GoDaddy is OK with killjulianassange.com

In my initial outrage about the death threat domain names, The other day I dented:

“Corporations aren’t human; if they were, the word would be “Sociopath” as in @GoDaddy is a sociopathic corporation”

—laurelrusswurm, identi.ca

But then I decided to follow @jwildeboer‘s fine example and fired off an email to GoDaddy. It is, after all, always good to find out the truth.

GoDaddy response

Well, seems I was right the first time.

As promised, here’s the email response from GoDaddy, verbatim:

Dear Laurel L. Russwurm,

The domain killassange.com is directing to the IP of 99.14.214.54, which is not an IP allocated to Go Daddy. According to an IP whois it is allocated to Hoosier PC SBC. Go Daddy is not hosting the content. We have neither access to, nor jurisdiction over the content on this site. The web hosting provider for this website is the company responsible for policing any content that appears on this site.

There is no content currenlty resolving on the domains killjulianassange.com and julianassangemustdie.com.

As your complaint addresses the issue of wording of the domain name itself, we are unable to take action at this time. The complaint either needs to be taken up with the domain name owner directly, or should be filed in a UDRP or court proceeding.

If you find that you are unable to contact the registrant because the contact information given in the Whois database is invalid, please write to invalidwhois@secureserver.net and let us know.

Regards,

Spam and Abuse Department
GoDaddy.com
ARID1005

GoDaddy is off the hook for killassange.com because it isn’t one of theirs.

And without content, julianassangemustdie.com could argued to be ambiguous; after all, barring immortality, we all must die sooner or later.

But there is no ambiguity about:

killjulianassange.com

‘Kill Julian Assange’ is a three word grouping that is short, sharp and to the point.

Whatever anyone thinks of the man, Julian Assange is a real person.

A human being.

Prefacing the proper name of a real person with the verb “kill” is most certainly a death threat.

Or at the least, a directive.

Of course, I am not a lawyer. And as a Canadian, I’m not sure if death threats are protected by free speech or qualify as a crime south of the border.

GoDaddy thinks it isn’t an issue.

Does that mean GoDaddy would issue a killpresidentobama.com or a killsarahpalin.com domain name?

Just asking.

Death Threat Domain Names

http://julianassangemustdie.com/

---

 

emailed to: abuse@godaddy.com

Tuesday, 11 January, 2011

Dear GoDaddy:

I was very disturbed to discover some very offensive death threat domain names that are in currently in use through your service.

julianassangemustdie.com

is hosted by

GoDaddy

I’ve also been told the same is true for

killjulianassange.com

and

killassange.com

If this isn’t a clear violation of your terms of use it should be.
I want very much to see these terrible websites to be removed.

Please let me know the outcome of this terrible situation as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Regards,

Laurel L. Russwurm

---

[Thanks @jwildeboer & @evgenymorozov]

The disturbed young woman who registered the julianassangemustdie.com domain name is Melissa Clouthier (@MelissaTweets) acording to her Twitter Profile:

 

Frazzled mom, alternative health doc, conservative libertarian blogger, columnist, podcaster, radio host, iPhone & Mac lover, fantasy reading geek, #TCOT”

As a mother myself, I have difficulty understanding a mind set that would allow a mother to advocate killing anyone. Is this not also a criminal offense?

Is this woman a socipath? Or is it that she just lacks any shred of empathy?

Or perhaps Ms. Clouthier lacks the imagination to realize that Julian Assange has a mother too?

Sadly, it’s beginning to look as thought there’s a whole culture that thinks advocating the assassination of people who disagree with you acceptable.

Incredibly, the most bizarre thing is that @MelissaTweets believes herself to be a “libertarian”.

Libertarianism is the advocacy of individual liberty, especially freedom of thought and action.[1] Philosopher Roderick T. Long defines libertarianism as “any political position that advocates a radical redistribution of power [either “total or merely substantial”] from the coercive state to voluntary associations of free individuals”, whether “voluntary association” takes the form of the free market or of communal co-operatives.[2] David Boaz, libertarian writer and vice president of the Cato Institute, writes that, “Libertarianism is the view that each person has the right to live his life in any way he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others” and that, “Libertarians defend each person’s right to life, liberty, and property–rights that people have naturally, before governments are created.”[3]

— Libertarianism, WikiPedia

killassange.com redircects to: http://99.14.214.54/ka/