Never buy a .online domain

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Registrants of the .online top‑level domain report that their sites and even entire domains can be abruptly suspended when Google Safe Browsing flags them as “unsafe,” with no clear cause and no straightforward way to appeal. Commenters see this as an extreme example of how cheap or “vanity” TLDs, aggressive anti‑abuse automation, and deep dependence on Google combine to make domains fragile, especially when registries automatically act on third‑party blacklists. Many advocate sticking to established TLDs like .com, .org, and reputable country codes, avoiding free or ultra‑cheap extensions, and pre‑verifying domains in Google Search Console to preserve some recourse if they are wrongly blocked.

Google Safe Browsing + Registry Overreach

  • Core issue: the .online registry (Radix) automatically suspended the entire domain (serverHold) when Google Safe Browsing flagged the site, disabling all DNS and making it impossible to complete Google’s verification/appeal flow.
  • Many see this coupling of a browser safety list to registry-level takedowns as catastrophic policy, effectively making the whole TLD unusable for “serious” use.
  • Some argue registries should only act on legal orders, not opaque third‑party blocklists, and at minimum must provide warning and a clear unblocking path.

Liability, Libel, and Centralized Power

  • Long subthread debates whether labeling a site “unsafe” is defamation:
    • One side: it’s an opinion, not a provable statement of fact, so not libel under typical defamation standards.
    • Others: in practice it functions as a factual claim from an authority, causes real damage, and should incur liability—especially when false and hard to contest.
  • Broader concern: Google’s unilateral decisions (bans, Safe Browsing, reviews, search ranking) can materially harm businesses and users, with almost no support or recourse.

TLD Reputation, Pricing, and “Weird” Domains

  • Radix-operated TLDs listed: .store, .online, .tech, .site, .fun, .pw, .host, .press, .space, .uno, .website. Several commenters say these are heavily used by scammers because they’re cheap or even free.
  • Consequences: some security products and ISPs blanket‑flag such TLDs as “malicious,” impacting both web access and email deliverability.
  • Complaints about new gTLD practices: teaser $1–$5 first year then large renewal hikes; sudden price jumps; stories of other TLDs (.icu, .art, .hosting, .dev, etc.) becoming unaffordable.
  • Many advise sticking to .com/.org or trustworthy ccTLDs; others report years of trouble‑free use of .tech/.fun/etc. and see TLD stereotyping as overblown.

Registrars, Alternatives, and Enshittification

  • Namecheap and Gandi are criticized post–private equity acquisition (bugs, pricing, policy changes), though some still praise their support.
  • Alternatives frequently recommended: Cloudflare (at-cost pricing), Porkbun, Dynadot, some cloud providers’ registrars; some warn Cloudflare itself could later “enshittify.”
  • Several note that free or ultra‑cheap domains (.tk/Freenom, some Radix promos) strongly correlate with abuse and future trouble; “never use free domains” is a recurring theme.

Google Search Console & Defensive Practices

  • Multiple commenters now treat adding domains to Google Search Console as a defensive necessity: pre‑verification makes Safe Browsing appeals possible if something goes wrong.
  • Others are uneasy about having to register with Google at all just to avoid being silently destroyed by its blocklists, seeing this as de facto gatekeeping of the web.