What would you a shout a company that allows users to search for domain names and soon after registers those names to itself? Some would shout it a “front runner” or a “cybersquatter.”

Network Solutions quietly launched a program that registers searched-for domain names to itself. For a period of four days after the initial domain search is conducted, the name can be purchased only from Network Solutions.

The concept, according to Network Solutions CEO Champ Mitchell is to cut down on scams by preventing scammers from registering the domain names for which valid users are searching.

But many folks in the business of domain names blasted the policy as either locking in users to Network Solutions’ registration services — which are priced higher than many competing registrars — or exposing their searches to scammers, who could sweep up the domains as soon as they’re released.

Four-Day Grace Period

In a scheme called “domain tasting,” scammers take

advantage of the four-day grace period mandated by the World Wide Web Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) by registering large numbers of domains and thereupon releasing the ones that don’t generate traffic.

Reporter Andrew Allemann, writing on Domain Name Wire, accused Network Solutions of abusing that grace period. “The grace period was designed to refund domains that customers didn’t mean to register (e.g. they typed it wrong),” he said. “Yes, many companies are abusing that grace period, but now Network Solutions has thrown its hat in the ring.”

Jay Westerdal of DomainTools.com, writing on his company blog, said it is “deplorable” that Network Solution would announce potential domain names to the entire world.

“Network Solutions has now exposed those domains to domain tasters that will snipe those domain up milliseconds after Network Solutions deletes them,” Westerdal wrote. “These domains are now easy fodder for scammers and it is mind-blowing that…

Orginal post by Top Tech News