Researchers at Australian National University call on government to regulate the .cc domain

Researchers at the Australian National University have called on the Australian government to regulate the .cc top-level domain (TLD) or reclaim control over it. The .cc domain, allocated to Australia’s Cocos Keeling Islands, but not controlled or regulated by the Australian government, was found to be among the most abused TLD for hosting child sexual abuse material. This is why the government is asked to step in and ensure the domain is no longer misused for such purposes. More specifically, the researchers believe that the Department of Infrastructure, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, and the Department of Home Affairs could intervene to hold .cc (as well as other TLD allocated to Australians territories – .cx for Christmas Island, .hm for the Heard, and McDonald Islands, .nf for Norfolk Island) to the same high standards as the .au TLD, by either regulating the domain administrators or even requesting the redelegation of the domains to auDA, the registry of .au. In reaction, the Department of Infrastructure said that the matter would need to be brought to the attention of the Cocos Keeling Islands shire council; also, if the domain is managed in violation of Australian laws, the Australian Federal Police should be notified. The current .cc registry, VeriSign, noted that it performs this role with the endorsement of the Australian government and the shire council, and that it removes domain names used for illegal purposes when notified.