Josephal
Granite City,#2Consumer Suggestion
Mon, October 06, 2008
Do not search for domains unless you are intending to buy. With some free software and the right know how, someone could read what you are searching on! I just checked GoDaddy's web site and the domain search is not secured, meaning the queries are in plaintext. Meaning anyone on your ISP, or on any other network the information might travel through, could try to intercept them. I am positive that unscrupulous individuals monitor unencrypted traffic going to big businesses like GoDaddy. Again, don't search unless you intend to buy! Also remember, if you own the trademark or copyright to the phrase, U.S. case law allows you to attempt to take ownership of the domain by filing for copyright/trademark infringement.
Derek
Chandler,#3Consumer Suggestion
Thu, April 26, 2007
Unfortunately, you can't blame GoDaddy for this one. The registries that register domain names make lots of information publicly available when it comes to domain names. A few of the things that are available are lists of domains that expire on that current day, domain names that have been newly registered and also, as in your case, domain searches against the registry's database. There are several companies out there that make a killing out of using this information and it wouldn't matter what registrar you searched from. The only ones where you wouldn't be affected by this are the ones that use cached results to check for domain registrations. If they only cache once per day, you'd be safe for about 24 to 48 hours. This isn't the case with most of the big guns as they need to have constantly updated information. The only way to keep from losing a domain name like this is to register the one you want whether you think you want it or not. You have 5 days to refund the domain name if you decide not to keep it. I buy most of my domains from GoDaddy because, for 9.20, or whatever they charge, I can stand to change my mind later and lose 9.20 rather than lose a domain name that I really, really needed. You can't blame GoDaddy, blame the way the the registries, and more importantly ICANN, handle the entire situation.