14 DAY TRIAL // It didn't take long for Google's decision to drop censorship in China to be followed by others, like Google Co-founder Sergey Brin has been urging. GoDaddy, the world's biggest domain-name register, has announced that it will no longer be offering .cn domain names. The company is trying to set itself apart from Google's move, but the timing is more than coincidental.
In a hearing before the US Congressional Executive Commission on China, the company explained its decision saying that recent developments in the country had made it question its services offered there. Late last year, China introduced new legislation that requires individuals applying for a .cn domain name to provide photos and other personal details and extensive paperwork.
What's more, the government asked existing .cn domain name owners to provide the same information as well. So far, only 20 percent of those holding .cn domains through GoDaddy have provided this information and the rest are at risk of losing the domain name.
The Chinese government claims this is done to combat online 'adult content,' as it usually does when justifying its actions against Internet freedom. The obvious reason behind these requirements is China's desire for more control over what ends up on the web.
GoDaddy believes these measures go too far and it fears its customers in China are at risk because of them. As such, it will no longer be selling .cn domain names to interested parties. GoDaddy is the largest register outside China to offer .cn domains, with 27,000 registered so far. However, .cn domains are a very small part of GoDaddy's business, as the company has sold over 40 million domain names so far, thee times its nearest competitor.
Existing customers will not be affected by the decision, apart from the fact that they too have to provide identification, and GoDaddy will allow Chinese individuals to purchase any other domain names, like .com or .net. The company says its decision hasn't been influenced by Google and that it was considering the move before Google announced its own decision.