Anti-Abuse Policy Questions
1. Why did PIR issue this policy?
2. What authority does PIR have to enforce the abuse policy?
3. How will this policy affect registrants?
4. How will PIR make sure innocent registrants are protected?
5. What if PIR makes a mistake and suspends an innocent domain?
6. What procedures will PIR be using to identify abuse?
7. Will this policy deal with alleged violations of trademark or other intellectual property rights?
8. Who do I contact if I suspect a .ORG domain is being abused?
Why did PIR issue this policy?
This policy is addressing a significant potential harm to Internet users. Abuses that may be prevented include identity theft, harm to children, and an erosion of trust in the Internet by users. PIR is enforcing its terms of service to registrars to prevent abuse across the .ORG domain for the benefit of all users.
What authority does PIR have to enforce the abuse policy?
The Domain Name Anti-Abuse policy is enacted under the clear, long standing, contractual authority of PIR pursuant to Section 3.6.5 of every .ORG Registry-Registrar Agreement.
How will this policy affect registrants?
It is the goal of PIR that only those who abuse the domain system and engage in illegal or fraudulent activity will be affected by this policy. Ordinarily, there should be no change in your relationship with your registrar or the operation of your .ORG domain.
How will PIR make sure innocent registrants are protected?
PIR will take every possible step to ensure innocent registrants are protected. While security best practices prevent PIR from publicly stating how we will investigate every suspected instance of abuse, our goal is always to protect registrants. Each suspected abusive domain will be closely examined and all abuse will be verified to ensure as close to 100% accuracy as possible. In most cases, when abuse is suspected, PIR will work closely with the registrar to ensure the appropriate action is taken to resolve the abuse. If it appears a website has been "hacked or compromised" and an innocent registrant's domain is being abused, PIR will take steps to help and prevent further harm to the innocent victim. These steps may include working directly with the registrar to notify the registrant of the suspected abuse. Our goal is cooperative action for the benefit of all concerned.
What if PIR makes a mistake and suspends an innocent domain?
While PIR is taking steps to ensure a mistake does not occur, we recognize that the rare false-positive may happen. PIR will place domains suspected of abuse on hold and not immediately delete them. This should ensure that in the extremely rare case that an innocent domain is suspended, that it can quickly be corrected.
What procedures will PIR be using to identify abuse?
PIR has established a variety of methods for tracking domain abuse and for verifying that those domains which are identified are in fact being used in an abusive manner. These methods may include coordination with law enforcement, reports from security vendors, and internal investigation. Once abuse is identified, PIR may notify a registrar and provide information to assist the registrar in resolving the abusive activity. Failure by a registrar to respond to notification may result in actions taken by PIR against the individual domain. This policy does not require a registrar to take action. This policy is designed to assist the registrars by providing them with important information for the betterment of the Internet as a whole.
Will this policy deal with alleged violations of trademark or other intellectual property rights?
This policy is not a replacement for the UDRP. This policy is aimed at illegal and abusive use of domain names and is not a substitute for current remedies to resolve intellectual property disputes involving domain names and websites.
Who do I contact if I suspect a .ORG domain is being abused?
If it is your own .ORG domain name, please contact your registrar. If you suspect a .ORG domain name of abuse that you do not own, you may contact abuse(at)pir(dot)org.
Read full Anti-Abuse Policy.
