Mastodon instance Queer.af is shutting down because the country that provides the domain is now ruled by the Taliban.

When registering a country code domain, keep in mind where the domain is being registered. A shift in government or geopolitics can have serious consequences.

  • Blaze@discuss.onlineEnglish
    1014·
    6 months ago

    That’s an old story, and if I remember correctly the title was misleading, it was more of a decision of the instance admins to not renew it rather than the Taliban having anything to do with it

    • Sean Tilley@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      427·
      6 months ago

      Yeah, they didn’t want their money going to the Taliban, and it’s a little shaky as to whether the Taliban’s Ministry of IT would take a stricter content enforcement on their ccTLD. For a while, it was only possible to renew domains, not buy new ones.

      Still, I stuck with the title because the Taliban is still the reason.

    • spujb@lemmy.cafeEnglish
      131·
      6 months ago

      the misleading title you are remembering was closer to “queer.af is shutting down, killed by the taliban”

    • foggy@lemmy.worldEnglish
      81·
      6 months ago

      It’s more like just because you can make a funny domain name out of a specific top level domain like .af Make sure some country doesn’t have dibs on it first.

      Like it wouldn’t be smart to start a business selling che Guevara merch at commra.de.

        • Alto@kbin.social
          71·
          6 months ago

          I think the point is politics in a nation can change at any time, and as such you may lose the domain/no longer feel safe supporting that nation. Just because they wouldn’t now doesn’t mean they wouldn’t in the future. (Especially with how well AfD is polling and how much CDU/CSU seem to be starting to cooperate)

          • yetAnotherUser@feddit.deEnglish
            21·
            6 months ago

            How are non-ccTLDs, like .com any safer? A fascist like Trump could decide to nationalize managing them at any time

        • foggy@lemmy.worldEnglish
          01·
          6 months ago

          1. Che Guevara’s Ideology: Che Guevara is known for his Marxist and revolutionary ideology. He was a key figure in the Cuban Revolution and is often associated with anti-capitalist and socialist movements.

          2. Germany’s Political System: Post-World War II Germany, particularly West Germany and the reunified Germany, has been a capitalist, democratic nation. East Germany (GDR) was a socialist state, but it no longer exists since Germany’s reunification in 1990. Modern Germany is part of the European Union and is considered a strong advocate of democratic values and a free-market economy.

          So, using a German country code top-level domain (like .de) for a website selling Che Guevara merchandise creates an amusing contrast. It’s the juxtaposition of a domain associated with a country known for its capitalist and democratic principles being used to sell merchandise symbolizing a figure who opposed those very principles. This contrast is what makes the joke humorous and pointed, highlighting the importance of being mindful of the historical and political connotations of country code top-level domains.

          There, I had chat GPT explain it for you.

          Edit, also: “comrade”, Germany. Idk, Google it?

      • Carighan Maconar@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        6 months ago

        I think “funny” names involving TLDs as a whole just need to be more careful. It should never be what you expect.

        Like, if someone from the US told me to go a website called “comrade” to buy merch, I’d expect comrade.com. To get me to go to their intended address they’d need to be a German telling me to go to “comra”. That’s utterly unintuitive as far as verbal communication goes.