As of 31/07/2021
History has a knack of becoming relevant over and over again. It is said that to understand the present one must first know about the past. And truly so, when it comes to the popular domain name extension .io.
As reported by Scoop, The Chagos Refugees Group UK (CRG UK) and the Crypto Currency Resolution Trust (CCRT) have filed a case against Afilias Ltd. in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Both the organizations have filed the case for the extension .io and its operations by Afilias Ltd. The reason behind this is two fold and as mentioned in the complaint also: Human Rights and Consumer Complaints.
Chagos Islands is a disputed territory between UK and Mauritius. According to UK, the archipelago comes under its British Indian Ocean Territory. However, Mauritius does not accept this and claim it for herself. The matter had even gone to the International Court of Justice, where the panel leaned towards Mauritius. However the UK is adamant upon it’s occupation. The reason behind this is Diego Garcia, an island in the archipelago which it has leased to the USA. Also, to fulfill its agreement, the UK vacated the island of it’s original inhabitants.
However the disputed territory has its own extension as .io. This extension is managed by Afilias Ltd. However the domain is majorly known for its popularity in the Crypto sector. So much that Google’s ad targeting doesn’t even treat it as a ccTLD. Also the extension has become a safe haven for a number of unlawful activities which includes Money laundering, Ponzi Schemes and Crypto Currency fraud.
So now both CRG UK and CCRT have come together to fight against the historical, economic and ethical wrong with the island group. Would it bring any change in the already troubled archipelago? Well, only time will tell so.
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