In order to standardize the Internet domain name service activities, protect the legitimate rights and interests of users, ensure the safe and reliable operation of the Internet domain name system, promote the development and application of Chinese domain names and national top-level domain names, and promote the healthy development of the Internet in China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently issued an announcement of the Administrative Measures for Internet Domain Names (Revised Draft for Comments), formally soliciting public opinions.

In the opinion draft, the responsibilities of domain name registration and service agencies were emphasized in detail, and the entire domain name management system was adjusted, mainly including the following points:

With regard to domain name management, the opinion draft proposed that the establishment of a domain name root server, a domain name root server business organization, a domain name registration authority, and a domain name registration service organization in China should obtain the corresponding permission of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology or the provincial, autonomous regional, and municipal communications administrations. At the same time, the requirements for applying for the establishment of a domain name root server and a domain name root server operating agency, a domain name registration management agency and a domain name registration service agency were elaborated in detail, strengthening the responsibility for domain name security and user personal information security protection.

As for how to apply, the draft also explained in detail that the establishment of the domain name root server, the domain name root server operation organization and the domain name registration management organization still needs to be approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, while the establishment of the domain name registration service organization is entrusted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to the communication administrations of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government for approval. In addition, the licenses of the domain name root server operators, domain name registrars and domain name registration services are valid for five years. If a domain name root server, a domain name root server business organization, a domain name registration authority, or a domain name registration service organization is set up without authorization, it shall take measures to stop it, and give a warning or impose a fine of not less than 10000 yuan but not more than 30000 yuan depending on the seriousness of the case.

In terms of domain name services, compared with the previous ones, the real name system is reaffirmed for domain name registration. The domain name registration service agency shall require the domain name registration applicant to submit true, accurate and complete identity information of the domain name holder and other domain name registration information. Domain name registrars and domain name registration services shall verify the authenticity and integrity of domain name registration information. If the domain name registration information submitted by the domain name registration applicant is inaccurate or incomplete, the domain name registration service agency shall require it to correct. If the applicant fails to correct or submit untrue domain name registration information within the time limit, the domain name registration service agency shall not provide domain name registration services for it.

In addition, the draft also requires for the first time that domain names used for network access in China should be provided by domestic domain name registration service agencies and operated and managed by domestic domain name registration management agencies. Internet access service providers shall not provide network access services for domain names not managed by domestic domain name registration service agencies. In other words, servers in China cannot host domain names registered in network solutions or GoDaddy. Taobao, Baidu, NetEase, Microsoft, Apple and other well-known companies have registered their own website domain names abroad, which are provided by overseas domain name registration service agencies. In theory, these websites will be affected and the domain name will be transferred to China.