Google cancels neo-Nazi site’s registration in a matter of hours
If the white supremacists at Daily Stormer thought they were going to get a warm reception from other web service providers after GoDaddy gave them the boot, they were clearly mistaken. Google says it’s cancelling the neo-Nazi website’s domain registration a mere 3 hours after it signed up. A Google spokesperson tells us that DS was “violating our terms of service.” The domain is still listed as registered with Google as of this writing, but it’s likely going to take some time before the change is reflected in public databases.
Google isn’t publicly elaborating on why it’s pulling the plug, but GoDaddy said it dropped the registration after DS posted an article attacking the character of Heather Heyer, the anti-racism protester murdered when a white supremacist rammed demonstrators with his car. The piece wasn’t shy about condoning the attack, and GoDaddy argued that the site could incite more attacks as a result. Google undoubtedly feels the same way — it doesn’t want to be associated with a site that’s effectively encouraging murder.
It’s unclear where the site will try to register next, although it’s safe to say that any major domain registration service is going to balk at the idea from now on. However, the incident does highlight one of the pitfalls of automated domain transfers like Google’s, which can switch a site over in a matter of minutes. They’re convenient for the vast majority of users, but they can be problematic when egregious offenders transfer domains with little warning.
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