DigitalPlatFoundation
commented
1 month ago We regret to inform you that we have temporarily suspended the KYC process.
On October 16, 2024 (UTC), we received an official warning email from .KG (the parent registry of US.KG), notifying us that the US.KG domain was being used in an attack against a bank. The bank’s administrator contacted the .KG registry, requesting the immediate suspension and blocking of the US.KG domain. However, we immediately took action to block the related subdomains. The registry administrator informed us that as long as we cooperated in the effort to combat the abuse of domains for criminal purposes, they "don't take down US.KG." In response, we shut down the KYC servers immediately. Prior to this, we had already received several emails from the .KG registry, as well as numerous reports from security companies, informing us that our subdomains were being used for a range of illegal activities, including but not limited to cybercrime, hacking, bank attacks, phishing sites, and malware servers. It has been an exhausting task to continuously block malicious websites while maintaining the good reputation of our domain, and we have kept in constant communication with the .KG registry.
We understand that if things continue as they are, the US.KG domain will be at serious risk. Our mission is to provide free domains to everyone, but unfortunately, US.KG has become a target for criminal organizations using it for illegal purposes. The domain has also been added to several “dangerous site” blacklists. To get it removed from these lists, we must clean up all domains associated with criminal activity. We originally adopted a relaxed KYC process to allow everyone to easily establish an online presence, but we have since realized that many people use fake KYC information, fake identity generators, and other methods to bypass the KYC verification process, with some registering numerous accounts. We did not scrutinize these KYC submissions, and most of the documents uploaded have been deleted. However, this has made US.KG vulnerable to criminal misuse.
We have always been committed to providing free and reliable services and are proud to have served so many users with free domain names. Of course, we intend to continue doing so, but now is the time to take action against these illegal activities. Crimes not only bring harm to others but also put US.KG and its subdomains in continuous jeopardy.
Our monthly donations are minimal, with DigitalPlat Foundation receiving just a few dollars per month on average, making it difficult to maintain free domain services for such a large user base. (As a side note, US.KG’s founder, Edward, has personally donated significant funds to the project out of his own pocket.) We simply cannot afford to use third-party KYC services at this time. We do not yet have a concrete plan for updating the KYC process, but if you have any suggestions, please feel free to contact us at contact@nic.us.kg.
Despite the challenges, we are committed to continuing our service. No matter how difficult it becomes, we will not give up. We are genuinely proud to have helped so many people obtain their own free domain names. This situation has simply made us a target for cybercriminals.
Due to the workload involved, we are unsure when we will be able to resume KYC. However, if we cancel KYC, it is foreseeable that US.KG will be heavily abused, and both the US.KG domain and its subdomains will be at significant risk.
In the meantime, currently you can choose to donate $1 or more to the DigitalPlat Foundation to create and KYC a new account. This will help prevent individuals from registering large numbers of accounts for illegal purposes before the new KYC system is implemented, and ensure that those who genuinely need a domain can still register. Your donation will be entirely used to support our service operations and will be 100% allocated to non-profit purposes. All donations will be overseen by the Hack Foundation and the IRS, strictly in compliance with U.S. tax laws under the 501(c)(3) provisions. Every dollar will be invested back into the operation and maintenance of US.KG, including DNS servers, the US.KG Dashboard Server, APIs, Domain renewal, and even email services. (Once you log in, select the "Donate $1 or More for Verification" option to continue KYC verification, GitHub account required). Additionally, if you’d like to support my personal development work, you can buy me (Edward Hsing) a pizza to support my work on developing and maintaining US.KG at https://buymeacoffee.com/edwarddev.
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