Domain Shane’s Daily List of Domains at Auction for Monday March 18th, 2019

22 Replies to “Domain Shane’s Daily List of Domains at Auction for Monday March 18th, 2019”

1. When I read BPED I first thing of performance enhancing drugs.

2. “At some point, free speech has to be tempered with morality” Well stated Shane! As long as these sick-o’s know they can stream/post their hate, it’s just one more reason for them to commit these heinous acts!

3. I watched the Monster/Christchurch situation unfolding late on Saturday. I was surprised no blog had deemed it significant enough to mention. Social media has been an eye opener in terms of seeing the views of people on issues outside of things such as new tlds etc.

   As always, kudos to you, Shane, on pulling no punches.

4. I am in full agreement with you, Shane. I was not aware of this situation. I will not support Epik.com nor recommend them to anyone because of the way Rob Monster promotes those who hate. Thank you for saying out loud what so many of us are thinking.

5. His last name fits him! Guy seems like a real D-bag to me. Says he is a christian on profile? whatever that means these days. Guys no different than these big networks that exploit death and politics then bank on glorifying it and showing higher viewership in commercials.

6. Haven’t done business with Epik and now I certainly wont, but I appreciate you speaking up as I would not have been aware of this.

7. Shane, you are a great guy. No matter we didnt meet face to face, i can feel that we share the same soul. like monsters do. goodness and evil are spread throughout the world. they have no specific country. Humanity seems to be in the %1 of its lifetime. We have so much time to understand that world and humanity is only one. All the things we find reason to kill are simply stupid.

   All the best from istanbul,

   Fatih.

   1. Thank you all for the kind words. This isn’t about me being a good person. This is merely saying that on a daily basis we write articles in this industry about small grievances or UDRP when right in
      front of us we have a domain registrar and its owner supporting people that hurt other people. If he were supporting both sides perhaps I might believe the freedom of speech argument. African Americans being wrongly accused or shot, Jews, Hispanics and other under represented voices are never mentioned or supported by Epic and/or Rob Monster. He doesn’t amplify their voice and protect their freedoms like he does those on the far right at Gab. He ONLY helps a certain type of person. I’ve said enough but you get my point. I am not one to judge moral character but I know the actions of Epik have no place in our industry other than in a dark corner

8. Thank you for taking a stand against the Vermin, Your kindness towards other people are admirable

   The moment he took GAB in I transferred away the few domains I had it with him. I will never ever deal with Epik. Rob Monster has blood on his hands for supporting the Terrorists who Massacred the Jews/Moslems while worshiping the same God He professes to be following.

9. I feel sorry for all the Investors of Digital Town also, who are left with a worthless stock, while executives made millions, and left the company quietly.

   I understand fighting overbearing rule of the internet, but this has gone to a point which is beyond the point any human can tolerate. I will boycott epik, plus I think Rob is just pumping the registrations to sell it in the near term.

10. Let me be very clear that I am stating my opinion here:

    I think that Rob Monster’s chips are going to start to fall soon:

    1. Everything that I’ve read about his “city blockchain” venture screams scam
    2. Epik is offering “lifetime” domain registrations??? They are taking money from folks knowing full well that they cannot reasonably assure that their domain name will be renewed in perpetuity. It screams ponzi scheme,

    It seems to me that he is at best a neo nazi, and at worst a fraudulent neo nazi.

11. 1/3 or 1/4 of Epik employees are muslims. That includes Epik’s oldest / earliest employee and 2 of the 3 newest hires. (Depends on how I count part-time staff. I’m leaving out overseas programmers.) These are not token hires. They have very important roles at the company.

    In saying this, I realize that some obnoxious person might find these individuals and begin harassing them. Please don’t. Above all, if you’re horrified at this massacre of innocent muslims (as I am), or annoyed by Rob’s treatment of the incident (as I am), then persecuting other innocent muslims would be a strange way to show it. Not the moral high ground.

