LegitScript and KnujOn report on "extensive steroid distribution networks online" and the Registrars who allow them to exist Last fall the DEA announced the Largest Steroid Enforcement Action in U.S. History, Operation Raw Deal. I won’t even mention José Canseco, the Mitchell Report, or the congressional investigations of steroid use among professional athletes.You’d think that most people would have gotten the message about anabolic steroids by now. Apparently not.From our friends at KnujOn: LegitScript.com and Knujon.com have worked together to develop a report concerning extensive steroid distribution networks online. Steroids designated by the Department of Justice as “Schedule 3 Substances” were found at the 156 web domains listed in this report. The easy availability of illicit substances through these domains is shocking. Even more shocking is the lack of cooperation from the Registrars that sponsor these sites. On July 1 we issued joint letters to eight registrars: Abacus America, DSTR Acquisition VII, Dynadot.com, Everyones Internet, eNom Inc, EstDomains Inc, GoDaddy/Wild West, and Parava Networks Inc. In these letters we listed the websites, described the banned substances offered at each, and detailed how these sites were violating Internet policy, the Registrar’s own terms of service, and the law. Only three Registrars responded, two declining to cooperate, one stating they would look into it after several strong emails. A letter to one Registrar, Parava Networks Inc, was returned by the Postal Service as undeliverable, calling into question the general legitimacy of this particular company. I was a little upset to find GoDaddy on this list, as up until now it was a Registrar about which I felt relatively comfortable.The letter goes on: While no one is accusing any of these Registrars of being actively involved in the illicit distribution, it is a simple fact that none of these sites would exist without the sponsorship of these Internet companies. Some Registrars may feel their first obligation is to their customers, but their real primary obligations are to the law and the stability of the Internet registration system. Everyone who registers an Internet domain is required to affirm that they “are not registering the domain name for an unlawful purpose” and the Registrar is required to ensure that this policy is enforced. For too long there has been a false perception that the Internet is lawless, but it isn’t. The rules are just not enforced and the stakeholders have been unaccountable. Knujon and LegitScript feel that these Registrars also have a moral and ethical responsibility to the public since the sale and distribution of these illicit substances poses a grave health risk. These websites purport to offer steroids to anyone without prescription or age verification. It is our hope that in releasing this information public awareness of the problem will increase. The full Steroid Report is available here: https://legitscript.com/Steroid%20Report.pdf The press release is here: https://legitscript.com/newsitems/show/10 A list of the Registrars, web domains in question, the substances offered at each, and samples of the site content can be viewed here: https://www.knujon.com/schedule3/dir.html What’s your take? Software Development