When I first got on the web, I was thrilled with each and every email I got. It didn’t matter where it came from. That email was delivered through the wonder of the Interweb. Back then, even spam was exciting.

Things sure change.

Today, email isn’t so exciting. It’s still a pretty necessary application but it’s also strife with possible viruses, BHOs and spam, spam, spam. When you’re an adult webmaster, these email problems are multiplied many fold. If anyone gets more crap and junk in their email box it’s the adult webmaster.

"If you do not respond to a second email transfer request within five days, the transfer will be approved."

We install virus scanners to our email clients. We use firewalls and apply numerous filters to prevent unnecessary intrusion. We spend too much time deleting email. It’s a wonder we check it at all. But we check it. We have to. Thanks to a new ICANN transfer policy, ignoring your inbox could be fatal to your domain.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the governing body responsible for the Domain Naming System (DNS). There are many ICANN approved registrars but it’s ICANN that approves and regulates those registrars as well as registered name holders.

On November 12 2004, ICANN implemented a new policy on domain transfers. According to ICANN, they reconfigured their policy on Transfer of Registrations between Registrars in an attempt to thwart the less than worthy practices of some.

One of the flaws in the whole URL registration, leasing, transfer thing is that literally any schmuck can request to transfer your domain name to their account on their registrar. If that person is able to spoof your email address, they can also approve the transfer request and steal your domain away from you. This bugaboo has been a thorn in ICANN’s side for a long time and they’re finally doing something to fix it.

If you’ll note, the name of the policy is 'Transfer of Registrations between Registrars'. It’s supposed to be a policy to protect you ­the Registered Name Holder- so that you may keep your domain in case you choose to switch registrars. It’s also a point of contention for registrars, especially the Losing Registrar, also referred to as the Registrar of Record. A few registrars have been known to act badly when a Registered Name Holder tries to leave their charge.

Before the change, if you did not send a second confirmation on a transfer request to your Registrar of Record, your Registrar of Record could cancel the transfer. Nefarious Losing Registrars pulled sneaky tricks like delaying the delivery of that second confirmation email or hiding it in a within an email with a misleading SUBJECT line.

Now, because of the change, if the second confirmation is not sent by you -the Registered Name Holder- within five days, the transfer is automatically approved.

I guess you can see why it’s important for you to check your email. Let me repeat, if you do not respond to a second email transfer request within five days, the transfer will be approved.

Before you get all crazy, calm down and think for a minute. The prime word here is SECOND transfer confirmation. Before there is a SECOND request, there must be a FIRST confirmation reply from you, the Registered Name Holder. While this FIRST request/confirmation does not protect your domain from email spoofing, it does protect you because you have to send that FIRST confirmation or the transfer is cancelled. The ICANN policy states:

“The Administrative Contact (this should be you) and the Registered Name Holder (definitely you), as listed in the Losing Registrar's or applicable Registry's (where available) publicly accessible WHOIS service are the only parties that have the authority to approve or deny a transfer request to the Gaining Registrar. In the event of a dispute, the Registered Name Holder's authority supersedes that of the Administrative Contact.”

You can’t lose your domain by neglecting to reply to a SECOND confirmation without confirming a FIRST transfer request. In addition, if your lock your domains through your Registrar of Record, any and all transfer requests are automatically denied.

I advise you Froggers to go and lock your domains right now. It’s usually easy to do and should be a free service. If not, then you might want to test the Transfer of Registrations between Registrars policy for yourself.

Granted, I think this a pretty weird way for ICANN to fix the bug in their transfer policy but I’m not ICANN. I don’t make the rules. I just tell you the stuff you need to know.

Check your email. I know it’s a bitch but there are really great programs and client software that help you filter, manage and streamline your inbox. You need email to do business and this whole domain transfer issue is evidence of how the original killer application is still pretty darn important.