Wikipedia transferred its domains from Go Daddy in response to SOPA
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — A few weeks after being named CEO of web hosting provider and domain registrar Go Daddy, Warren Adelman has had to address customers concerns on its stance on the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, a bill pending in congress that could change innovation online.
On December 23, Go Daddy retracted its support of the bill, and Adelman said in a statement that it would only support it “when and if the Internet community supports it.” The Internet community, and more specifically web hosts and service providers, have been very vocal about their opposition to SOPA and the Protect IP Act, even forming the Save Hosting coalition to raise awareness about how it would impact the industry. The coalition recently solicited 300 signatures on a letter to the US House Judiciary Committee in opposition to SOPA, and submitted a letter with 275 signatures in opposition to sister bill PIPA. Save Hosting hopes to foster communication between the Internet infrastructure industry and the legislators responsible for passing bills.
In an interview with Mashable, Adelman says that its customers reaction, as well as the stance by tech leaders, was the main factor in its retraction.
“To be honest, this company built its whole business around a core value of customer before everything else,” Adelman told Mashable on Friday.
Though it is unclear exactly how many domains were transferred from Go Daddy in light of the controversy, a report by The Next Web says about 22,000 domains were transferred on Friday. On Thursday, about 15,000 domains were transferred. For a company that manages 51 million domain names, this is a small portion, however it does illustrate the type of impact a small vocal minority of customers can have.
Wikipedia announced it would transfer its domains from the registrar on Friday, and in addition to transferring its domains, link sharing community Reddit has compiled a list of SOPA supporters, and proposed plans for a boycott day on December 29 to transfer domains from Go Daddy. A new website, ByeDaddy.org, has formed to allow visitors to check to see which domains have been transferred.
The WHIR interviewed Adelman in December about the Go Daddy acquisition and he shared his thoughts on whether the Go Daddy culture would be compromised in the acquisition. In the interview, he also stressed the fact that the customer is number one.
About Nicole Henderson
Nicole Henderson writes full-time for the Web Host Industry Review where she covers daily news and features online, as well as in print. She has a bachelor of journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto, and has been writing for the WHIR since September 2010. You can find her on Twitter @NicoleHenderson.
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