The Hidden Cost of Centralization: A Cautionary Tale from the World of Domains
Tags: domains, icann, blockchain
Published: 2023-08-04 17:45:37

In our modern digital era, domain names are our real estate, the cornerstones of our online identity and our business's digital presence. As our reliance on digital platforms grows, we become more creative, adopting unique and eye-catching domain names like emoji domains. These emoji domains were a fresh, fun twist on the traditional digital address format. Unfortunately, as some of us recently discovered, there's a cost to being too innovative in this arena.

### A Journey Through Emoji Domains

Emoji domains, a captivating innovation in the digital world, are domain names containing one or more emojis, e.g., 😉.ga. They became a unique and vibrant way to mark our online presence. However, they're under the jurisdiction of centralized authorities like ICANN and regional domain registries. My recent experience highlighted the pitfalls of this centralization.

I acquired several emoji domains through Subreg.cz, hosted on the GA TLD. They were a proud digital asset for me due to their rarity and uniqueness. But things started to unravel when I noticed some services hosted on these domains were failing. Further investigation revealed that Cloudflare was delisting them.

### Unforeseen Complications

To make matters worse, the domain records themselves began to disappear, even though they were paid and active. I reached out to Subreg.cz to shed light on this mysterious occurrence. After a lengthy back and forth, the shocking truth was unveiled: the registry of GA domains was changing their rules and delisting all emoji domains.

The entire episode resulted in sudden, unannounced deletion of the domains I owned and loss of services hosted on them. It was as if the rug had been pulled out from under me. Even worse, Subreg.cz provided no notification or refund. The company, in essence, shirked responsibility, citing that the actual issue was with Freenom, the previous GA domains operator.

### The Fallout

The implications of this abrupt delisting were severe:
- All services hosted on the emoji GA domains were down and exposed to potential security breaches.
- The money paid to keep the domains registered was lost.
- Valuable time and resources were wasted in addressing the issue.
- There were no refunds or notifications from the registrar or the registry.
- Lastly, the damage to the digital infrastructure was substantial.

As a result of this debacle, my decision is clear: I will steer clear of GA domains and let go of emoji domains altogether.

### The Need for Decentralization

This incident serves as a stark reminder that the future of domains should ideally not be tied to the ICANN or similar centralized bodies. The arbitrariness of their decisions and lack of transparency or responsibility can have significant consequences for individuals and businesses alike.

That's why we should start considering alternatives, such as decentralized domains hosted on Blockchain. While onion domains can also serve as an alternative, their practical application remains limited. Blockchain domains, on the other hand, are immune to the whims of centralized authorities and offer greater security and control over our digital assets.

In conclusion, as we continue to navigate our digital future, it's crucial to critically evaluate the platforms and systems we use. We should advocate for and support decentralized, transparent, and user-friendly domain systems that empower rather than disenfranchise us. The stakes are too high to leave our digital presence in the hands of unreliable centralized entities.

Blockchain-based domains exemplify this by ensuring that your digital identity remains immune to external disruptions, such as arbitrary changes in domain registry rules. Just like our DNA, these domains are immutably tied to us, unalterable by external forces, ensuring that your digital "self" stays intact and inviolable.

The incident I experienced serves as a stark reminder that the digital components of our identity are not just ornamental but are integral and as real as our physical selves. The current systems, under centralized control, lack the ability to recognize and respect this new facet of our identity. It's as if our digital self is under constant attack, not just from cyber threats, but also from the authorities supposed to protect it.

This forces us to think in new directions, to consider how we might enable a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) environment. DAOs, built on blockchain technology, can provide the level of security, autonomy, and respect that our digital identities deserve.

As we march towards an increasingly digital future, it's important to remember that our digital selves are not mere extensions of us; they are us. We must not shy away from striving to protect and nurture them in the same way we would our physical selves.

We're in an era of a new type of revolution: an identity revolution. By embracing blockchain technology and DAOs, we have a real opportunity to redefine and reclaim our digital identities, paving the way for a more secure, autonomous, and equitable digital future.