The company that controls the dot-org online universe is putting the registry of domain names up for sale, and the nonprofits that often use the suffix in their websites are raising concerns about the move.
Nonprofit organizations and some tech activists plan to protest Friday outside the Los Angeles headquarters of the regulatory body for domain names where its board is meeting to discuss plans by private-equity firm Ethos Capital to buy the Public Interest Registry for $1.1 billion.
Opponents are concerned the cost of registering a dot-org website will skyrocket, and they worry about the potential loss of freedoms of speech and expression if the registry is in the wrong hands.
Ethos Capital and the Internet Society, which runs the registry now, said those concerns are misplaced and the sale is being misunderstood.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Amy Sample-Ward, CEO of NTEN, a nonprofit focused on promoting the use of technology for nonprofits; she tweets
Cara Gagliano, staff attorney for Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights organization
Andrew Sullivan, CEO of the Internet Society, a nonprofit that works on internet-related standards and policy; the organization currently runs the dot-org registry; he tweets