New domain name .ngo would be for charities only

[Milton L Mueller]

What does this domain do that .org doesn't? 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Non-Commercial User Constituency [mailto:NCUC-
> DISCUSS at LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Rebecca MacKinnon
> Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 6:02 AM
> To: NCUC-DISCUSS at LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> Subject: [NCUC-DISCUSS] New domain name .ngo would be for charities only
> 
> FYI, see article below. After the London consultation, Abraxas
> Partners and Verisign held an invitation-only seminar for people in
> the NGO sector who might want to consider applying to run a new gTLD.
> They also appear to be helping Article 25 to set up a new .ngo domain.
> Some of their materials - in PDF and PPT - attached. Not sure if this
> list-serv does attachments to copying to Robin for further forwarding.
> 
> Best,
> Rebecca
> 
> -----
> 
> http://thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/922487/New-domain-name-ngo-
> charities/
> 
> New domain name .ngo would be for charities only
> 
> By Kaye Wiggins, Third Sector Online, 23 July 2009
> 
> Human rights charity Article 25 proposes internet scheme to be funded
> by philanthropists
> 
> Human rights charity Article 25 has proposed a consortium of charities
> to run a new internet domain name that would be available only to
> not-for-profit groups.
> 
> The charity wants the proposed consortium to raise $185,000 (£112,000)
> and bid for a .ngo domain because it says the .org address is open to
> abuse by fraudulent groups.
> 
> Its suggestion follows an announcement from internet regulatory body
> Icann that from 2010 onwards any organisation will be allowed to bid
> to run new internet domains.
> 
> Victoria Harris, chief executive of Article 25, toldThird Sector
> Online her organisation wanted to put together a consortium of
> charities that would ask philanthropists and corporate firms for
> funding to bid for and run the new domain.
> 
> "Lack of regulation has meant that commercial entities, individuals
> and even professional criminals have been able to register websites
> with .org suffixes quite legally, with no check on their identities or
> intentions," she said.
> 
> "In order to have a web address ending in .ngo, a group would have to
> prove to the consortium that it was a genuine charity. Once consumers
> realise that legitimate charitable organisations are regulated by the
> .ngo domain name, the battle against fraud will start to be won."
> 
> Article 25 will hold meetings with interested charities and umbrella
> groups to discuss a framework for the scheme over the next few months.
> 
> --
> Rebecca MacKinnon
> Open Society Fellow | Co-founder, GlobalVoicesOnline.org
> Assistant Professor, Journalism & Media Studies Centre, University of Hong
> Kong
> 
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