    One of the commenters here refers to “the Vermin” – which I assume means Epik. “Vermin” can only apply to people, after all – certainly not to Epik’s products / services. And it is plural. I assume that means Epik employees are “vermin”? Or perhaps our customers?

    Indeed, I see that several people here expect “any respectable domain investor [to] remove their domains from Epik”. I myself am a domain investor. So are many of the customers I help daily. If we don’t do as some of you demand, then we are not “respectable”. Meaning you will not treat us with respect. Because we are “Vermin”?

    Maybe it is unhelpful to regard one’s peers as “Vermin”. Maybe we shouldn’t rush to judgment – like lemmings jumping off the proverbial cliff.

    Sometimes morality is black-and-white. Murdering 30+ innocent people is a vile act. Publishing a video after other websites act in concert to censor it? That is not so clearcut. People will have strong opinions about it, understandably. I might disagree with it.
    But it’s not the same as murder.

    When horrific content is published, the motivation for publishing it is very important. Censoring footage of murder – though an easy choice to make – is not necessarily a good thing.

    For example, what if racist cops shoot a black teenager in the back as he is running away? Should that murder footage be suppressed? Another example: There is reportedly an audio recording of journalist Jamal Khashoggi being tortured and killed inside the Saudi embassy in Turkey. Trump officials have stated that they feel no need to listen. They deny it happened. What if the tape could be published and expose the murderers’ guilt?

    This does not mean that I approve of Rob’s decision to publish the video of the New Zealand massacre. I haven’t seen his tweets. But to infer that he did this because he hates muslims and condones murder is not just simplistic; it is LUDICROUS. One person murders 30+ muslims. The other person hires them and works with them closely on a daily basis. To equate these 2 is simply wrong. Whatever the reasons Rob felt it necessary to re-publish a link to content others had decided to censor, hatred of muslims was NOT the reason.

    For clarity, I’m Epik’s Director of Operations. And I also have a close connection to the muslim world. I was born in Egypt, studied Arabic, and have lived 3 times in the Middle East during my life.
    Part of my childhood was spent in Jerusalem, مدينة القدس . My grandfather, as it happens, was an army photographer whose task was to photograph the survivors (and non-survivors) of the concentration camp at Mauthausen. Through my Grandpa, I’ve lived with the knowledge of that genocide all my life. Any massacre is terrible. But when it’s a synagogue or a mosque, it’s more personal for me.

    Why the personal details? Because I object to Epik – the team I work with and the customers we look after – being portrayed falsely as some epicenter of “hate speech” or the alt right. We are not. We are a domain registrar and marketplace with a wide range of services. We are a company whose boss has taken controversial (and in some ways courageous) steps to protect free speech. Unfortunately, that same boss has stepped on that message with some very bad PR moves. When Rob does that, it irritates me to the point of exasperation. And I tell him so.

    Nevertheless, the core argument in defense of free speech is a legitimate position for someone to hold. You may disagree with that position, but you should not confuse an anti-censorship stance with the worst things that can be censored. Yes, an anti-censorship stance permits something to be shown or said, but that doesn’t imply an endorsement. And when others are censoring content, then someone who is an anti-censorship activist will go out of their way to publish or exhibit something they may not agree with. That is not a new idea. “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” dates back to a biography of Voltaire.

    Rob’s political and social views have little in common with mine. He is a believing christian who inclines right on politics. I’m a progressive socialist atheist with a “feminist as F*ck” sticker on my laptop. I was so disgusted seeing Trump elected in the USA that I vowed to leave the country permanently. And did. Currently I live on the other side of Trump’s nonexistent wall. And the only English I speak is online. My fiancee is Peruana. You can infer from that that I also object to racism against latinos. (I mention this because someone mentioned the non-mention of “hispanics” as a reason to leave Epik.)

