RuNet plans to tighten domain registration rules

The coordination center for the Russian .RU domain plans to tighten the registration procedure. Starting April 1, registering a new website in this domain zone will require a copy of a passport or a legal entity registration document.

This measure, according to representatives of the Coordination Center, will help combat online fraud, particularly pornographic websites, as well as spam resources, hacker sites, and fraudulent web projects.

Olga Ermakova, Information Projects Manager at the Coordination Center, emphasized that these measures will bring Russian domain registration rules into line with international methodology and practice. Russia is the second country after China to require a document for domain name registration.

The requirement to provide documents upon domain registration was introduced back in October. Owners of previously registered websites were required to provide their documents by April 1, 2010. If they failed to do so within this time, their domain delegation could be suspended.