Paul Vixie wrote:
... shouldn't they get to decide this for themselves?
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Verisign has created a business out of fooling software through failure to return a 'no such domain' indication when there is no such domain, in breach of their public trust. As much as Verisign was obligated not to do this, others are obligated not to propogate the breakage. ISPs operate DNS servers for their customers just as Verisign operates the COM and NET domains for the public.
the obligations you're speaking of are much less clear than you're saying.
In my eyes that is the whole issue. I believe that Verisign is holding the zones for the public internet and that they do have obligations to the public. Verisign does not. Without the "for the public" justification, there is absolutely no moral ground for IANA,ICANN and Verisign to maintain this three way stranglehold on the contents/structure of the DNS system for the entire world population.