Among the many domain name registries in the world, the industry norm is to allow an applicant to register domain names online. Traditionally, registries trust that the applicant has provided accurate and complete registration details such as his identity and contact information. Unfortunately, some applicants abuse this trust and engage in identity theft or provide fake information. Such fake registrations can potentially harm the Internet community. They are often pre-cursors to using the domain names in malicious ways (such as malware distribution, phishing or scams) or any act of misconduct. In addition, in cases of identity theft, the victimised party whose identity has been stolen often suffer the inconvenience and distress of having to prove his innocence.
As Internet applications continue to grow, so does the possibility for abuses in domain names. As more people rely on the Internet for work and leisure, identity theft and fake identity is a growing concern among domain name registries globally.
An effective way of preventing identity theft and fake identity is to require the applicant of a domain name to provide paper-based documentary proof, such as the company registration certificate and personal identity documents before accepting the domain name application; This is a time-consuming process. Not only will it slow down registrations but also creates inconvenience for registrants and registrars. A convenient and highly accessible way is to allow verification to take place online for most of the registrations.
SGNIC registration system is able to leverage on Singapore’s National Digital Identity (NDI) i.e. Singpass and Corppass to know the identity of the administrative contact of the domain name. The administrative contact can verify the identity and contact information of the registrant and be contacted by SGNIC in its investigations into any inaccurate or false information about the registrant.