.io domains considered harmful
2022-11-14

            .io
          .io  .io
         .io  .io .io
   .io  .io  .io .io .io
   you see .io everywhere.
       but where did it come from?

.io domains are very popular in tech circles.

i personally think it's because "io" sounds kind of fun to say at the end of
words. it's easy to imagine saying things like KEYBOARDIO, and PRODUCTIO!
FANTASTIO!

but also, .io is very startup. it's very silicon valley. it's agile. grokio.
twilio. hot. fast. factorio. graphio. it's sexy.  wingardium. levio. sah.

          _
      /b_,dM\__,_
    _/MMMMMMMMMMMm,
   _YMMMMMMMMMMMM(
  `MMMMMM/   /   \
   MMM|  __  / __/      _____________
   YMM/_/# \__/# \    (               )
   (.   \__/  \__/  ( .io is web scale )
     )       _,  |    (_______________)
_____/\     _   /  -------/ 
    \  `._____,'
     `..___(__
              ``-.
                  \
              [0]  )

also - apparently this is important - the letters "i" and "o" together have
some amount of precedent as input/output in computer lingo.

maybe seeing those letters together lends subconscious "tech cred." the
whole input/output thing never really occured to me tbh.

but what people may not know is that the .io domain name has an annoying
history.

a history filled with lies. and deception. and WAR. and a selfish british
guy
        called paul


                   ~ jes's .io domain name facts ~

~ .io is the official domain of "the british indian ocean territory"

~ why .io instead of .tbiot?

  i would have guessed because .tbiot sounds _fucking awful_.
  but it turns out the two-character "io" comes from a country code
  standard called iso-3166[1] who knew?!

~ but wait, isn't the indian ocean more than just the british territories?

  * yes, a lot more. so much more. the indian ocean is really big.

~ so what, the domain is bad because it funnels money into bri'ish pockets?

  welllll, not exactly....................................but yes

~ british colonialism?

  not exactly. but also yes

~ wait wait hold up jes, this isn't facts about the io domain at all - it
  seems like you're just asking random questions to yoursel-

  this is my blog and i'll do what i want god damni-


                ~~~ a brief history of the io domain ~~~

1997: the .io domain was delegated by IANA (the internet domain police) to
      paul kane: a "proper" british "bloke" who wanted to "make euros" from
      "the internet"*.

  * paul kane named his company "internet computer bureau" or "ICB"
    if IANA is the internet domain police, maybe paul wanted to be the
    internet domain FBI?

2014: paul kane claims that "each of the overseas territories has an account and
      the funds are deposited there because obviously the territories have
      expenses that they incur and it’s offsetting that."

  * which seems charitable, until:

2014: the UK government responds with "There is no agreement between the UK
      government and ICB regarding the administration of the .io domain"

  * despite paul's claims, all .io proceeds likely flowed directly into ICB

             ⠟⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠛⢻⣿
             ⡆⠊⠈⣿⢿⡟⠛⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣎⠈⠻
             ⣷⣠⠁⢀⠰⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠋⠛⠛⠿⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⢹⣿⡑⠐⢰
             ⣿⣿⠀⠁⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⡩⠐⠀⠀⠀⠀⢐⠠⠈⠊⣿⣿⣿⡇⠘⠁⢀⠆⢀
    noooooo  ⣿⣿⣆⠀⠀⢤⣿⣿⡿⠃⠈⠀⣠⣶⣿⣿⣷⣦⡀⠀⠀⠈⢿⣿⣇⡆⠀⠀⣠⣾
    ooo      ⣿⣿⣿⣧⣦⣿⣿⣿⡏⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⠀⠐⣿⣿⣷⣦⣷⣿⣿
    paul     ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⢰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
    whyyy D: ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⣾⣿⣿⠋⠁⠀⠉⠻⣿⣿⣧⠀⠠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
             ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡀⣿⡿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⢿⣿⠀⣺⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
             ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⣠⣂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣁⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
             ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣄⣤⣤⣔⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿

2017: paul sells ICB to afilias for $70 million

  * naturally, this frees up all of paul's time that he has been spending
    (checks notes) working^Wowning domain names and lying about charity.
       neat

2019: ethos capital is formed in order to buy the .org TLD

  * they raised a BILLION dollars to buy .org

  * they failed 😄

2020: afilias is acquired by donuts (a company, not a food)

  * donuts owns a bunch of non-traditional domain names, so acquiring .io
    was probably a huge factor in this purchase

2021: a very sexually frustrated ethos capital buys donuts and afilias

  * and merges them into "identity digital"


               recap.
  ethos capital was formed
      to raise money
         to buy and profit from the .org domain
  which has historically been not-for-profit
      and had a price ceiling
         but they were stopped 🥳
  but they got pissed and bought some other domains 😠
      and now, ethos capital owns .io

  neat.


                    🍩 donut break 🍩

       nom. nom. okay. so far so good.

    nothing too crazy. i mean, money in tech - weird. feels bad.

     but nothing insane.

       welllllll
        llllllllllllll
         llllllllllllll


////// TIME WARP //////

1967: the USA asks the UK to expel the native Chagossians from the chagos
      archipelago

  * the chagos archipelago is - you guessed it - within
    the british indian ocean territory

  * the UK obeys and expels the native Chagossians

1971: the USA builds a military base on the chagos archipelago

  * since 1971, the chagos archipelago has _only_ been inhabited by
    employees of the US military - everyone else is forbidden.

 \\\\\ END TIME WARP \\\\\


 now things get *strange*:

2020-2021: .io gets _very_ popular among cryptocurrency enthusiasts

2021: the united nations tribunal of law and sea (UNTOLAS) claims that the
      UK has no sovereignty over the chagos archipelago

  * this claim would EXTINGUISH the british indian ocean territory, _and_ the
    iso-3166 two-letter country code, _and_ potentially the .io domain

  * the UK disputes and does not recognise the tribunal's decision, even tho
    they're not party to the case

2021: the Chagossian Refugees Group submits complaint against paul kane and
      ethos capital, seeking repatriation of $7m/year for the .io domain 

  * as far as i can tell, this has gone nowhere


  tl;dr~

  .io domains are associated with:
    - cryptocurrency
    - startup culture
    - military occupation
    - native population displacement

  .io domains support:
    - a lucky liar making millions
    - an evil capital firm that attempted a hostile .org takeover

  .io domains may:
    - be extinguished 🧯



so basically,

---.._
      `\  ,;;;,
"--.._  |,%%%%%%              _
      `\;;;;  -\      _    _.'/\  try not to buy
     ,;;;;" .__{=====/_)==:_  ||     .io domains.
,,,;;;;;'`-./.____,'/ /     '.\/   bcuz they're icky. 🤮
;;;;;'      `--.._.' /
       '-.        `\/
        ,'`.        |
   __.-'    \     ,'
'``          `---`


love,
  jes