Domainz suspends ISP over e-mail bid to poach clients

By MICHAEL FOREMAN

Internet registry Domainz has suspended Albany-based internet service provider Strongnet after it launched a spam e-mail campaign designed to poach customers from rival provider Asia Online.

Strongnet director Philip Hunt admitted that about 2000 e-mails were sent out to Asia Online-related e-mail addresses last week.

The e-mail pointed out that Asia Online had gone into voluntary liquidation and invited customers to contact Strongnet to discuss domain name and web hosting.

"We are a web-hosting provider so we saw it as an opportunity to provide services to Asia Online customers," said Mr Hunt.

But Domainz yesterday took the unusual step of suspending Strongnet from using its internet registry while it investigates whether it broke Domainz rules.

"They are not able to change the domain name records of any of their customers," said Domainz director Roger De Salis. "For example, they would not be able to move an Asia Online customer over to Strongnet without our assistance."

However, Domainz will allow Strongnet's clients, which include Cardlink Systems, Citroen New Zealand, Regency Duty Free and Bike Barn, to update their domain name details.

"We have no plans to restrain Strongnet's business," said Mr De Salis. "We are seeking an explanation as to why they did what they did, but we are keeping a open mind. It may turn out that they did not do this - we are still in discovery mode."

Mr Hunt said the addresses had been obtained using a Unix zone transfer command to a publicly accessible name server rather than by accessing Domainz's database directly.

"Most people seem to think we got hold of them by querying the [Domainz] website or by abusing the database, but we didn't do that."

Mr Hunt claimed 90 per cent of the recipients had been pleased to receive the e-mail, which he described as blanket advertising.

But one Asia Online customer, communications consultant Elaine Spearman, described the e-mail as vulture-like.

"I haven't heard anything from Asia Online yet, and to be honest they've always been very good about things like this."

A spokesman from Asia Online's technical support desk said the company was most likely to continue to trade under new ownership.

But if it was wound up, the domain name server would be the last thing to close, and customers would be advised if they needed to make other hosting arrangements.