Neil Fraser registered the domain neil.fraser.name nearly twenty-five years ago to establish a stable online presence. This domain has served as the home for his website, email address, and server for APIs, predating platforms like YouTube and Facebook. On 15 April 2026, Verisign proposed the termination of the entire third-level domain hierarchy of '.name' to simplify administration, a proposal that was approved by ICANN on 28 July 2026. Fraser learned of this decision through an email from his registrar.
Third-level domains, such as those under '.name', differ from dubious operators selling domains like *.uk.co, as they are managed with full WHOIS records. Fraser chose '.name' because it was originally operated by Global Name Registry, which he trusted more than Verisign. However, after Verisign acquired Global Name Registry, his mistrust was confirmed by what he describes as misleading information in Verisign's proposal.
The termination of these domains means that Fraser's website will disappear in February 2026, despite being registered and paid for until 2040. His email address will also be lost, and IoT devices linked to this domain will become inoperable. Additionally, the termination will likely allow others to register the now vacant second-level domains, potentially leading to unauthorized access to accounts associated with his email address. Fraser noted that he is one of 22,000 individuals who will lose their domains due to this decision.