Cloudflare loses 22% of its domains in Freenom .tk shutdown
Cloudflare has shed more than a fifth of the domains on its platform after the shutdown of Freenom’s free country-code TLDs like .tk, .cf, and .gq, long associated with spam and abuse but also formative for cash‑strapped hobbyists and students. Commenters debate whether losing this strong “abuse signal” will meaningfully reduce fraud, how much blame or responsibility Cloudflare bears for shielding bad actors, and what viable, low-cost or free domain options remain for legitimate users now that one of the biggest free providers is gone.
Nostalgia for .tk and Early Free Hosting
- Many recall .tk as their first “real” domain when they were kids without credit cards.
- Common pattern: early sites on long free-host URLs → free subdomains → finally a “proper” free TLD like .tk → paid domains later.
- Other nostalgic services mentioned: 8m.com/20m, Tripod, Angelfire, cjb.net, co.nr, co.cc, za.net, .de.vu, .fr.st, .gs, .uni.cc, etc.
- .tk often wrapped sites in (i)frames and injected banner ads or popups; users shared tricks to hide or strip the ads.
- Many personal stories of school projects, game clans, anime/DBZ fan sites, self‑hosted servers behind free domains.
Impact of the Freenom / .tk Shutdown
- Several commenters suddenly lost long‑held .tk domains or could no longer renew or convert to paid.
- Some see this as a real loss for students/young people who can’t easily pay for domains.
- Others argue abuse and spam rates were so high that “very little of value has been lost.”
- Some note that abuse will not disappear; it will move to the next cheapest TLD, and the ecosystem loses a clear “spam signal.”
- A few legitimate .tk uses (e.g., Tcl’s tcl.tk) appear to persist via paid arrangements, but the situation is described as a “clusterfuck” and “unclear” for keeping legitimate domains alive.
Alternatives to Free TLDs
- Suggested free options: nic.eu.org, freedns.afraid.org, and other subdomain providers; some report slow or no responses from them.
- Student‑oriented programs (e.g., via GitHub’s student pack) offer free or discounted domains for limited time.
- Idea: public schools or governments could provide domains/hosting to students; pushback centers on moderation, administration, and legal liability.
Cloudflare’s Role, Abuse, and “Losses”
- Many question whether Cloudflare truly “lost” anything: .tk/.cf/.gq domains were likely overwhelmingly on free tiers, so dropping them may reduce costs.
- Discussion over Cloudflare’s responsibility:
- Critics say Cloudflare shields scammers, booter/DDOS‑for‑hire services, phishing and extremist sites, and makes abuse reporting intentionally difficult.
- Defenders say Cloudflare focuses on mitigating incoming attacks, should not be broad content police, and usually acts only under court orders.
- Some note Cloudflare has, under public pressure, dropped certain high‑profile extremist sites, so the “no moderation” stance already has exceptions.
Risks of Country-Code and Novel TLDs
- Using ccTLDs (.tk, .rs, .so, .af, etc.) for branding is seen as risky: subject to foreign governments, regime changes, and shifting policies.
- Contrast drawn between perceived stronger “ownership” of classic gTLDs (.com, .org, etc.) and more precarious ccTLD registrations.
- Some still favor playful or niche TLDs (.moe, etc.), others prefer politically “boring” namespaces.