CZ.NIC called on the government to take a conceptual approach to the problem of misinfo domains

The intention of the CZ.NIC Association was to prevent the threat to computer security that was caused by the electronic dissemination of such information.

On 25 February 2022, upon consultations with the state security services and in accordance with the call of the Government of the Czech Republic, the Czech National Domain Administrator blocked eight domain names identified by the Military Intelligence as a security threat. In doing so, it acted on the basis of Article 17 of the Domain Name Registration Rules. At the time of the aggression committed by the Russian Federation, the main objective of this measure was to limit the dissemination of false and misleading information online that sought to relativize, justify or endorse the aggression. The intention of the CZ.NIC Association was to prevent the threat to computer security that was caused by the electronic dissemination of such information.

The CZ.NIC Association clearly declared from the beginning that this was an extraordinary and unprecedented measure which would be reviewed on a monthly basis in accordance with the domain name registration rules. The goal was to provide a time frame for the relevant public authorities to react, not to permanently block a domain name only by decision of the CZ.NIC Association. This is also why at the very beginning the Association called on the Government of the Czech Republic for the adoption of systemic measures in the area of prevention and containment of the spread of misinformation online.

For the sake of transparency and predictability of its decision-making, CZ.NIC announces that after the purpose of the blocking has been fulfilled, the Association will keep the domains in question blocked from the zone only on the basis of an order issued by a court, the Police of the Czech Republic or another competent state authority, since the reasons for the blocking under Article 17 of the Rules have already expired.