Did Verisign Just Blink?

LOS ANGELES—Verisign has withdrawn its two-day-old proposal to institute a new anti-abuse policy that would have included taking down websites accused of malicious activity through a request mechanism that included no court review. ICANN's Registry Services Evaluation Process page indicates that the proposal by Verisign has been withdrawn. The formal request to ICANN seeking the expanded powers, though ostensibly made by the .com, .net and .names registry so that it will be aligned with updated regulations promulgated by ICANN for the new gTLDs anticipated to be rolled out over the next few years, was criticized immediately by the EFF and the ACLU, as well as registrars. The plan was also vague. "Although the goal of the policy was certainly noble," stated Domain Name Wire,"VeriSign’s request to ICANN lacked important details." The attempt to bypass due process was quite clear, however.