Is the .to (Tonga) domain completely rogue and should be removed?

[Robert Hettinga <rah@shipwright.com>]

:-).

Cheers,
Bob Hettinga

--- begin forwarded text


Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 15:24:09 -0400
Reply-To: bzs@world.std.com
Originator: com-priv@lists.psi.com
Sender: com-priv@lists.psi.com
Precedence: bulk
From: Barry Shein <bzs@world.std.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <com-priv@lists.psi.com>
Subject: Is the .to (Tonga) domain completely rogue and should be removed?
X-Comment:  Commercialization and Privatization of the Internet


We've been having increasing problems with one or more porn sites in
the .to domain promoting itself by massive spamming of AOL customers
using one of our domains in their From: header thus causing both
complaints to us and thousands of bounces from AOL due to bad AOL
addresses in their spam lists.

Looking at the .to domain I can't help but notice it's heavily laden
with what appear to be porn sites (sexonline.to, come.to,
xxxhardcore.to, etc.)

1. Performing traceroutes and other analyses seems to indicate that
this domain is NOT being used for communication with entities
legitimately located (legally, not only geographically) within the
sovereignty of the Kingdom of Tonga, as intended.

2. Clearly criminal and malicious activites are arising from sites to
which Tonga has provided comfort and sanctuary.

3. Therefore, I call for a process whereby it can be determined as to
whether or not it is appropriate to decommission the Tongan domain due
to negligence, mismanagement, and having allowed it to become an
attractive resource for criminal activities. I do not believe the
Tongan domain serves any legitimate purpose as an internet resource.

In support of this assertion I want to show you an SMTP conversation
with what claims to be the Consulate of the Government of Tonga in San
Francisco (This San Francisco office is listed as an official Tongan
contact point for visas etc by the US State Dept):

world% telnet sfconsulate.gov.to 25
Trying 209.24.51.169...
Connected to sfconsulate.gov.to.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 colo.to SMTP ready, Who are you gonna pretend to be today?
VRFY postmaster
500 Bloody Amateur! Proper forging of mail requires recognizable SMTP commands!

--------------------

Viewing the web page for the Tongan Consulate in the US
(http://sfconsulate.gov.to) reveals nothing but an ad for a software
company, this page ends with:

   Need a domain name? Contact the Kingdom of Tonga Internet domain name
                                 registry.

--------------------

Consequently, I assert there is no reason for this domain to exist and
it should be removed from the root name servers.


--
        -Barry Shein

Software Tool & Die    | bzs@world.std.com          | http://www.world.com
Purveyors to the Trade | Voice: 617-739-0202        | Login: 617-739-WRLD
The World              | Public Access Internet     | Since 1989     *oo*

--- end forwarded text


-----------------
Robert A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@philodox.com>
Philodox Financial Technology Evangelism <http://www.philodox.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'