid, the decision to extend these measures was made at the European Commission’s request. Security measures for the .EU domain name zone are valid until mid-October, but this deadline may later be extended once again.
The Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ has also been monitoring COVID-related .RU and .РФ domain names since March 2020.
The Center’s September monitoring survey shows that fewer COVID-related domain names dealing with efforts to contain the pandemic and the new vaccine are registered. The complete survey will be published tomorrow, on October 2. We will keep you informed.
