1---
 2template:
 3title: Save .ORG!
 4subtitle: PIR is getting sold to a private firm, and here's why it's bad
 5date: 2019-11-23
 6---
 7
 8The .ORG top-level domain introduced in 1985, has been operated by the
 9[Public Interest Registry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Interest_Registry) since
102003. The .ORG TLD is used primarily by communities, free and open source projects, 
11and other non-profit organizations---although the use of the TLD isn't
12restricted to non-profits.
13
14The Internet Society or ISOC, the group that created the PIR, has
15decided to sell the registry over to a private equity firm---Ethos
16Capital.
17
18## What's the problem?
19
20There are around 10 million .ORG TLDs registered, and a good portion of
21them are non-profits and non-governmental organizations. As the name
22suggests, they don't earn any profits and all their operations rely on
23a thin inflow of donations. A private firm having control of the .ORG
24domain gives them the power to make decisions that would be unfavourable
25to the .ORG community:
26
27- They control the registration/renewal fees of the TLD. They can
28hike the price if they wish to. As is stands, NGOs already earn very
29little---a .ORG price hike would put them in a very icky situation.
30
31- They can introduce [Rights Protection
32Mechanisms](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/rpm-drp-2017-10-04-en)
33or RPMs, which are essentially legal statements that can---if not
34correctly developed---jeopardize / censor completely legal non-profit
35activities.
36
37- Lastly, they can suspend domains at the whim of state actors. It isn't
38news that nation states go after NGOs, targetting them with allegations
39of illegal activity. The registry being a private firm only simplifies
40the process.
41
42Sure, these are just "what ifs" and speculations, but the risk is real.
43Such power can be abused and this would be severly detrimental to NGOs
44globally.
45
46## How can I help?
47
48We need to get the ISOC to **stop the sale**. Head over to
49https://savedotorg.org and sign their letter. An email is sent on your
50behalf to:
51
52* Andrew Sullivan, CEO, ISOC
53* Jon Nevett, CEO, PIR
54* Maarten Botterman, Board Chair, ICANN
55* Göran Marby, CEO, ICANN
56
57## Closing thoughts
58
59The Internet that we all love and care for is slowly being subsumed by
60megacorps and private firms, who's only motive is to make a profit. The
61Internet was meant to be free, and we'd better act now if we want that
62freedom. The future looks bleak---I hope we aren't too late.