    Rob and I may disagree, as people in any diverse group will do.
    But we do agree on 2 crucial things: Tolerance and Free Speech. There is no such thing as “free speech tempered with morality”. Either speech is unconstrained or else it isn’t free. Not everyone believes in free speech. Indeed, absolute free speech is not the standard in the UK or the EU. But those of us who do espouse this principle inevitably find ourselves in a role that is misconstrued: Defending someone else’s right to say something stupid, wrong, perverse, or even evil. Or to see video footage of evil. That doesn’t mean that we agree with it.

    I have never witnessed any bigotry from Rob, though his opinions have made my eyes roll on occasion. Rob himself has lived in other countries and cultures during many years. At Epik, he has assembled a truly international team. Rob and I clash often – about strategic decisions related to Epik products, about mixing politics with business, and about specific political views. And because Rob actually is tolerant and believes in free speech, he does what few bosses would do … listens and lets me criticize him.

    Is Epik a hotbed of the alt right? No, of course not. We are a domain registrar. Our staff and customers hold viewpoints in every color of the rainbow. Arguably Gab is a hotbed of the alt right. But it’s just 1 domain at a registrar.

    Some of Rob’s political views do bother me. But America’s political views overall bother me. They elected a president whom I abhor beyond words; and this reflects badly on the country. Am I going to condemn half the people in America? No. Yet they did something far more harmful than publish a video, which has put children in cages at the border, which has cost lives in Yemen, which has emboldened white supremacist terrorists all around the world – including this villain in New Zealand.

    If I air my political views, as I have just done, then roughly 35% of the voting public of the USA will declare me their enemy. To the extent that they identify me with Epik, then perhaps they will demand that their acquaintances boycott Epik. This cuts both ways, folks.

    Society is divided along tribal lines. And the rush to judgment in social media causes the tribe members to align instantly and unthinkingly like iron filings in a magnetic field. There is a tendency toward censorship and de-platforming that even some of us progressives are opposed to. Bill Maher, for example, criticizes this constantly.

    I believe emphatically that de-platforming efforts – trendy and crowd-pleasing though the are – are a danger. Rob and I share this view. I wasn’t involved in the decision for Gab.com to come to Epik, which was made while I was on vacation. But I support any domain’s right to be registered and anyone’s right to publish legal content, even if I might hate the views expressed.

    At other times, censorship has focused on progressives. Books have been burned and banned. In the 20th century, Bertrand Russell was forced out of a professorship in the USA – teaching mathematical logic – because of his views on sex and marriage. The principle that would have defended his right to teach also defends people on the other end of the spectrum.

    It is alarming to see angry mobs mobilized like this: “Thou shalt boycott company X because the personal views of someone there don’t match those of your tribe.” Very well, consumers can choose to business with whomever they please. But should we pronounce them unworthy of respect if they don’t boycott company X because we happen to disagree with some tweet by someone who works at company X? Come on, guys! Stop painting with a broad brush.

    Slow down. Rob is not a monster. The worst thing that I could ever say about him is that he has a weird conspiratorial streak. In particular, he interprets every massacre as a “false flag” – from 9/11 to the synagogue shooting to this New Zealand attack. Yes, even the moon landing. Rob told me he believes that flag is false too.

    Does this “conspiracy theory” reflex make him a bigot who condones violence? No, not at all. It might make him somebody’s “crazy uncle” who thinks far too much about the JFK assassination and the Apollo mission. And that can lead to severe misunderstandings when Rob is simultaneously standing up to censorship on social media networks by publishing the controversial banned content himself. In the heat of the moment, people are going to misinterpret that.

    Don’t. Take a step back. Think.

    Try to tolerate and understand people who are different from yourselves. That includes people on the right and even the alt right. It includes people who voted for the opposite party. It includes people who believe the media or the government is perpetrating hoaxes. It includes Rob Monster. You can shake your heads at someone’s personal views without calling them “Vermin” or demanding that everyone shun them.

    Epik is a good company. It consists of a diverse team. And we help customers of all kinds. The free-speech stance is ABOUT diversity. Everybody has their own views. That includes Rob. But nobody’s views define what a whole domain registrar is about. Epik is neutral, and we defend any domain’s right to exist and engage in legal activity. That’s an important principle. If no registrars support that principle, than free speech in the internet age would cease. Online communication is essential. It’s what we’re engaged in here or on Twitter or on FaceBook or via email. And all of that depends on domains – hence on registrars. Domainers, above all, need to understand the importance of domains in this respect.

