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kottke.org posts about SOPA

The internet’s Go Daddy issues

Earlier on Twitter I posted:

Seeing who still has domains to transfer away from Go Daddy is the internet’s walk of shame.

Several people asked what the problem was with Go Daddy, so here goes. (Note: I’ve never used Go Daddy for anything…just passing along information here.) Go Daddy is a domain registrar and also sells web hosting, simple web sites, and a bunch of other stuff. Some don’t like Go Daddy for the following reasons:

The sexist advertising. The company uses scantily clad women to sell domain names and whatnot.

Go Daddy’s founder, Bob Parsons, goes to Africa every year to kill elephants who he says are ruining crops. Others say he’s a rich idiot American who likes shooting elephants for fun.

Most recently, Go Daddy came out in support of SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, which will give copyright holders greater latitude in shutting down web sites accused of infringement. Opponents of the bill say that it can be used to shut down entire swaths of the web (YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.) due to potentially infringing material. Here’s a post that lays out why SOPA is bad for the internet.

You can read about these and other complaints against the company on Wikipedia. If any or all of these reasons resonate with you, here’s a step-by-step guide for migrating your domains away from Go Daddy.

Update: A couple other reasons you might want to avoid Go Daddy:

In 2005, founder Bob Parsons suggested that the interrogation methods at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp weren’t that bad compared to methods in the Middle East. (via @dtetto)

Several people suggested that the number one reason not to use Go Daddy is the bad web site and poor customer service.

Update: According to Boing Boing, Go Daddy has withdrawn their support for SOPA. (via @joffley)