I came across a user mentioning the .irish TLD is owned by American capitalists, but that’s only the tip of this iceberg. Since I went down this road of “who is my TLD operator” already, here’s a brief introduction to the Identity Digital / Donuts empire.
Using a country, region or populace is a valid objection to ICANN. The outdoor brand Patagonia wanted .patagonia, but Argentina filed an objection and the brand withdrew their application.
I don’t see a single objection to .irish in the 2014 public comments, which is unfortunate. But a lot of sketchy and questionable things snuck through back then—.zip anyone?
A corporation shouldn’t own a nationality or diaspora TLD.
Where was the ICANN’s GAC (Governmental Advisory Committee)? Well..
Identity Digital, who now operates .irish, is a mess of companies, ironically originally founded in Ireland in 1999, now “operating” in Bellevue, WA, US. It was acquired by Afilias (who then owned irish) and later Donuts. All backed by American PE, Ethos Capital. If that PE firm sounds familiar, they tried to gain private control of .org for $1B in 2021.
And the CEO of this PE firm? Here’s a screenshot of his own LinkedIn, where he was previously ICANN’s President.
Your TLD owner and operator matter. The political control and financial damage a misaligned corporation can inflict is worrisome. My best recommendation is to pursue well governed and protected ccTLDs. Or a non-profit with an aligned mission statement, like .meow.
