Ask HN: Is .org now Trump-controlled?

selfhoster1312 22 points 5 comments August 30, 2026
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At first i read about the sanctions, but didn't realize autistici.org has been seized at the TLD level. Does this mean Donald Trump can now disable any foreign .org domain they don't like without any form of process or trial? I mean sure the US government technically always could by threatening the operators with guns, but i remember the balance of power was different for thepiratebay.org/wikileaks.org. Is there an ongoing savedotorg-like campaign i'm unaware of to have ICANN revoke the current delegation and setup a new non-profit to manage .org outside of US jurisdiction? I mean, given how the Trump administration literally banned words, i can definitely see wikipedia.org (among many others) being targeted next.

Discussion Highlights (5 comments)

onion2k

For anyone who's out of the loop - https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0616 Gov seized the .org domain of an Italian group they claim write digital tools for 'antifa' terrorism. The group's work is described as 'including website hosting on foreign servers, encrypted email accounts, chat and video conferencing, and digital architecture associated with its “Noblogs” platform.'

drstewart

Outside of EU jurisdiction too. Would prefer not to need a VPN and submitting my ID to see domains.

kotaKat

I'd be worried about any domain in US territory because it doesn't have to be Trump killing domains. https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-... Ken Paxton caused Verisign to nerf a .com. Irrespective of the content, Texas as the state level is apparently powerful enough to be an Internet censorship tool.

orangecoffee

.org was bought by a private equity

brudgers

The original purpose of the internet was to support the US military. Expansion of the internet via commercial investment and civilian use does not imply that the original purpose was abandoned. Increases in internet scale, bandwidth, and compute are increases in firepower.

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