Nominet, the UK registry, has announced that if a .UK domain name is identified as being used for criminal activity Nominet will provide notice to the registrar and the registrant, and then suspend the domain name. Once the domain name is suspended, a DNS query will result in an NX response code.
Nominet advise:
- During the first phase of the pilot project, only domains used for criminal activity that are referred to Nominet by PIPCU will be redirected. In 2021 Nominet will extend the pilot to include the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Registrars will be updated in advance of this taking place. On conclusion of the pilot Nominet will assess the impact and report publicly on next steps
- Domains that are redirected to landing pages will not be removed from the DNS. Instead, Nominet will place investigation locks on the domains, and update the nameserver information so that the domain resolves to the landing page. There will be no NX response for these redirected domains
- If upon receiving the redirection notification a registrar suspends the domain immediately, Nominet will redirect the domain name at the end of the notice period. To enable this, the domain name will be returned to the DNS with new nameserver information and have an investigation lock applied
- All other domains used for criminal activity brought to Nominet’s attention by the law enforcement agencies listed in our Criminal Practices Policy will continue to be dealt with in the same manner as they are currently.
If you have any questions then please contact Nominet direct on +44 (0)1865 332233 / [email protected].