Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.10.2017, Qupperneq 12

Jens Pétur Jensen is the CEO of ISNIC,
the company responsible for the .is do-
main. This small company, comprised
of less than a dozen employees in a
downtown office, is the company any-
one can go to in order to register a .is
domain. Normally, this company quietly
goes about its business, concentrating
solely on registration. However, twice
in recent history they have made inter-
national headlines; first, in 2014, when
the Islamic State registered two .is do-
mains, and last month, when the neo-
Nazi site Daily Stormer (having been
virtually chased off the internet in the
United States), registered a .is domain.
In both cases, media reporting
confused the difference between web
hosting and domain registry, implying
at times that the Islamic State or neo-
Nazis were hosting websites in Iceland.
In both cases, the reality was very differ-
ent, and it’s that difference that matters
to Jens.
Hosting and domains
"We don't do content,” Jens tells us. “We
can never be held responsible for con-
tent on the internet. Most people agree
on that, and probably everybody who
understands the difference [between
hosting and domain registry] does."
The difference is actually very sim-
ple. Hosting is a service where a web-
site’s content is stored on a particular
server. This server’s location is marked
by an IP address. A domain is merely a
URL that points to the IP address. This
distinction is very important, not least
for legal reasons.
"Clearly, the DailyStormer was in vio-
lation of Icelandic law,” Jens explains.
“But the website is hosted in the States.
So the police have no means of taking
it down, because they don't have any
jurisdiction over anyone involved."
What ISNIC was able to do, though,
was refer to their terms of service. It
was these terms of service that enabled
ISNIC to eventually disconnect Daily
Stormer’s .is domain from its hosting.
How they locked
the Nazis out
"We asked the registrant [Andrew An-
glin] for proof of his existence, and ad-
ditionally, pursuant to Article 22 Para-
graph 4 of our rules, to prove his legal
address,” Jens tells us. “And he didn't
want to send it. He said, 'My life is in
danger. I don't trust that you won't send
it to the Icelandic authorities, and that
they won't reveal it further.' And I said,
'You don't have to trust me because I will
send it—I'm obliged. What they do with
that information is not in my hands.'"
The domain is suspended now, and
will expire at the end of
the registration year.
Then it will be available
to anyone. Jens dismiss-
es criticisms that have
arisen on the matter, pri-
marily from the far-right
on the internet, claiming
that suspending the do-
main would be a violation
of freedom of speech.
"If a Nazi is speaking
about freedom of speech,
he should maybe do a little more history
reading," Jens quips.
What about the Islamic
State?
That said, Jens emphasises that free-
dom is important, and that there is
nothing in Icelandic law as far as hate
speech is concerned that pertains to
domain registration.
"And fortunately not,” Jens says.
“That would open up a thing that no one
would want to see. That would open up
a committee deciding on every domain.
I don't think there would ever be peace
over such a committee."
Jens refers to Norway and their at-
tempt at something like
this, where they ended
up with a list of up to
3,000 banned domains.
This, of course, not only
ignores the existence
of things like VPNs and
proxy servers; it ignores
simply connecting to a
website, through their IP
address directly.
Nonetheless, there is
again the matter of the
Islamic State. We point
out that there didn’t
seem to be much hesita-
tion to disconnect their
domains.
"That's completely
right, and that's a little
embarrassing for ISNIC,
because of the compari-
son,” Jens says. “There was no hesita-
tion, but there was a lot of panic during
that weekend. The matter came to light
on Friday, and I called the board togeth-
er on Sunday. The same procedure was
used. The registrant didn't want to re-
veal his home address or his real name.
We didn't want to be associated with
this business. On Monday, we got a rul-
ing from the Foreign Ministry to shut
down the business contract, because it
was a listed terrorist group. To compare
those two is unfair, in my opinion. Even
though they're Nazis, I
don't take them very se-
riously."
Jens admits to not be-
ing entirely aware of the
situation in the United
States, and adds that
the situation with the
Islamic State was differ-
ent from Daily Stormer
for another reason, say-
ing, "ISIS was working
under the initials I.S.,
so they were taking our brand and using
it for a state they were trying to build.
I'd do the same again if I had to. You can
have rules about everything. And then
you can have situations that are unfore-
seen that we'll just have to confront and
solve when they come up. And this was
a situation like that."
The freedom to call the
president an asshole
At the core of this entire discussion,
Jens believes that freedom is para-
mount.
"It is of the most vital importance
that we have absolute independence
for registrants,” Jens says. “We do not
'give out' domains, as
is often reported. We
don't do that. Domains
are registered by the
registrant. He is the
author of the domain,
and he is the responsi-
ble person, not ISNIC.
I've often said I wish
that someone had reg-
istered olafurragnar-
grimssonisanasshole.
is. That would have
been a very good ex-
ample for us to stand
up and say the regis-
trant should have that
domain, but he should
stand behind it."
In closing, I ask if there
are any porn sites that
use the .is domain.
Forever taking the neutral stance when
it comes to the internet, Jens charac-
teristically responds, “I have no idea. I
don’t go keeping track of what content
is using our domains. But given the vol-
ume of porn on the internet, I think it’s
mathematically impossible that there
isn’t some porn using an .is domain.”
But if there is, it’s not Jens’ problem.
Words:
Paul Fontaine
Photos:
Art Bicnick
Connecting
The Strings
Icelandic domain registry ISNIC’s
CEO talks Internet freedom
INTERVIEW
Jens Pétur Jenssen
*hacker voice* “I’m in.”
First 12 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 18 — 2017
“He said, 'My life
is in danger. I
don't trust that
you won't send it
to the Icelandic
authorities, and
that they won't
reveal it further.'
And I said, 'You
don't have to
trust me because
I will send it.’”
“I've often said
I wish that
someone had
registered
olafurragnar-
grimssonisan-
asshole.is.”