{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@id": "https://aggr.aymericbeaumet.com/items/simonwillison-net/2026-09-06-the-purpose-of-dns-is-to-spread-scams/#webpage", "@type": [ "WebPage", "ArchiveComponent" ], "articleBody": "**[The purpose of DNS is to spread scams](https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/09/the-purpose-of-dns-is-to-spread-scams/)**. Terence Eden shares some daunting statistics in support of his take that \"the Domain Name System's purpose seems to be a vector for criminals to run scams on people at a terrifyingly high rate\".\n\nOn [this Interisle report](https://interisle.net/insights/cybercriminaldomaindemand) ([via Andrew Campling](https://labs.ripe.net/author/andrew_campling/dns-abuse-and-criminal-infrastructure-beyond-definitions-and-blocklists/)), Terence says:\n\n> It says 85 million new registrations of gTLDs were made in 2025. Of those 8.5 million were added to blocklists by May 2025. It reckons that a 10% abuse rate is the likely floor for these numbers and it's probably closer to 20%. One in five newly registered domains with a gTLD are scams. That's a bloody crisis.\n\nI had no idea. Apparently ICANN have been discussing this problem for years.\n", "authors": [], "captured_at": "2026-09-08T10:17:10.166315+00:00", "category": "programming", "content_html": "

The purpose of DNS is to spread scams. Terence Eden shares some daunting statistics in support of his take that "the Domain Name System's purpose seems to be a vector for criminals to run scams on people at a terrifyingly high rate".

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On this Interisle report (via Andrew Campling), Terence says:

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It says 85 million new registrations of gTLDs were made in 2025. Of those 8.5 million were added to blocklists by May 2025. It reckons that a 10% abuse rate is the likely floor for these numbers and it's probably closer to 20%. One in five newly registered domains with a gTLD are scams. That's a bloody crisis.

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I had no idea. Apparently ICANN have been discussing this problem for years.

\n", "content_markdown": "**[The purpose of DNS is to spread scams](https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/09/the-purpose-of-dns-is-to-spread-scams/)**. Terence Eden shares some daunting statistics in support of his take that \"the Domain Name System's purpose seems to be a vector for criminals to run scams on people at a terrifyingly high rate\".\n\nOn [this Interisle report](https://interisle.net/insights/cybercriminaldomaindemand) ([via Andrew Campling](https://labs.ripe.net/author/andrew_campling/dns-abuse-and-criminal-infrastructure-beyond-definitions-and-blocklists/)), Terence says:\n\n> It says 85 million new registrations of gTLDs were made in 2025. Of those 8.5 million were added to blocklists by May 2025. It reckons that a 10% abuse rate is the likely floor for these numbers and it's probably closer to 20%. One in five newly registered domains with a gTLD are scams. That's a bloody crisis.\n\nI had no idea. Apparently ICANN have been discussing this problem for years.\n", "dateCreated": "2026-09-08T10:17:10.166315+00:00", "date_created": "2026-09-06T14:40:07+00:00", "date_modified": "2026-09-06T14:40:07+00:00", "date_published": "2026-09-06T14:40:07+00:00", "description": "The purpose of DNS is to spread scams Terence Eden shares some daunting statistics in support of his take that \"the Domain Name System's purpose seems to be a vector for criminals to run scams on people at a terrifyingly high rate\". On…", "external_url": "https://simonwillison.net/2026/Sep/6/the-purpose-of-dns-is-to-spread-scams/", "git": { "commit": "ebb0941c5c06a2ab2377342d607535262a3e969e", "path": "items/simonwillison-net/2026/09/2026-09-06-the-purpose-of-dns-is-to-spread-scams.md", "permalink": "https://github.com/aymericbeaumet/aggr-instance/blob/ebb0941c5c06a2ab2377342d607535262a3e969e/items/simonwillison-net/2026/09/2026-09-06-the-purpose-of-dns-is-to-spread-scams.md" }, "id": "urn:aggr:item:cd1c112af5218235e42f722bcfdf4c8e2f84d85b", "isBasedOn": { "@id": "https://simonwillison.net/2026/Sep/6/the-purpose-of-dns-is-to-spread-scams/" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://simonwillison.net/2026/Sep/6/the-purpose-of-dns-is-to-spread-scams/", "@type": "CreativeWork", "archivedAt": { "@id": "https://aggr.aymericbeaumet.com/items/simonwillison-net/2026-09-06-the-purpose-of-dns-is-to-spread-scams/#webpage" }, "dateModified": "2026-09-06T14:40:07+00:00", "datePublished": "2026-09-06T14:40:07+00:00", "headline": "The purpose of DNS is to spread scams", "timeRequired": "PT1M", "url": "https://simonwillison.net/2026/Sep/6/the-purpose-of-dns-is-to-spread-scams/", "wordCount": 122 }, "name": "Archived snapshot: The purpose of DNS is to spread scams", "preview": null, "reading_minutes": 1, "replicated_at": null, "source": "simonwillison-net", "source_name": "Simon Willison's Weblog", "summary": "The purpose of DNS is to spread scams Terence Eden shares some daunting statistics in support of his take that \"the Domain Name System's purpose seems to be a vector for criminals to run scams on people at a terrifyingly high rate\". On this Interisle report (via Andrew Campling), Terence says: It says 85 million new registrations of gTLDs were made in 2025. Of those 8.5 million were added to blocklists by May 2025. It reckons that a 10% abuse rate is the likely floor for these numbers and it's probably closer to 20%. One in five newly registered domains with a gTLD are scams. That's a bloody crisis. I had no idea. Apparently ICANN have been discussing this problem for years. Tags: dns, scams, terence-eden", "tags": [ "dns", "scams", "terence-eden" ], "temporalCoverage": "2026-09-08T10:17:10.166315+00:00", "title": "The purpose of DNS is to spread scams", "url": "https://aggr.aymericbeaumet.com/items/simonwillison-net/2026-09-06-the-purpose-of-dns-is-to-spread-scams/", "word_count": 122 }