.name Termination(neil.fraser.name)
2214 points by pavel_lishin 7 days ago | 538 comments
tl;dr: Verisign proposed and ICANN approved the termination of all 3rd-level .name domains, effective February 2026, affecting roughly 22,000 registrants including the author, who has used neil.fraser.name for nearly 25 years. Beyond losing websites and email, the shutdown creates a serious security risk: if the freed 2nd-level domains (e.g., fraser.name) get registered by others, they could hijack accounts, code signing, and IoT devices tied to the original addresses.
HN Discussion:
  • Proposes a compromise: stop new registrations but honor and reserve existing ones to prevent hijacking
  • ICANN is violating its own mission of stability and security by approving this
  • Clarifies the scope — only 3rd-level domains affected, not all .name domains
  • ~Highlights broader architectural lesson: don't tie identity/security to leased domain names
  • For-profit entities like Verisign will never act in public interest; expecting otherwise is naive