The world’s biggest seller of website addresses says a court order in India could make the internet less safe. GoDaddy is fighting new rules meant to stop fake sites impersonating famous brands. It warns the cure could expose millions of legitimate site owners, and not only in India.
The order came from the Delhi High Court. In December, the court blocked more than 1,100 websites posing as well-known companies. Then a judge went further, issuing sweeping measures that tech experts say rewrite how the internet is governed. GoDaddy has challenged them before a larger bench, according to non-public filings reviewed by Reuters, which broke the story.
Three changes stand out. Domain sellers can no longer offer free privacy protection by default. They must hand a buyer’s contact details to anyone with a “legitimate interest” within 72 hours. And the rules bar any address that merely varies a protected brand name.
A privacy fight with a European echo
GoDaddy’s core objection is about privacy. Strip out privacy-by-default, it argues, and the name, address, phone number and email of ordinary site owners go public. That exposes them to “foreseeable privacy and security risks” such as stalking and harassment.