    1. If you feel good about working for a company that profits off of hate and murder that’s all that counts I reckon. The tweet speaks for itself.

       Im all for free speech, but profiting off of murder and/or hate is a matter of ethics.

       My former company specializes in selling sports apparel online. After the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre there was a very large spike in searches for Hokie apparel. I instructed our advertising department to shut down all marketing efforts related to Hokie merchandise for several weeks, even though consumers were buying to support the university.

       It’s against my ethics to actively solicit business as a result of murder. Epik doesn’t share the same values.

    2. Rob shared this photo on his Gab account.

       https://www.namepros.com/threads/social-network-gab-com-being-threatened-by-godaddy-24-hours-to-transfer-or-suspension.1107245/page-18#post-7032144

12. Despite Joseph’s long post there, it seems rather easily summed up –

    Rob Monster posted a link to the shooter’s video and also implied it was a hoax.

    I don’t think there is really any defense for that. I find this behavior reprehensible.

    Brad

    1. Did twitter take RobMonster offline.

       I think it’s time Epik’s board act, what a nightmare he has created here, no shell casings, parody music, calling this a hoax, what is next, will Epik be funding the legal bills of the shooter?

       Seriously 50 people lost their lives, thousands of extended family affected, and this guy is questioning if it even happens?

       Joseph go back to registering .net domains, Go to Bellevue most of the people working there are on Visas from India etc… most tech based companies need the best talent they can get, many of the companies hire them as it’s a hard to get good talent, so save this 1/4 nonsense.

13. The Bible-Thumping Tech CEO Who’s Proud Of Keeping Neo-Nazis Online
    Rob Monster claims he helped resurrect Gab because of his commitment to free speech. He also has a lot to say about Jews.

    https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/rob-monster-epik-gab-neo-nazi_us_5c17bb29e4b05d7e5d846f72

14. Thanks Shane for bringing this up. I feel the same. I will transfer my names away from Epik to another registrar, have low xxx. I stopped moving names to Epik since they supported / host Gab.

15. free speech means it’s ok to say:

    “I want that video published!”
    or
    “I think we should be able to link to that video”

    I can’t agree, but what can I do it’s “free speech”
    and you have every right to say so.

    it has nothing to do with “free speech”
    to post a link to an illegal video – to a massacre.

    that is simply disgusting.

16. Shane and the others are wrong and are making a mistake, a big mistake. Rob Monster and Epik are true champions of free speech. Were it not for companies like that still remaining we would really be in trouble. It is not a “guise” as Shane put it. And they do not “promote” those who hate as Michael Cyger put it. That is a lie, and is the same old tactic everyone uses all the time – consciously or not. Got something to say about racial issues? “You’re a racist.” Got something to say about the government of Israel and its actions? “You’re anti-semitic.” Something to say about male-female issues? “Sexist.” Religion and politics? “You’re a bigot, hater, or this, or that.”

    Before Joseph joined Epik and all but stopped commenting in the blogs, we occasionally disagreed about a thing or two, nothing too serious though – unless you count Estibot. 🙂 But Joseph has been making a lot of great points in recent months when he does appear. And while we would still not have 100% agreement on every single word or point – who ever does – what he wrote above as relates to the central issue here was extremely well said, and people are making a huge mistake if they do not take it to heart. Clearly in the ensuing comments, however, too many haven’t.

    1. Just read these two comments by Rob at NP in one of the threads there too. I’ve got half a mind to quote them entirely. People are making a mistake if they don’t take them to heart too:

       https://www.namepros.com/posts/7157501/

       https://www.namepros.com/posts/7157608/

    2. Just added links to Rob’s first two comments #’s 486 and 490 in one of the NP threads, but may be in moderation here now.