Cocos Island Domain Names Approved for Illegal Gambling Sites

ACMA Approves Domain Names Linked to Illegal Online Gambling Services

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has approved several domain names registered under the .cc suffix, which are believed to be linked to illegal online gambling services. Despite this, no investigations have been conducted by ACMA in the past two years.

Lack of Action from Regulator

According to sources close to the matter, ACMA has not investigated any Cocos- or Christmas Island-registered sites since their original investigations. A spokesperson for the authority stated that they review information received, including complaints about illegal gambling services being provided to Australians, but no complaints have been made in the past two years.

The .cc Domain Suffix

The .cc domain suffix was marketed as “the next .com” in the 1990s and 2000s by American tech entrepreneur Brian Cartmell. However, many of these sites are based on servers in North America or Europe, and their owners may not even be aware that .cc is an internet country code.

Experts Call for Action

Experts say that the Cocos Islands Shire should be aware of its obligations under Australian law to prevent illegal activities on its domain registry. “Cocos Islands Shire should know full well that they can’t facilitate what amounts to an unlawful activity,” said Charles Livingstone, associate professor at Monash University who specialises in gambling policy.

Verisign’s Role

Verisign, the company that runs the Cocos registry on behalf of the shire, claimed that it only provides infrastructure for websites and does not have control over how domain names are used. However, experts argue that they can shut down domains that break national law or contractual conditions.

Digital Colonisation?

Pär Brumark, a delegate from the Pacific microstate of Niue, described the situation as “digital colonisation” and argued that Verisign’s lack of action is likely motivated by financial interests.

Memorandum of Understanding

The Cocos Islands Shire claimed that their memorandum of understanding with Verisign requires the company to operate in strict accordance with Australian laws. However, it remains unclear if this arrangement provides fair compensation for the revenue generated by the .cc registry.

Call for Stronger Regulation

ACMA has been criticized for its lack of proactive action against illegal online gambling sites. “It is patently ridiculous that the regulator is not responding proactively to these dodgy online gambling sites,” said Andrew Wilkie, a former Australian MP.

The issue highlights the need for stronger regulation and oversight of internet domains to prevent illegal activities.