The U.S. warns that China's domain registration policy might break the Internet. (Photo : Getty Images)
The United States is worried that China’s new Internet rules on the registration of domain names might “fragment” the Internet and limit its ability to serve as a global platform for communication, creativity and commerce.
According to The Register, U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information Larry Strickling and State Department Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda warned against China's amendments to the "Chinese Measures for the Administration of Internet Domain Names."
Warning on the New Rule
According to a previous report from the outlet, China's new rule on domain names is similar to Facebook's "real name policy" as it requires businesses registering their website names to use the real name of their companies.
They also need to acquire licenses from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which will require them to undergo personal information verification under the ministry's "TLD management system."
In a letter posted on the official website of the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Strickling and Sepulveda said that China's decision to require all domain names to be registered through government-licensed providers in the country can be detrimental to the Internet.
According to them, it "runs contrary to China's stated commitments toward global Internet governance processes as well as its stated goals for economic reform."
"The regulations appear to create a barrier to access and force localization of data and domestic registration of domain names," they added.
Furthermore, the two U.S. officials noted that whatever China's motivation behind the move was, it does not change the fact that the new policies will not be beneficial to the Internet and its global users.
"Whether driven by a motivation to increase control over Internet content in China or a desire to increase the quantity of Chinese-registered domain names, these regulations would contravene policies that have been established already at the global level by all Internet stakeholders (including Chinese)," they stated.
Widespread Impact
They also warned the public of the implications of the new rules, per interpretations "by some" that implies "all websites with domain names registered outside China will be blocked, thereby cutting off Chinese Internet users from the global Internet."
The approach will "contravene, undermine, and conflict" with other current policies that cover top level domains from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), they said.
They also strongly warned against the possible impact of the policies on a global scale.
"By creating its own rules for domain name management, China is threatening to fragment the Internet, which would limit the Internet's ability to operate as a global platform for human communication, commerce and creativity," the letter stated.
