.kz domain

I just found this blog post concerning the .kz domain. The Government of Kazakhstan wants to restrict the geographic location of the .kz domain. The new rules would require that two DNS servers servicing the .kz domain as well as the webserver hosting the .kz domain be physically located in Kazakhstan. (An FAQ on nic.kz says one can regsiter a domain and not be located in Kazakhstan, it doesn’t mention hosting though.) As the blog entry suggests this could have consequences for sites that the government does not approve of.

Kazakhstan is the only country I’ve seen that filters (or has filtered) websites with its own ccTLD. (See http://www.blokada.org/en.php and as well as RSF) Starting back in 1999 Kazakh ISP began filtering websites, explaining that the websites were inaccessible for permanent “technical reasons“.

KazNIC currently operates the ccTLD and has specific rules and a dispute policy for revoking domains. In one case, KazNIC revoked the domain names of an opposition group after a court ruling. It appears to be a case about copyright infringement. (Interestingly, it seems that the domain was temorarily transfered to a new owner, but the domain is not (at least in WHOIS) back to its original owner. )

December 1st 2005 DNS, Internet Censorship, Uncategorized