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Comment by adamcharnock | Hacker News Reader

Are there any avenues open for avoiding being part of the WAP? i.e. are there any registrars the WAP will not apply to?

It will gradually catch all registrars as they renew their ICANN accreditation.

ccTLD registrars do not need to be ICANN accredited (e.g. .io, .ly, .me, .to, etc...)

Though some, such as Nominet (*.uk) are bringing in not dissimilar procedures: http://www.nominet.org.uk/how-participate/policy-development...

Many ccTLD registries have stricter policies when it comes to WHOIS data, and actively audit their contact databases for dubious data, place restrictions on contact updates, or actively review registrations and contact updates to ensure that the contact data provided is valid.

.me, .co, .io, .ac, .sh, and a few others, are relatively easy-going. .us is straightforward enough too, and though there are technically restrictions on who can register .us domains, they're not really enforced all that actively by Neustar. I really like the .me registry: they're good people.

It would seem these rules apply to any registrar that gets domain names from Icann...

Registrars don't get domain names from ICANN. Registrars get domains from registries. ICANN is simply the regulatory body for registrars and registries. Registrars have to be accredited with ICANN before they can contract as registrars with registries.

How long before an DNS fork?

If you can think of a way to make an alternative DNS root take off, I'm all ears. If you can some up with a non-hierarchical alternative to DNS that (a) is as fast as DNS, (b) isn't prone to spoofing or squatting, (c) isn't riddled with security and trust issues, and (d) actually works, I'm also all ears.

Personally, I don't think it'll happen any time soon. The only successful DNS fork is North Korea's.

I agree. It won't happen any time soon. The way I see it, it will be sort of a revolution (or a slow change?), and the current system will become irrelevant. The only viable alternative that I see is a peer-based system based on peer trust, a departure from a centralized system. The same thing should happen also to the certificates and root-certifications where "trust" is traded now in exchange for money.

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