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Registrar Alternatives to Namecheap?
Namecheap has some nice benefits: $10 SSL certificates, advanced DNS management included, free whois guard protection, but their willingness to censor is concerning. Does Epik.com have similar features? I don't see any reference to DNS management or free whois protection on their site and their cheapest SSL cert is $70.
I'm looking for a feature rich registrar that advocates for freedom of speech, not "I disagree with your views, they're offensive, so we're suspending your domains."
Are there any viable alternatives?
Comments
Why are you paying for SSL?
Edit: look at https://njal.la
Because the last time I used LetsEncrypt the life-time of the cert was 30 days. Is that no longer the case?
It's 90 days - but you should be automating this like you're supposed to, the SSL certs NC sells retail for $2-3, I would recommend gandi or njalla
Oh ok, 90 days. Certbot wasn't a thing when I last used LetsEncrypt. I remember having to use some locally hosted HTML/JS file to generate the requests for a new cert each time. There was nothing automated about it.
Namecheap actually sells the same thing for $5.88/yr - https://www.ssls.com/ssl-certificates/comodo-positivessl (ssls is owned by NC)
Alternatively gogetssl does the same class for $3.88/yr
I do understand LE may not be for everyone
Cheapest non-free certificates I know of are around $4 a year but there are several sources of 90 days now, and the locally hosted file is basically what certbot does. I generally used the dehydrated script instead which I found simpler.
njal.la is interesting but on the expensive side, especially for hosting. Having super anonymous domain registration doesn't really protect your anonymity if your hosting isn't equally anonymous.
Also they don't seem to be in the free speech protection business except for its (important) privacy component. Their front page says:
Anyway I've never been crazy about namecheap though they have had a few good promos. I have generally preferred namesilo and porkbun. I hadn't heard of njal.la before so I've made a note of it, but it's probably hard for most LET cheapskates to justify.
I have to wonder if namecheap is somehow connected with comodo/sectigo beyond being a reseller. They have done some giveaway promos that seem hard to explain otherwise.
I doubt it, their pricing is on par with smaller reseller too
In practice, the great majority of registrars are unlikely to adhere to some absolute notion of freedom of speech or to whatever notion of freedom of speech that you personally prefer.
That. I think you need .onion .
You're right. Epik welcomed 8chan when Cloudflare turned them away. The Daily Stormer, since Namecheap dropped them, is using now.top which looks like a Chinese registrar. There are options out there.
Unrelated, but I find it interesting a hateful and openly racist group of people found domain refuge in a Chinese company because American companies wouldn't have 'em.
Ah, but it's certainly not because the Chinese company is a champion of freedom of speech.
If the DS started to criticize the Chinese government about their views on human rights, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, or (not to mention) freedom of speech, the Chinese company would drop the DS in a heartbeat.
https://easydns.com or https://www.zoneedit.com
Or go straight to where all the illegal stuff is: https://cnobin.com
What angstrom says. Your domain isn't a problem until they decide it is
I vaguely remember a $$$$ registrar offering legal protection i.e. they'd fight your corner for you, but that's not LET budgets. Could've been Comlaude or perhaps not.
If the registrar itself becomes enough of the problem the snake can be chopped at the registry level.
Nobody gives a shit about your tiny free speech blog. Use Namecheap.
rdn.name resell BiZCN/cnobin Domain(on request via Ticket)
njal.la is from Peter Sunde from TPB
Hey Guy, I work with Namecheap and the issue you're referring to is over two years old to which there was a response directly from the CEO.
https://www.namecheap.com/blog/inciting-violence-vs-freedom-speech/
Shorter certs are much better for security. Just use certbot or acme.sh to automate it, or use a web host that includes Let's Encrypt. Most good shared hosts include free automated certs now.
AFAIK the maximum validity of SSL certs has already decreased from 3 years to 2 years, and the CAB Forum are interested in dropping it to 1 year.
Don't have to read much farther than
We find ourselves in a difficult situation, the rest is philosophyThere's either a 'hands off' approach to the content of domains or there isn't.
You should also proofread your CEO, insure vs ensure. Didn't really read the entire reply, just thought I'd take the core points
Another part seems to be taking a single sentence from a domain and making a deduction of the content.
On that token, shut down YouTube, Google, Facebook and the rest.
The OP is most likely looking for a registrar that has no opinion whatsoever on the content he hosts, clearly this isn't the case with NameCheap.
Since we are having this discussion ... avoid moniker.com as well.
Hi tamar,
Is the age relevant? The Nazis burned books (among other things) they found offensive over 70 years ago. I'm not suggesting Namecheap are a bunch of Nazi's, but the censorship of a domain is equivalent to a modern day book burning.
The very first paragraph explains, "the content appearing on the DailyStormer.lol is highly offensive". Lots of things are offensive to lots of people. Does that mean we burn (purge) everything that one group or company or individual finds offensive? There'd be nothing left...
The Supreme Court of the US has unanimously reaffirmed, hate speech is still considered free speech. As for the incitement of violence, I'm not an attorney, but from where I sit it's kind of a stretch. Without more context the author could have been discussing a historical perspective (ie: what lead up the events of WW2). Regardless, the majority of people would agree it's the ramblings of an idiot and simply disregard such ignorant messages.
To be clear, I don't ascribe to the philosophies on DS, but I'll always support their birth (or God, take your pick) given right to express their ridiculous opinions no matter how stupid they might be.
Richard even quoted the EFF, "But we must also recognize that on the Internet, any tactic used now to silence neo-Nazis will soon be used against others." All these folks (and companies) that were previously advocating for "net neutrality" have suddenly become proponents of censoring content they disagree with. Oh the irony.
The image in the OP is purest form of gas-lighting. One article describes blatant censorship while the other says, "Look at us, we're champions of free speech!" So which is it? We've all heard the saying: actions speak louder than words.
Hi @tamar! I don't exactly agree with Namecheap's decision and response with that issue, but I just want to welcome you to LET! It's nice to have one more rep from a major service provider here.
Namesilo, Epik, Porkbun are my choice. Even I've one with now.top/BizCN.
We'll see whether she returns. I'll be pleasantly surprised if she does, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Where is 8chan these days, in terms of DNS and hosting? Just wondering.
Same place / intentionally offline apparently
Tor only I believe nowadays.
Their registrar is Epik, and all their info is hidden behind Anonymize:
vps:~# dig +short ns 8ch.netdns2.8ch.net.
dns1.8ch.net.
vps:~# dig +short dns1.8ch.net.
45.88.202.252
vps:~#
Hmm ok, I remember they were thrown off of Epik hosting and don't know what they are using now. dig -t A 8ch.net reports what seems to be an NTT address but I didn't try browsing it.
Cloudflare registrar